The Consequences of Wishes
by Mirika
Summary: He was just fine with his normal ass life, and this idiot had to come crashing into it. Literally. He huffed, angering himself more. "Well... I guess you can start with your name." He murmured. "Fay." Kurofay and more clamp pairings, flangst, mpreg, AU
1. When you were running away

**Disclaimer: **If I owned them, kurofay would be making out right now in the manga.

**Mirika: **Ok, let me explain before you throw bricks at me for not updating anything in forever! -ducks-

Firstly! Since my computer R3X decided it was a lovely idea to get a virus and crash about 3 times, I had to reinstall everything, one of those things YET to be installed is Microsoft Word, so I don't have the best writing system on my computer (I'm working on it, so if you see any typos or other things in this story, please overlook it or break it to me softly, for I rely on spell check far too much). Second, me and Ashine-chan (you all know her as Tsubasa-fan) have been working on this since forever, so it's extremely long. -applauds- that's fine with me, what with all the shortage of Kurofay. Anyway, third, I plan to update more often now that I"m on summer break -does a dance off to the side- so fear not! This will definitely not be the only thing you'll be able to read over the three month summer I get ;D (hopefully, if I'm not too effing lazy)

**Tsubasa-fan:**let's see...this will be a monster of a fic, so far there's still a lot that needs to be covered. Doesn't seem likes it this long though unless you really look back at it...poor msn died many times while working on this, I think its from the kurofay personally.

so without further adieu, here is the glorious, soon-to-be-freaking-long AU story of Kurogane and Fay!

* * *

Down a long dirt road drove a lanky bus, carrying a few students scattered here and there. As the bus went trucking along, one in particular started to gather up his odds and ends he had tousled on the long ride. He was tan skin and had a very muscular body beneath his all black clothing. His jet black hair spiked out as rebelliously as his attitude and his eyes gleamed with the reddest trouble one could muster. When the bus came to a halt, he removed himself from the seat, standing at at least 6'7''. His stride was long and careless, like he didn't give a damn about making the other students and bus driver wait for him to get off. As soon as he did, the bus drove speedily away, not caring to look back to the deserted plain nor the man who owned it. Said man began to walk toward his home among the trees to the west of him when he looked up to the sky, hearing a loud screeching sound. This sound was followed by a bulbous stream across the sky with fire blazing from a round object.

The man's eyes widened as he watched it fall, getting wider and bigger as it approached Earth. He squatted in a runner's position as he felt it impact the ground, shaking at least four miles around. He stayed there for a moment, staring at the black smoke that now billowed into the unaware sky.

The tan man paused still before standing. He retreated into the small home before coming back out with keys and a helmet. Out on the side was a slick black Ninja Mitsubishi motorcycle, awaiting it's rider with all the glory of a trusty steed. He mounted it and took off in the direction of the crash; his curiosity getting the better of him.

It took about ten minutes for him to arrive at the crater the crash had created,and surprisingly he was the only one there. It was in the middle of an unused field, spreading about 9 yards and going a story deep. Among the field lay shrapnel from what one could guess would be a ship of some kind. the dark haired man moved away from his bike and took off his helmet to inspect. He reached the side of the burnt ground and looked down. In the deep crater lay more shrapnel than in the field, and under the largest piece, which could've been the main deck, the man saw a bloody and very pale hand of what looked to be humanoid.

He shivered at the thought of its only humanoid appendage to be sticking out and it looking freakish. Just what the hell was it? Well, if it WAS a human, it was obviously in bad condition. He jumped down with nimble skill and landed on a broken monitor. The man went over to the large part and moved it with much effort, though he was probably the strongest person he knew. After succeeding in ripping the mangled metal apart, he gazed down at what could've been the most beautiful thing he ever saw.

Beneath the debris found the raven haired man looking at someone that had clearly seen better days. The man, at least he had assumed it was a man with how tall he appeared to be, was laying face down on the singed ground. blond hair dusted with ash kept the stranger's face from view. Red eyes scanned the prone figure, taking in the dark clothes with almost archaic looking symbols swirling around the collar and cuffs of the shirt, while black pants hugged thin hips. He breathing was was barely noticeable, but looking at the various scratches and burns adorned what pale skin could be seen it was a miracle this thing- whatever it was -was alive.

He sighed in relief when he learned it was human-like, but felt like he couldn't remove his eyes from the thin body. It was just too perfect to be human; milky skin, long limbs, thin waist, you never came across those features where the man had lived all his life. Especially the blond hair. He shook it off and went to the other, slowly picking up the unconscious body in order not to cause more harm. He couldn't tell if anything was broken, nor if anything was extremely life-threatening. It seemed like the man had survived the worst. He held the head in his lap, brushing the golden tresses out of the way to make sure all his face was still there.

Smooth skin meet his gaze, with faint pink lips partially open as the person breathed slowly, a smudge of ash blemished a pale face as lashes almost too long for a man ghosted over the stranger's cheeks. blond bangs spilled over and framed his face. A faint rose color tinted the strangers cheeks, he could only assume it was from either some kind of illness or perhaps from the fire that was still slowly ebbing away from the few scraps of whatever it was that had crashed here.

The alert man was almost tempted to run his hand across the cheeks in an affectionate way, like this creature was someone he had known from a long time ago, but he placed better judgment on it. He instead rubbed the back of the blonde's head, checking for head injuries. Finding none, his hand traveled toward the front of the pale man's head, only to get caught on his ears. What startled the tan man the most was that these ears kept going. What the fuck!? He had freaking elf ears?! How the hell did he not catch that before!? He groaned; this was definitely not human. He looked down again. It had red blood... it was breathing.... he leaned down and placed his head against the chest... it was barely there, but it had a heartbeat... He leaned up again and thought hard. He wasn't human, but he looked human. And believe it or not, this man wasn't about to let something like this die. What happened if weirdos got a hold of him? He shuttered. As gently as he could, he lifted the man, only to realized he weight as much as a can of soda. He struggled carrying him out of the crater without hurting him more, but managed to. He could hear sirens coming from the south, so he decided it would be best to leave now. He hopped on his motorcycle with the man curled up in his lap (much to his aggravation) and took off toward his house.

After setting his motorcycle in its secure place, he took the man into his home, setting him on his couch. The tan man stood up straight and placed his hands on his hips, confused at what to do next as he watched the man breathe. It seemed to be less stressed now that he was away from the fires. The tall man sat on his coffee table and folded his hands as he leaned forward on his knees. The blood was drying on the sleeping figure, meaning that it was clotting. The raven haired man placed his hand on the other man's forehead, feeling for any sign of ailment. When finding none, he got up and went to retrieve supplies.

As the man left to search for some bandages and other things, the blond shifted slightly, his brow furrowed ever so gently before becoming passive once again. The taller of the two, hearing the slight stir, leaned in from the other room with narrowed eyes. This fucker better not wake up, he thought scornfully.

The man returned to the room where his new acquaintance lay and sat back down where he was before. He set down the things he brought in and started to prepare the medicine. He didn't even know if his medicines would work on this thing, but he sure as hell would try. He leaned over and, raising the alien's head slightly, dabbed the cotton swab onto an open wound.

Just as soon as the blond felt his head being lifted his eyes snapped open ready for the worst. Burning bright blue eyes revealed themselves, and he felt the pressure at the back of his head leave as someone moved away from him. It was when he tried to rise that his body finally decided to tell him he was in pain. Head spinning, he managed to prop himself up on the couch with his elbow as he stared up at the man. Taking in the strange surroundings he realized he was somewhere very different than what he had been accustomed to. His eyes dulled and went back to their normal azure hue. His nose twitched at the smell of sulfur and smoke that lingered on him and the human in front of him.

Said human growled very territorially, fists clenching as he watched the creature in front of him move lucidly. He watched with weary eyes to make sure the blond didn't do anything he didn't like. He felt himself flinch when the eyes turned a different shade of blue, and felt his breath catch in his throat when the shade changed to the most enchanted color he'd ever seen. He slapped himself mentally and stared back down. What could one say in a position like this?

"Where am I?" Blue eyed met red as the blond tried to evaluate his situation. His entire body ached and he had no memory of how he had ended up landing on some sat up, hands resting in his lap as he waited for whoever this person was, his capturer perhaps,to answer his question. He moved to hold he head as he swayed a little from a dizzy spell. The other man flinched again, yet it wasn't as visible. He could understand this...man? How odd, considering he was from a different world, or as far as he knew, galaxy or even universe... He sat down cautiously, eyes never leaving the other man's.

"My house." He said on instinct. He paused.

"Planet Earth."

"Such a far away planet, strange that I would end up on such a backwater place." A thin finger rested against his chin in thought, before he realized the other occupant in the room staring him down.

"Sorry about that, I take it you're a human male? What's your name?" He smiled warmly, trying to coax the other into a conversation to learn more about this place. After all no one had ever really cared about such a primitive planet. The other man didn't answer, but stared holes into the blond. His mouth moved slightly, showing some sharper-than-normal teeth.

"Answer my questions first: what the fuck are you and how the hell did you survive a crash like that?" He asked lowly, the smile on the blond's face creeping him out slightly.

"Ah, Mr. Black's not the kindest creature it seems." Seeing how angry the man got, the blond realized this could actually be fun. Chuckling lightly, Fay sat back against the couch and crossed his legs. Thinking about how he should answer.

"I'm a Valerian, my home is light years away from here it seems... if I can remember my astronomy classes correctly. My makeup is not too different from a human's, though my race does have several advantages over yours." He flicked his wrist and blue light scrolled from his finger tips, lighting the room a bit before being snuffed out just as quickly as it had appeared. His smile returned as he looked up toward the human.

"As for a crash...that would explain why I'm so sore, but with a few days healing and some rest I should be good as new."

The man was silent for a moment before sighing wearily and leaning back slightly while folding his arms. So, this dude was an alien from the different edge of the galaxy... maybe farther than that... He rubbed his forehead slightly, sighing again.

"So... why did you come here?" he asked, not moving from his concentrated position. The blonde's smile faltered for a moment before it quickly returned, he hoped it would go unseen.

"I didn't chose to come here, you said yourself I crash landed."

Unfortunately for the cute little alien, the human was much sharper than he had imagined.

"Were you going somewhere?" He asked slowly, eyes narrowing farther.

"Yes, but it seems I won't be going anywhere for awhile now." He frowned for the briefest of moments, realizing this human was more perceptive than he seemed at first glance.

The raven haired man exhaled harshly, looking outside; he could see flashing lights. He stood up swiftly, cursing under his breath as he realized they were coming to his house. In another fast movement, he reached down and grabbed the blond's arm.

"Come with me." He commanded, not waiting for an answer before dragging him off into a different room.

"Ooh so rough, where are you taking me? I have to say you're being awfully forward." Fay couldn't help but tease the man, thinking how cute it was to see the taller human blush. Though he didn't have to be so rough with him.

The human in question just growled and tossed the other haphazardly on a bed. He then when to a closet and took off his shirt.

"The men coming here are gunna be looking for you, so I need you to stay in here and keep quiet." He looked over his shoulder to the blond."

"If they know you're the thing at the crash, they'll probably want to take your for experimenting." It was just then they both heard a knock on his door. The human growled again and pulled on a clean shirt before standing. He looked at the lithe creature again with a glare that repeated his warning before going to the door. Fay felt his face warm and he didn't think it was from almost burning to death as his ship pierced the planet's atmosphere. Humans, or at least this one in particular, were very...attractive it seemed. Though the bit about other humans wanting to dissect him didn't sit well with him so he moved himself from his haphazard position on the bed to lay down, after all if they did come in here they would only see a supposed human sleeping.

He sighed and brushed a stray strand of hair behind his ear...damn he thought. He had forgotten that humans weren't exactly carbon copies of his own people. bringing to fingers up he called forth familiar static blue whirls of his power, lightly running his fingers over his ears before calling back his power and trying to finge sleep.

The blond could easily hear into the other room though, even with human-shaped ears:

"You're name is Kurogane Suwa, correct?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

"We were wondering if you had seen or heard the crash that had happened over on that field. Did you go t here?"

"Why the hell would I go to a crash? I'm busy enough as it is."

"Then how would you explain your pants? Very dirty to be working inside."

"I was working outside on my motorcycle."

"Then your shirt? Why is that clean?"

"I was changing when you dickwads knocked." He heard shuffling as the familiar human shifted his weight to lean on the door.

"Do you mind if we come in, Mr. Suwa?"

"Yes. I do. Don't you have to have a warrant for that anyway?"

"We're just curious as to see why you have bandages laying about."

"...My girlfriend got hurt riding my motorcycle. She's a little hurt, but its nothing she can't handle."

"Is that why you were working on it?"

"Yeah. And?"

'Mind if we talk to your girlfriend, Mr. Suwa?"

"She's sleeping."

"When did she crash, Mr. Suwa?"

"Didn't say she crashed, asshole. And it was earlier today."

"How early?"

"How the fuck should I know? Don't you shitheads need to go somewhere else and investigate some lame ass crime? I said I was busy for a reason!"

"Yes, thank you, Mr. Suwa, expect us to come visit you later... you and your girlfriend." Shuffling of feet was heard and a loud slam that startled the poor alien.

"Tch. Stupid Fuckers..." He heard the tall man mumble before shuffling back into the room with his hands in his pockets.

"Kuro-flame has a temper." Fay smiled as he propped himself up on his elbows to see the man as he entered the bedroom.

"And am I your girlfriend? I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm male." His smile widened as he looked at Kurogane's face. The taller named such grimaced when he realized the other had been eavesdropping, but it quickly turned into a snarl.

"What the fuck did you call me, asshole?! It's Kurogane! Get it right! And the only reason I said that was because I didn't want to deal with their nosy ass investigations! That's the only other reason you would be lying in my bed!" He shouted, though it was apparent there was a faint redding of his cheeks. He growled again and folded his arms.

"And you went and bled on my bed anyway..."

"Ah, I'll have to remedy that won't I Kuro-mud?" He smiled, ignoring the other man's denial and reddening face. Fay rose to a sitting position, taking in the blood stains on the other man's bed.

"But before that do you think you could help me with my injuries? While I know how to dress an injury I don't know what types of medicine you have or how it could affect me. I'd be forever grateful if Kuro-nurse could patch me up. These burns are starting to throb." He rolled up a sleeve, which had a small hole burned through it to show a thin wrist adorned with a nasty red burn.

"How many times must I say it?! It's Kurogane!!!" He yelled again, only he pulled the blond up again and dragged him to a different room. This one had a weird box in it that went from the ceiling to the floor with tented glass as walls.

"Wash yourself there. I'll lend you some of my clothes until we can buy you some of your own. We'll dress your wounds after you're done." He said simply.

"What is this exactly?" Ignoring Kurogane's outburst and rough treatment Fay touched the glass gently as his brow furrowed in thought. Grasping the handle he opened it and poked his head inside and looked in wonder at the odd thing. He stood straight and looked back at Kurogane.

"What am I suppose to do with this? Will Kuro-rough show me?" Kurogane sighed in exasperation and walked over, turning the knob inside, thus bringing forth water.

"You turn this one for warm, this one for cold. You take off your clothes and use those liquids to wash yourself. When you're done, turn the knobs the opposite way and get out and dry off with one of these." He held up a towel.

"I'll be back in with clothing." He said, taking his leave.

"Kuro-water's no fun at all." Fay said over his shoulder as he began to undress, being careful of his injuries. Looking at the knobs Kurogane had pointed to he began fiddling with them, yelping as cold water sprayed him from above, he quickly moved it again until it was bearable. He then looked around the small space to gather a bottle the man had pointed to. Popping open the top, the blond squeezed a generous amount onto his hand, before placing the bottle back. Fay brought his nose up to it, smiling at the pleasant aroma that hit his senses before rubbing the gelatin onto his skin. He was equally amused at the bubbles it produced and wondered why they didn't have such things back home. He hissed a bit whenever the soap suds would wash over an open cut or a burn, but the warmth of the water made it tolerable.

Sighing in content he supposed he had stayed too long when the water began to cool. Really, he should takes baths like this more often, even if they weren't as relaxing as the springs back home. Doing as Kurogane had instructed Fay twisted the knobs until the water shut off and stepped outside in the cool air of the rest of the bathroom. His skin instantly chilled and his hands sought the towel Kurogane had laid out for him. Wiping himself dry, Fay took a look at the towel once more before tossing it in the corner, after-all it was too wet know to be of any use. Scanning the small room he searched for his clothes and found only now realized, as he picked them up, how dirty they really were. Frowning at the condition of his clothes he tossed them over with the towel.

"Kuro-bath, I'm done! You can help me with my injuries now!" Fay looked around for another towel, after all his hair was still damp and he didn't think it would be a good idea for him to get a cold as well. He heard shuffling outside the door.

"Get back in the shower, I don't wanna see your naked ass." He heard the taller say through the door. Kurogane crossed his arms; that soap was his favorite, the little prick. And he just had to use enough to fumigate the entire house!

"Is Kuro-towel shy? Has he never seen someone naked before?" Teasing the man was really starting to become addictive to the alien it seemed. Fay complied none the less, after all his wrist and back were starting to throb.

"Besides my clothes are dirty, I can't put them back on after I just cleaned myself now can I?"

"That's the whole reason I brought these in, you twit." He heard Kurogane say aggravatedly, obviously ticked by the earlier comment, though he said nothing about it. He could see the blurred toss of his new clothing on the bowel-shapped thing. He saw Kurogane's shape pause before going over to the discarded clothes.

"There's a basket for these, dumbass." "You really need to work on that temper, it can't be healthy and how am I suppose to know how you do things here?" Fay wasn't about to admit that many of the things weren't too foriegn to him, but it was just too fun to rile the man. Fay poked his head out of the shower door to smile at Kurogane before reaching for the offered clothes. He watched through the blurred glass as Kurogane tossed his old clothes into the hamper along with the towel he had used earlier. He smiled to himself as he slipped on the clothes, immediately noticing a problem.

"Ah, Kuro-basket, it seems that your clothes are a bit big." He stepped outside the shower, one hand fisting the waist of the pant he had on, he looked even thinner in the human's shirt. He smiled sheepishly at Kurogane. The red eyed man had to stifle a chuckle as he looked at the man. He waved his hand with a smirk.

"Sorry, s'only thing I got." He said, closing his eyes as he tried once again to smuggle his laughter. The alien had no idea how pathetic he looked. He looked at the blond again and eyed the shorter with pensiveness.

"That shirt's long enough for you to just wear that. I ain't got an extra belt."

"So, Kuro-tough does have a gentle side." Fay smiled brightly at Kurogane. Releasing his grip on the pants that then fell from his hips with a dull thump. Kurogane was right; the shirt was long enough to wear on its own. Stepping to the side Fay picked up the discarded article and handed them to their owner.

"Now, about my wrist." Fay held it up for emphasis.

"Tch, can't you stop talking for once?" He replied, grabbing his forearm where no burn or cut was and leading him back to the couch. He sat on the coffee table again and started to reapply things.

"Sit."

"Such a gentleman, I could get used to this cute Kuro-man." Fay moved to the couch, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his lap as he waited patiently for Kurogane to set everything out. The other paused to glare at the smaller man.

"Stop with the sissy-ass nicknames, or you ain't gettin my treatment!" He warned vehemently, setting down the treatment to prove his point.

"Forgive me?" Fay pouted towards the man, but a smile broke out and onto his face soon after. He held up his wrist, offering it to the human.  
The taller didn't waver for a moment, still glaring, before taking the wrist by the back of the hand. He gently applied the ointment to the wound, watching the smaller's face for any type of painful reaction.

"Ah." With a sharp intake of breath Fay sat still, wincing every now and then as medicine was rubbed into his skin. The taller grimaced slightly and pulled the medicine away, looking to see the reaction of the wound. When it had the normal one, he blinked. Their anatomy really was similar. He continued to apply it, looking up every now and then to make sure that the man could stand the pain. "This is normal, for it to hurt." He mumbled nonchalantly.

"I'm glad, I was beginning to think I was having a bad reaction to the medicine." Fay smiled up at Kurogane as the other man turned away to put ointment up. The alien felt a strange sense of calm wash over him as he sat in the small house with this stranger, to say it was weird was puttng it lightly, but for the first time in a long time Fay felt content.

"Was that the only wound needing treatment?" He heard the red eyed man say, looking over to the blond again.

"I don't want to have to do this again because you're too lazy and got one infected."

"My side, close to my ribs is another burn, the cuts were shallow and have already started to heal on their own and the bruises will be fine as well." Fay lifted the side of his shirt to show a long burn over his ribs, he winced as he stretched his arm up, his skin still tender fom the injury.  
The blond noticed Kurogane looked away as soon as the shirt was lifted, but the scowl was still on his face.

"You could slip through the neck of the shirt. I ain't helping when you leave it like that..."

"Humans are so modest." Fay suppressed a chuckle before doing as Kurogane commanded. Said human just growled angrily and examined the exposed wound. "We won't be able to wrap that." He said finally, getting a new cotton swab.

"Unless you want it to go around your torso."

"Which ever Kuro-doctor thinks is best." Fay silently took in Kurogane's features as he checked his injury. Kurogane really wasn't all too different than himself, except it was unusual for someone from his home to have such dark hair and such a tanned complexion. Fay shook the thoughts away, not wanting to think on the home he had left behind. Kurogane sighed in irritation at the other man's indecision. He picked up the wrap.

"Fine. Lift up your arms." He commanded, looking at the soft skin. It was surprising to him somewhat; this man had hardly any hair on him. Usually even a woman would have some peach fuzz covering her body, but this guy had none whatsoever. He was completely clean of any hair except for atop his head and thin eyebrows.

"Kuro-healer's staring." Fay smiled as he tilted his head back to see past his lifted arm and look at Kurogane. He brought his other hand to lightly cover his lips in case he couldn't keep his laughter contained. Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"No fucking duh. Not everyday I have an alien sitting on my couch." He caught himself and willed away the blush of embarrassment before he started to treat the longer wound. This one was deeper than the last, and it would explain why the smaller had trouble breathing.

"And now Kuro-human's blushing!" Fay laughed and regretted it; his side throbbed in response. He wondered silently as Kurogane grumbled why it was he felt the need to tease this human after only knowing him for such a short time. Though as he watched the man, that strange feeling of calmness washed over him. The dark haired made sure the wound was completely taken care of before he started to wrap the cloth around the small torso. He had to scoot the the edge of the table and reach around the blond, trying not to think of what he was doing and just to do it. Fay could feel the warmth from Kurogane's body washing over him as his torso was wrapped. He could feel his heart beat picking up and face warm as he averted his eyes.

Kurogane looked at the pale face with curiosity and somewhat amused, he continued to stare. Just why was this creature's face scarlet.

"Why the hell do you keep going red in the face?" He replied, eyes going back to his work. He was almost done now.

"Kuro-mend's very handsome is all." Fay said lightly hoping to get another blush from the human. Kurogane paused, looking at the blond before looking back.

"Tch, troublesome idiot." He mumbled, though his face did show that he was a little flattered. He finished the wrap and sat back, admiring his work.

"Is that all? The wounds..."

"Yes, I should be good as new in a few days, depending on how strong the medicine is." Fay lowered his arm after checking the white bandages, Kurogane had done a good job on them. The man folded his arms.

"Good.... you can put the shirt back on." He said, standing with the medicine.

"After I put this away we'll talk about this matter some more."

"Of course Kuro-space." Fay manuevered the shirt back on and waited patiently for Kurogane's return. His mind raced as he thought of how much he should tell the other, surely it wouldn't hurt to tell him some things? Afterall, human's for the most part still didn't believe there were other races and civilizations in space.

The brute of a man came back in shortly, taking his seat in another chair across from the alien. He thought for a moment and sighed; he couldn't believe this was happening. He was just fine with his normal ass life, and this idiot had to come crashing into his it. Literally. He huffed, angering himself more.

"Well... I guess you can start with your name." He murmured.

"Fay." He smiled disarmingly towards the human, not really having expected such a simple question right off the bat. Kurogane raised an eyebrow again and snorted. Such a girly name for such a girly man, how fitting. He got comfortable in his chair.

"I know you're Valerian-or-something... and that's fuck-knows-where... you don't know how you got here..." He rubbed his temples, this was harder than he thought, and he wasn't really curious about the other man's planet either.

"I was passing by and just crashed, though I don't remember the crash itself." Fay looked deep in thought for a moment, trying to think back to the last thing he could remember before waking up here. All he could remember was trying to think of a place he could go to, the rest was a blank.

"Where were you going?" Kurogane asked then, obviously aware that the alien's memory was just as bruised as his body. He must've crashed harder than it appeared, and it appeared horribly.

"Nowhere in particular, I just wanted to find a place where I could get away from everything." His smile returned with full force, at least he could remember that much about his trip. Kurogane snorted again.

"At least you can run away successfully..." He looked down.

"Why were you trying to 'get away'? Did you commit a crime or something?"

"No, if I were a criminal I would have been chased down to earth and I wouldn't have been rescued by Kuro-brave." The red eyes examined the other to see if it was the truth, and finding it was, his scowl loosened slightly.

"Then what was it?"

"Kuro-temper is asking so many questions." He tried to change the subject but seeing Kurogane's glare he sighed in defeat.

"...I just couldn't bare to stay in Valeria anymore, too many sad memories, you understand?" The other man said nothing. Yes, he knew some sad times, but those times were over, and he had moved on. He knew, though, that many people couldn't move on as easily as he could. He looked down and decided to spare the blond by changing the subject.

"...How do you know Japanese?" He asked instead.

"What with all the races there are in the universe, people have adapted to the language barrier with simple spells... or in my case, because our languages are similar, they're still a bit odd sounding to me, but I'm adapting to it nicely, don't you think?" Fay paused to watch wheels turning in Kurogane's head as he thought. The dark haired man frowned and for once looked at a clock. He grumbled in aggravation and sat up straight.

"Oi, what do you eat? It's time for supper."

"I've never tried anything from earth, but I have sampled food from other planets so it can't be too different..." Fay smiled sheepishly as he realized he was being indirect.

"Whatever Kuro-cook wants to make is fine, I'm always happy to have a new experience." The taller rolled his eyes and stood, walking into the kitchen. He paused and looked inside the fridge. He didn't feel like cooking all that much, but he might as well. It looked like he needed to go shopping soon. Tch, so troublesome. He looked back into the living room.

"Come here."

"Coming, Kuro-san." Fay stood, careful of his bandages and followed Kurogane inside the kitchen. Kurogane had taken out several items from his fridge, mostly main dishes, and laid them on the table.

"Pick one, I don't really want anything." He said simply, folding his arms again. Fay poked around the dishes, finally decided on a plate of noodles. The blond looked up at the other man expectantly.

"What am I suppose to eat this with?"

"Hn. Moron. I haven't made them yet." Kurogane said amusedly. Honestly...but he had to admit... the alien's naivity was someone less annoying than when he was smiling a sad smile. He picked up the rest of the other foods and placed them back into the fridge. He then picked up the plate and tore off the transparent lid, pouring some water into it before placing it in the microwave. Fay made his way to Kurogane watching in awe as the man prepared the food. He had never seen such a contraption before. He leaned forward watching as the noodles began to cook. As they got closer to being done, the green light buzzed, somewhat startling the entranced man. Kurogane had to hide a smirk as he watched, entertained at the man's childish curiosity. He reached over the blond and pressed the button, opening the door to the microwave. He pulled the plate out and stirred the noodles in the now hot water to make them all evenly damp.

"Here." Fay took hold of the container, careful of the steam pouring out of it as he held it reverently. He moved away from Kurogane and placed it on the table, before sitting himself.

"Won't Kuro-min have some?" The other shrugged.

"Don't have much of an appetite today..." He replied, reaching in a cabinet to grab an orange.

"You can go ahead and eat, and if you don't like it I'll eat it." Fay lifted the fork to his mouth and carefully blew on the hot noodles before eating. He smiled cheerfully as he took another bite.

"Kuro-cook really knows what he's doing."

"Tch. They're just noodles." He replied, sitting across the table as he began to peel the orange.

"Ooh, what's that?" Fay stopped eating, noodles half way to his mouth as he stared intently at the bright colored thing. Kurogane stopped, looking up.

"An orange. Finish chewing before you talk, idiot." He replied, pulling off a side.

"An orange, " Fay swallowed before staring at Kurogane's hands which were currently peeling said object.

"I thought you said you weren't hungry?" Fay felt guilt swell in him for trying to force Kurogane to share his food. Kurogane shrugged and leaned back in his chair, one arm behind his head.

"I'm not, just keeping my hunger at bay so I don't have to eat." He looked over to his new companion.

"Want to try it?"

"Yes, please... that is, if you don't mind." Fay dropped his fork and waited patiently for Kurogane to finish peeling the orange. The red eyed man leaned forward again and finished it, handing over one side as he took a bite of the other, not saying anything about the stickiness nor sweetness. Fay grimaced a bit at the texture, noting his fingers would be sticky from the juice. He followed Kurogane's lead and took a bite of the fruit.

"Earth has very good food, someone should really look into this and open up some kind of market, especially for these." He smiled playfully as he finished off the last of the orange. Juice dripped down his fingers and he licked them clean, not wanting to have to take another bath so soon after the first. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, watching the other lick his hands.

"You can wash your hands for that you know." He scoffed, setting down more rine.

"I'm clean." He wiggled his fingers for emphasis and his smile brightened.

"No... you just made it worse." He commented, licking his own thumb before standing. He motioned for the blond to come over to him. Fay stood walking over to Kurogane, curious as to what the human wanted.

"This is a sink. You use this to wash your hands, dishes, face, and anything else that's small enough." He stated, turning on the knob.

"It works the same as the shower."

"Kuro-tan is such a sweetie, helping me with everything." The alien smiled up to him.

"Tch, I don't see anyone else standing up to the plate to help out an incompetent alien! And stop with the nicknames! Kurogane!" He shouted, pointing at the cute foreigner.

"If Kuro-blush keeps this up I just might have to give him a gift to show my thanks." Fay turned to wash his hands in the sink until his fingers were left unsticky. Shutting the water off, he dried his hands on his shirt, before smiling up at Kurogane once again. The other raised and eyebrow and shook his head.

"Next time you wash your hands, dry them on this." He pointed to the towel hanging in a ring on the side of the cabinet.

"And a gift would be to call me by my name, dammit!"

"But I like calling you nicknames, it's cute." The blond moved away from Kurogane taking his finished plate and looking for a place to dump it.

"And that's why I want you to stop it! It's cute and disgusting!" He yelled, before rolling his eyes and pointing to the sink.

"Wah, Kuro-man said 'cute'!" He held his plate in one hand as he used his other to poke the taller man's cheek. Kurogane swatted him away.

"Yeah, what of it?! AND I SAID STOP!" He growled and took the dish away from Fay, placing it in the sink before heading back into the living room.

"Tch, damn blond..."

"Now I've upset Kuro-min." Fay had an almost evil glint in his eyes as he followed closely behind an unsuspecting Kurogane. The taller man didn't know what hit him when he nearly fell forward, Fay was hugging him from behind laughing. His face flushed red at the contact, but he quickly tried to remove the blond from his body.

"DAMMIT, ALIEN!! GET THE FUCK OFF!" He shouted angrily, staggering forward a step.

"But isn't this how humans show appreciation? And besides I can't have my rescuer being mad at me can I?" Fay smiled as he tightened his grip, trying to not burst into laughter.

"NO! PEOPLE BOW! GET OFF!" He gripped the other man's wounds tightly, knowing it would hurt enough.

"AND YOU'RE ONLY PISSING ME OFF MORE NOW!" Fay grimaced and released the other man. He broke out into a light sweat as his stomach turned from a combination of the food and the rough treatment he was now on the receiving end of.

"Gods! What is your problem?!" Kurogane said ruthlessly, turning around to look at the alien. He blinked, seeing the fai sheet of precipitation on the blond's forehead.

"...What's wrong with you?"

"I think I'm not in as good of a condition as I had thought." Fay knew he was probably looking rather pale, he could feel his heart beating slower as nausea swept over him, he clutched Kurogane's arm to try and stable himself, hoping it would pass soon. Kurogane sighed; he was afraid of that. In one quick motion, Fay was in his arms and was being taken to the bedroom again.

"You shouldn't be so active then. You just crashed today. You're staying in bed until I say so." He commanded, smoothly kicking the bottom of the door so it would open. He set down the blond on the bed.

"I changed the bedding when you were bathing." Fay stared up at Kurogane as he was lowered onto the bed, he wrapped his arms around the other man's neck briefly before the other could rise.

"Kuro-san is far too sweet." Fay didn't now what had really possessed him to do it, but the next thing he knew he had planted a small kiss to the human's forehead. He sighed and removed his arms from the other man, wiping the sweat from his own forehead. Kurogane stared at Fay with a strange look, one that said what-the-fuck-was-that-you-prick. But he simply stood, sighing. He assumed it was either because the way he was or because it was an alien thing. He shrugged it off and turned to the closet, pulling out another blanket and a change of clothes.

"I'm not sweet. I just don't want you bothering while I do my homework."

"Kuro-tan is a good student too." Fay smiled wearily as a blanket was placed over him.

"I'll try not to distract you from your studies then." Kurogane didn't reply, but only stared down at the blued eyed creature with a look Fay hadn't seen on him before. It was that of gentleness and seriousness.

"....Good.." He muttered quietly, before reaching down. He brushed his hand over the pale forehead.

"Tch, you're all wet..." He said.

"Kuro-rin will just have to take care of me." Fay returned the smile, feeling his face warm under Kurogane's gaze. The other shook his head before leaving. He returned shortly with a rag and a small bowl of water. He set the bowl down on the night table before dipping the rag into it. He then rang out the rag and moved the blonde's bangs out of his face before setting the damp towel on the sweaty skin.

"I'll be back a little later to change it out again." Kurogane mumbled, removing his hand from the pale face.

"I'll be waiting, though I think I might take a nap first." The blond yawned and wiggled deeper into the blanket, keeping one hand on the damp rag so it wouldn't fall off from his movements. The taller man placed his hands in his pockets.

"Go ahead and do that. It will probably make you feel better." He admitted, watching the other getting comfortable. Fay could feel his body relaxing to the cool sheets under him and the comfortable pillow. It didn't take long for him to drift off to sleep as he felt Kurogane watching him. The student sighed ruggedly, turning to leave the room. He got out into the living room and looked at the couch. It was covered in blood and dirt. He growled and removed its cover, revealing the true color of the couch to be red. He threw the black cover into the washroom, grumbling about how the blood might not come out.

He shook his head and sat down on the couch. He picked up the bag that carried his stuff and dug through it. He started on his homework a little later after, listening to the clock chime every hour for a few hours and the light snoring of the sleeping alien.


	2. You ran into me

Disclaimer: We don't own them ;__;

**Mirika-rin:** This is where Kurogane becomes OOC (because I can't write worth shit -glares at self-)

**Ashine-chan:** super long chapter again..,and the first real kurofai moment! Which there will be many more to come after this. :3

* * *

The blonde beauty awoke to the warm rag being removed on his forehead, and the smell of something foreign. It made his stomach rumble, so apparently it smelled good. He also felt what appeared to be the taller man's hand on the pale forehead. A grunt of dissatisfaction was heard, then water dripping, then the now cold rag was placed back on his head.

"Oi... you awake?"

"Hello to you too, Kuro-min." Fay took in his surroundings, noticing the light spilling in through a nearby window.

"Is it morning already?" Fay rose, keeping a hand securely on the rag before removing it momentarily. He smiled up at Kurogane.

"What smells good, did you cook for me again?" The other grunted in response, folding his arms.

"Are you up to moving today? Or do you need to stay in bed all day?" He commented, leaning against the wall closest to the bed.

"I feel fine, just as long as Kuro-pin isn't too aggressive." Fay rested his chin against his palm as he stared at the human.

"Tch. If you weren't such a pansy..." He muttered, looking away.

"Anyway, the food's in the kitchen. You wanna get up or do I need to bring it here?"

"Would Kuro-cute be a gentleman and get it for me?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" The other shouted, but he stormed out and came back with the food anyway. It was a bowl of soup.

"Here. Eat it or starve." Fay took the offered food and began eating, his stomach growling as he realized just how little he had eaten lately. After several spoonfuls, Fay set the bowl aside on the small nightstand beside the bed before pulling the blanket off his legs and moving to the edge to stand.

"I'll have to repay you for you're hospitality, maybe I can find something to cook for you?"

"No." Kurogane declined flatly, arms refolded and eyes staring down at the half-exposed blonde.

"Finish eating that, then we're going out."

"Daddy is so strict." Fay sighed half heartedly before finishing the remainder of his breakfast.

"Who the hell is daddy?!" Kurogane shouted before going over to his closet grumbling. He dug through it more before he found what he was looking for. He turned around and threw the lithe man some new clothing.

"Here, these are old, but they'll probably fit you better." Fay chuckled before pulling off his shirt, but not before throwing the blanket haphazardly across his lap. He took the shirt offered him and pulled it over his head. This time the shirt was only a little too big for him. He smiled to himself as he noticed Kurogane's gaze trained on him. "Would Kuro-blush mind looking away for a moment, I know how embarrassed he gets when he sees me naked."

"Shut up!" Kurogane yelled, storming out of the room with grumbling of something about getting his shoes on. Fay laughed as he pulled the pants on, this time they hung low on his hips, but at least he wouldn't have to hold them to keep them up. Looking himself over, Fay left the bedroom, taking his empty bowl with him as he searched for Kurogane.

The man was found in the living room, his boots now strapped on and his hands on his hips. He looked over to the blonde, raising an eyebrow.

"Surprising. Those were my clothes before I went to high school."

"Kuro-chan must have been even cuter when he was younger." Fay couldn't help but eye the dark clothes the other man had on as he spoke.

Kurogane caught the other staring, for he turned to the side and looked away.

"Whatever, just get on your shoes." He looked over.

"They are still usable, right?"

"Yes, but I can't say the same for my clothes." It was a shame really; those had been one of his favorite outfits. He sighed before following Kurogane to the door and slipping on his shoes.

Once Kurogane was sure the other had his shoes on, he opened the door and locked it from the inside, leading the way out. When they were both in the morning sun, Kurogane closed the door and walked over to the motorcycle parked on the side of the house. He dusted it off slightly before standing it up.

"What's this?" Fay ran a hand over the motorcycle's seat. He had to admit it was very beautiful whatever it was.

"This is transportation. A motorcycle. You'll see cars and bikes... maybe even the train will be running. But mostly cars, they're like boxes on wheels." He commented, mounting it.

"Ah, the wheels threw me off. Aside from a ship, I'm used to traveling by animal or windcraft. They're sort of like this without the wheels." Fay realized he probably didn't make much sense, but he was eager to see what else this world had. Kurogane cocked an eyebrow and looked at the alien.

"...Well get on." Complying, Fay held onto Kurogane's shoulder before moving to sit behind him. He gingerly wrapped his arms around the other man's waist, not seeing any type of safety belt for him to put on. Fay assumed he was doing it right, for the taller man looked over his shoulder, then handed him a helmet.

"Here." He then started the motorcycle, waiting for the blonde to put on the helmet while the dark haired man put on his. Fay stared oddly at the helmet before doing as Kurogane did. He smiled as Kurogane looked over his shoulder at him and wrapped his arms securely around the taller man again. Kurogane then turned back around, revving his bike before he started off slowly. He felt like he could move mountains when the blonde's arms were around him. It was weird. He knew it was wrong to have that feeling from another guy; that was just strange. But for an alien guy? That was fucked up. He sped off down the dirt path, on the way to the market.

Fay pressed himself against Kurogane, resting his cheek against the human's back as they left. Fay took in the sights, enjoying the warm air that whipped passed them and the fresh scent of flowers and trees. His hold tightened and he wondered why he felt so at peace here with this human, even though he should probably be a little weary as he saw the ground below them blur as the motorcycle's wheels spun faster. Kurogane felt himself smirk as he noticed the tightening grip. He kept the same speed, as to not scare the pale one any more than necessary.

It took about 15 minutes for them to get there, for soon the fields of flowers and crops turned to houses and people and cars. The city emerged and when the blonde felt Kurogane slowing down they passed what the blonde could only assume to be these cars Kurogane had spoken of. The taller man slowed a little, having to abide the speed limit, and made sure the blonde wouldn't hop off unexpectedly. Some of the people in the small town waved to the motorcyclist, but some of those who waved gave him a strange look to see he was riding with someone. Fay noticed this and thought to himself that he had no idea the other human was so popular, he'd be sure to tease him about it later.

Kurogane turned sharply down a road, finally stopping in front of a shop and the town square. It was there that he parked and huffed, taking off his helmet.

"Let go, we're here."

"But what if I don't want to Kuro-fun?" Fai chuckled and let go of Kurogane before he started yelling. Removing his helmet he offered it to Kurogane and looked around the town, amazed at all the bustling people and shops. Kurogane dismounted and placed the helmets in a compartment in the back of the bike. He dusted himself off, looking at the shop. He didn't say anything, watching as a young boy came out. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He blushed when he saw Kurogane and bowed.

"Good morning, Kurogane-san! Are you here to buy something?" Kurogane just placed his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, Blondie is eating me out of house and home." The boy looked over to the blonde and blushed more, bowing.

"H-hello! I'm Syaoran Li!"

"Hello, there I'm Fay. It's nice to meet you Syaoran." The blonde smiled as he looked down at the boy who now looked even more flustered.

"Don't mind Kuro-gruff, he's being rude and after we hade such a nice ride too…"

"That's not very nice, Kurogane-san." Said an identical voice. Out came another one of Syaoran, who was smiling. Kurogane looked at him.

"Did I ask you, twerp?"

"Hello." Fay waved as he smiled at Kurogane. It seemed Kurogane was popular here. The tallest there rolled his eyes. The second brown haired boy bowed his head.

"Hello Fay-san, I'm Syaoron Li, Syaoran's twin." He then wrapped an arm around Syaoran's neck.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to help out Sorata-san with the store." He then proceeded to drag off his twin to inside the store. It was in there that Fay could see a tall man with black hair. He leaned down on the counter to listen to what the twins had to say, and Syaoron pointed to Fay with much enthusiasm, and Sorata looked up and smiled. Kurogane started to walk to the street.

"Goddamn. Everyone doesn't need to know about him." He muttered to himself.

"Is Kuro-san embarrassed to let people know he had someone at his house last night?" Fay noticed the dark haired man from the store waving frantically a large smile on his face.

"Who were they, friends of yours?"

"No, I'm not embarrassed! And that was the twerp and his brother. They bug the hell outta me when I go to buy groceries there, but they're alright. And that one guy is an asshole, he's no friend of mine." He huffed; leading the blonde passed several booths. Some more people waved to Kurogane, and some giggled and whispered excitedly as they saw Fay follow him.

"Kuro-myu seems to be very popular here." Fay spoke as the passed a few young girls who immediately turned to whisper to each other.

"…and I think they're talking about me as well."

"Of course they're talking about you, freak." Kurogane said nonchalantly.

"And I'm not popular. I'm infamous." He couldn't help but let a wicked grin crack on his face as he recalled why.

"So Daddy's the resident miscreant?" Fay couldn't help himself laughing at Kurogane's smirk. It faltered into a scowl as Kurogane grabbed the blonde's head.

"Shut up. Your voice is annoying." He said simply, letting go and walking toward a booth with a young lady.

"Ouch, Kuro-san shouldn't be so rough, especially after me being injured only just last night." Fay rubbed his head and pouted as Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"Oi, idiot, c'mere." He called, looking over his shoulder before facing the girl again.

"Yo. You got what I usually want?" The girl turned to him and smiled sweetly.

"Why yes, Kurogane-san." She looked over to Fay and squeaked. She bowed.

"H-hello, sir! How may I help you?" Kurogane sighed.

"Stop that, he's with me." she looked up at the man, then to Fay. The blonde looked at the girl and nodded.

"Hello, I'm Fay, nice to meet you, Miss." He smiled as she blushed furiously.

She bowed again.

"G-good day, Fay-san! I'm Sakura Kinomoto!" Kurogane growled and folded his arms. The girl squeaked again at Kurogane and scampered off the back of the booth. Fay leaned forward over the front of the booth wondering what Sakura was doing while Kurogane stood silently beside him seemingly bored with having to even be there. A few more people passed them and Fay's ears twitched as he heard them talking.

"Oh, there he is, that one... he's the one who almost killed Ryuuou."

"Ryuuou-kun?! He's only a boy!"

"It was just because he was curious about his motorcycle. That one beat him 'til he could barely breathe. If it wasn't for Syaoran stepping in..."

"When was this?"

"When that one was just in high school. He HAS to be five years older. At least."

"That's terrible... what did his parents do?"

"What can they do? He's a lost cause." Kurogane shuffled his feet, eyes cast down to the ground.

"..." Fay frowned at the people passing them and wrapped his hand around Kurogane's.

"Kuro-sweet shouldn't pay attention to what strangers say... after all, they're just spreading nasty rumors." The alien felt himself move closer to offer Kurogane his support, it didn't set well with him to have the human looking like that. Kurogane pulled his hand away and scoffed, closing his eyes and setting his hands in his pockets.

"Like I give a damn about what they think..." He looked to the blonde with eyes that said otherwise.

"They can kiss my ass for all I care." It was then that Sakura came back with an armload of vegetables.

"Here you are, Kurogane-san." Kurogane smirked at the sight, taking the bag with one hand.

"Thanks kid. I'll pay ya later. I gotta buy the twit clothes." He gestured to Fay. Sakura smiled and waved.

"Have fun." Fay smiled cheerfully at Sakura as he waved goodbye and quickly turned to catch up with Kurogane.

"Sakura's seem very nice." He was glad that at least some of the people here weren't so cruel.

"She's ok. Needs to learn how to stop being so cheerful; someone will use that against her." He said darkly, swinging the veggies over his shoulder casually.

"Wah, Kuro-wan's like a big older brother, all protective over his little sister. It's so cool!" Fay laughed and clasped his hands behind his back as they walked casually down the street.

"What the hell is that 'wan' for?!" Kurogane barked angrily, not acknowledging the big brother thing.

"Tch, stupid blonde." he looked ahead of him.

"What clothing do you want?"

"I like blue, but anything Kuro-cool picks out should be fine." Fay walked beside Kurogane enjoying the warm weather and smiled as he thought of Kurogane being overprotective of Sakura, he really was a big softie.

Kurogane sighed and entered a store, holding the door open for Fay.

"Great. Blue." He said blandly while looking at the store's contents. A bell chimed signaling the shop's door opening as Kurogane walked in, Fay following close behind. The shops back home looked similar, but these didn't have the bright signs floating about he was use to. Fay made sure to stay close to Kurogane, after all he knew what he was doing and Fay wasn't too sure where to start. Kurogane walked over to the side and stood by a rack of shirts. He looked at the lithe man with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you doing? Look around." Fay smiled and gave Kurogane some space, stable at a table not too far away. He sifted through pants, gathering a few that looked about right when he held them up to his waist, though he couldn't help himself stealing glances at Kurogane when the other man wasn't looking. He saw Kurogane approach him.

"There's a dressing room right over there, if you want to try those on." He mentioned offhandedly.

"Kuro-man's so nice to me, showing me around and everything." Fay took the clothes Kurogane had brought over with him and walked into one of the dressing rooms. He threw the clothes over the door and on the available hooks inside the tiny stall. Stripping quickly, he slide on a pair on light colored jeans with a long sleeved with top and opened the door, careful of the clothes precariously hanging over it.

"Well, what does Kuro-chu think?" Kurogane raised an eyebrow, which could be translated as 'hmm...I like it, but it's too big'. He scoffed at turned his head.

"Try some other things..." Fay chuckled at Kurogane before returning to the stall and stripping again. This time picking up a deep blue shirt.

"Now, how about this Kuro-san?" Stepping out he lifted his arms to better show of the new outfit he was wearing. He sighed, which meant 'That's better'.

"It looks the exact same." He looked around for a moment, then placed his hands on his hips.

"Try something on that isn't blue." Fay childishly stuck his tongue out at Kurogane and returned once again to the dressing room. Looking through the small pile of clothes Fay produced a red shirt. Smiling to himself he slipped it on, noting how the sleeves only came past his elbows. He then went about changing his pants to a pair of straight dark blue ones.

"Kuro-kun is so picky, but I think he might like this one." The blonde said as he opened the door again. Kurogane raised both eyebrows this time, a hint of a smile grazing his lips. "...ok." Which meant 'damn good-looking'. He folded his arms and nodded back to the dressing room.

"How many things should I get? After all I don't have any type of currency on me." Fay stood on tip toes to look over the door as he slipped off the red shirt.

"Tch. I told you I was buying it. And I don't care how many you get; I don't want you walking around my house naked." The dark haired man replied gruffly, watching outside from the glass doors in the front.

"Kuro-tin's so generous." Fay laughed before dropping back down and trying on more clothes. It didn't take much longer for the two of them to finish and Kurogane held a somewhat large pile of assorted clothes in his arms making his way towards the front counter as Fay trailed behind.

"You're like a freakin' chick." Kurogane grumbled in annoyance, dropping the clothing on the counter.

"Oi! I wanna buy some clothes here!" He shouted to the inside of the owner's room. A girl with bouncy blonde hair came out and grinned.

"Of course, I'll ring these up." The girl smiled warmly as she began pulling clothes out from the pile, scanning their tags and bagging them.

"It's very nice of you Kurogane-san to be taking your friend out." She immediately gasped and turned to Fay.

"Oh, I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself, I'm Kaeda Saito." Fay returned the girl's smile. Kurogane looked to the ceiling in irritation; so many introductions. Fay wasn't that pretty. He kicked himself very hard for that thought and leaned against the counter.

"How much do I owe you?" He said nonchalantly, looking at the floor now.

"That'll be $125.86." The teenager lifted three bags of clothes up onto the counter before turning and taking Kurogane's receipt and stuffing it one of the bags.

"Grand." He murmured sarcastically, pulling out his wallet. He shuffled through it and pulled out two 100's. He then looked through his wallet, which Fay could see many 20's and 50's, before he stuck it back in his pocket.

"Hyuu, Kuro-bun's wealthy." Kaeda laughed and gave Kurogane his change.

"The two of you seem to be the best of friends."

"Hell no we're not. I just met this faggot yesterday." The red eyed man spat, lifting all three bags with one hand. Kaeda smile faltered a bit. Fay tilted his head in confusion at the girl's expression. Kurogane grabbed all the bags before stomping off towards the door. Fay smiled and waved at the girl before following suit. Once outside again Fay kept pace with Kurogane, walking beside him.

"What's that Kuro-chan? With Kaeda expression I don't think it's a very nice word."

As soon as the words left his lips he felt Kurogane's gaze on him.

"What word?" He asked, staring at the blonde with slight agitation.

"'Faggot', I'm not familiar with it, is it a slang word? Would you like me to carry something Kuro-san?" Fay pointed at the bags of vegetables and clothes the man was currently carrying with both hands.

"Tch, it means troublesome idiot." He muttered while looking away. "Also means gay. And cigarette. And a bundle of wood. Basically a troublesome moron." He hoisted the clothing over his shoulder and handed the smaller bag of greens to Fay.

"You're language is confusing, so many meanings for one word." Fay shifted the bag to his other hand. "Where are we off to now?"

"Eh, we'll stop by my bike and drop these off. Then we can go eat." He shrugged, starting off in the direction where they had started.

"Kuro-sama's being awfully nice." Fay felt himself smiling in earnest as he gripped Kurogane's arm and tugged him towards the human's motorcycle.

The man staggered and called out 'oi!' but the alien just continued on his merry way. Kurogane pulled away when they reached the vehicle, growling angrily.

"I can always make you wait here until I'm finished eating."

"But then you'd just have to cook for me when we got back to your house." Fay said as Kurogane packed away their bags, taking Fay's as well and putting it away with the rest of the bags.

"Besides I don't think Kuro-pon would let me starve after going to all the trouble of spending money on me." A couple walked by staring at the blonde before looking at Kurogane, confusion clearly on their faces. He glared at them before running his hand through his hair.

"Fine." He grunted before locking the compartment where Fay's clothes were. He then turned on his heel and walked inside the shop where the twins had been working. He turned around and looked at the lithe man.

"Coming?"

"Of course Kuro-kun!" Fay smiled cheerfully, following the human inside. The blonde waved hello at Syaoran who had momentarily frozen in surprise at the two of them entering the shop.

"A-Ah!" He bowed.

"Welcome!" Syaoron leaned in from behind a door and let his bored expression gain a smile. Sorata, the store owner leaned against the counter.

"Kurogane! How are you today?!" He said overzealously. Kurogane just grunted and sat down, his head resting against his hand as he laid his elbow against the table.

"Kuro-sama it's that man from before, he must be a friend of yours." Syaoran's face heated as Fay looked at the grinning man who was walking towards them. Kurogane sighed, knowing what was about to happen.

The man nodded toward Fay before looking angrily at Kurogane. He placed a hand on his hip and shook a finger at the tan man.

"You! I saw you staring at my pookie-bear the other day! Don't think you got away with that! And now you move onto this little angel?! You're such a sly dog, Kurogane! One of these days it'll bite you in the--"

"Ok. Now's a perfect time for you to shut the fuck up and get the fuck away from me." Kurogane growled, glaring at the man hovering over him. Sorata pouted and glomped Fay, fake crying into his shoulder.

"Why is he so mean to me?!!!!" Syaoron sighed.

"Because you scold him for no reason..."

"Kuro-pyon's seeing someone else?" Fay put a hand to his forehead in mock despair before patting Sorata on the head.

"I feel your pain, Kuro-chan's mean to me as well, but I think it's because he doesn't want people to know how sweet he is." Sorata's eyes looked like they were sparkling at Fay's words; the shop owner turned his gaze towards Kurogane.

The man simply stood and, with clenched fists he walked out, glaring daggers at any passerby. Syaoron shook his head.

"At least he didn't blow up on-"

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?"

"ah... there we go."

"Kuro-rinta wait for me!" Fay stood quickly, waving goodbye to Syaoron and Sorata as he ran down the street.

"Kuro-myu, stop, I can't keep up." Fay could feel his side burning as the bandages rubbed against his injury as he jogged after the human.

Kurogane turned around in a fury and pointed at Fay. "YOU STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME, FUCKING IDIOT! If I wanted to be made fun of, I WOULD'VE ASKED!" He shouted, making some of the people walking by walk faster or shield their vision.

"But Kuro-min, I was teasing. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!" Fay could tell he was beginning to slow down. The crash really had taken its toll on him it seemed. Fay continued trying to talk Kurogane into stopping, but after a few more yards he had to stop and clutch his side. Fay watched as Kurogane kept walking as he made his way to lean against the side of a nearby building.

Kurogane walked over to the booth with Sakura in it, and she let him in with a little concern on her face. He walked out of sight behind the back. Sorata ran up to Fay and grabbed his arm. "Hey! Are you ok? Come on, let him cool down. He'll be back later. Why don't you have a nice cup of tea?" He began to lead him back to the shop slowly, helping him walk.

"Sorata's very generous." Fay said as he relaxed in the seat he had previously occupied in the other man's shop. Sorata waved him off as he left for the back to bring them some tea. Syaoran came up to him looking embarrassed.

"Sorry about Kurogane-san, he's always had a temper." His twin sat down on the other side.

"I'm surprised you actually lasted as long as you have being so close. How did you two meet?" He said with a cat-like grin, leaning on both his hands as his elbows hit the table.

Fay smiled sheepishly at the other twin, not really knowing what to say.

"I arrived here the other day and meet Kuro-tan and well, one thing led to another and he's letting me stay with him until I can get back on my feet." Fay realized how bad the story sounded and hoped they wouldn't ask too many questions. He sighed mentally, patting himself on the back at having come up with an alright story on such short notice. Syaoron perked up.

"'One thing led to another'!? You two aren't dating, are you?! You didn't... you know..." He trailed off, making his twin blush deep red.

"No we're not dating." Fay looked curiously at Syaoran.

"What do you mean? What was I not suppose to do?" Fay stared at both twins looking for an answer, humans were very strange it seemed. Syaoron exhaled in relief, patting his chest.

"Well, if you two aren't dating, then you CERTAINLY haven't done THAT." He exclaimed, and his twin nodded fervently. Sorata came back in with the tea.

"Oi! What are you two slackers doing?" He called with a smirk to show he was just faking anger. The twins scampered off to the back room and Sorata sat down where Syaoron had been.

"Here you are. How are you feeling? Did you hurt your side?" He said, recalling the blonde clutching it.

"It's nothing to worry about, thank you for the concern though." Fay smiled graciously taking the offered cup. He was still curious as to what Syaoron was referring to. He would have to ask Kurogane about it later. He side still hurt, but he could ignore it, after all he didn't have any medicine on him. Sorata gave him a suspicious look, but let it drop.

"So... you just met Kurogane? Or how long have you known him?" He asked curiously, smiling.

"And is Kurogane really sweet?" He asked with sparkles in his eyes.

"I've not known him for very long, but he's really quite the sweetie. He's already cooked for me and bought me some clothes. He's blushes a lot too." Fay wondered if he should really be saying these things about the human, after all it was talking about him that caused Kurogane to storm off. Sorata was nodding as he took in Fay's words.

"It seems my honey might be safe from his constant staring."

"You seem to be friends with Kuro-tan. Do you think he'll come back?" Fay looked down at the tea cup he cradled in his hands. The man laughed heartedly.

"I wouldn't say 'friends'. More like 'forced acquaintance'." He smiled sadly.

"That man really doesn't have friends. Yes, there are people who know him and people he talks to, but no one to really share secrets with or have alone time with. I'm glad he met you." Sorata then smiled.

"He always comes back. Just wait for a couple more minutes. He's probably pacing in Fujitaka's stand right now."

"Fujitaka?" Fay asked curiously before taking a sip of his tea.

"Sakura's father." He said with a smile, before standing.

"You can wait in here, I'll be in the back room if you need anything, Fay-chan." He said and vanished behind the door. Fay nodded and smiled before he turned to look out the window as Sorata left. He frowned as he aimlessly stared out at the buildings and people outside. He wondered why Kurogane would go there of all places. He sighed and felt his cheeks warm as the shop owner's words came back to him. He hoped Kurogane would come back for him soon.

It didn't take ten minutes for the alien to spot a spiky head among the odd ends of the crowd. The man he had been waiting for walked up to the store and paused when he saw Fay staring at him. Fay's eyes brightened as he stood up straight in his seat smiling and waving at Kurogane from inside the shop.

The man motioned with his head for the blonde to come out side, then he looked out at the street as he watched some cars drive by, standing still next to his motorcycle. Fay felt himself blush as he hurried out the door, not bothering to notice Sorata and the twins watching him go.

"Kuro-san, I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you mad." Fay didn't know what to do so he simply looked down at his feet as he stood in front of Kurogane. The taller man huffed and looked at the mop of bangs.

"Not like you've known me for very long... You didn't know how I would react... Hell, for all I know that's an alien way for becoming friends..." He muttered, head turning toward the traffic. Sorata had to push the twins down just above the counter so they wouldn't be seen. Fay nodded and smiled, not wanting to ruin Kurogane's good mood.

"Are we leaving now?" Kurogane grunted in reply walking over to the bike. Fay's long ears in hiding could hear the twins moan in protest and Sorata say 'aww they didn't even kiss to make up....'

Fay felt his face flush even redder as he put on his helmet.

"Maybe I can cook or something to make it up to Kuro-myu?" Kurogane looked over his shoulder before placing his helmet on.

"What is with you and wanting to cook me something? Gods..." He then turned on his motorcycle and pulled out into the traffic, easily going in between the cars. Soon they were back on the country road.

"I'm known as a good cook back home and it's the only thing I can think of to pay you back with." Fay said as he wrapped his arms around the other man's waist. He gripped Kurogane a little bit tighter as they left the town and Kurogane sped up. Said kept silent throughout the trip, one because he didn't want to shout, and two because he was content with the silence that filled them. He didn't feel like he needed to say anything anyway.

Sighing, Fay just enjoyed the scenery as he rested against Kurogane's back. He just hoped he wouldn't fall asleep as he relaxed.

Fay straightened as he spotted a familiar house, he felt the motorcycle slowing as they got closer. Once they had approached the house, Fay slipped off the motorcycle and began taking off his helmet. Kurogane followed suit once he had taken his key out of the ignition, placing the helmet on the seat as he removed the bags from the back compartment. He then set the helmet in there with Fay's and closed it.

"Let me help, Kuro-chu." Fay said as he took a bag from Kurogane and waited for the other to unlock the door. The taller man did so, letting them both in. He set the bags down on the couch while he took off his shoes.

"It's almost 4 in the afternoon. I guess supper would be ok to make at this time..." He said nonchalantly, taking the vegetables into the kitchen.

Fay was split between putting his new clothes away and following Kurogane into the kitchen. Deciding on the latter Fay walked into the kitchen.

"Does Kuro-tan need help?"

"Nah, its ok." The red eyed man replied, setting out the new groceries.

"You put your clothes in my closet. I still have to get you a cot from the shed." He mumbled the last part mostly to himself as a reminder.

"But I like Kuro-kuro's bed." Fay pouted and turned back towards the living room. He bent over picking up the bags and nearly dropped them as he winced. He'd have to have Kurogane put some more ointment on his burn; it probably wasn't looking very good after the incident earlier today. With bags in hand Fay made his way into the other man's room, opening the closet and putting everything away, at least this wasn't different than what he was used to.

At the bottom of the closet lay boxes that caught the blonde's attention. They weren't labeled and only one was open. It was a smaller box that had what looked to be 2-D pictures of people. How odd, 2-D pictures went out of style on his planet centuries ago. A woman stared back at him; her smile was faint but beautiful. He moved his fingers over the pictures, seeing a man who strongly resembled Kurogane, but with longer hair. Another picture held the Kuro look alike and the woman holding a small baby. Fay smiled at how cute the infant was. Another picture sported a small boy in the branches of a tree, a large smile on his face.

"That's mom and dad." He heard a rumble of a voice say at the doorway. Fay was so caught up in the pictures he hadn't even heard Kurogane come in. He was leaning against the door frame with folded arms, a scowl ever present.

"Before they didn't have time for me."

"You looked adorable, how could they not have time for you?" Fay smiled sadly down at the picture of a much younger Kurogane. It was heartbreaking to think Kurogane's parents hadn't wanted to spend time with him. Kurogane shrugged and walked over to sit by Fay on the floor, taking a picture of just the parents.

"Having government jobs take up all your life... they barely see each other anymore..." He said forlornly, his eyes staring at his mother, then his father. He shrugged again and set the photo back.

"Glad I was a teen before it actually happened though; my childhood was great."

"I'm sorry for looking, but I'm glad that Kuro-chan wasn't alone." He placed the picture back into the box which was now sitting in front of them. He leaned over taking in the smiling faces of Kurogane's parents. They truly did look happy. Kurogane stood, placing his hand on his hip.

"No harm done... I made some raw stuff, wanna come try it?" Fay stood up as well, trying to hold back his grimace as he followed Kurogane. But not before he could set the box inside the closet where it belonged. Kurogane sat down at the table where he had before and leaned back in his chair.

"It's not the best, but it'll do." He commented, looking at the plate of raw fruit and vegetables in an almost disgusted matter. Fay, however, stared wide eyed at the colorful food. Taking his seat he began trying each thing, finding each better than the last. He flushed when he caught himself, thinking he must look like an enthusiastic child to Kurogane.

"It's all very good." The human merely shrugged, picking up a piece of the food.

"I won't be here tomorrow." He said suddenly, looking over at nothing in particular. Fay stopped eating, letting his hand drop as he stared wide eyed at Kurogane. The thought of being alone didn't set well with the alien.

"Where are you going?" The ruby eyes landed on blue and stared.

"I have to do my lessons tomorrow. I'll leave here at around 10 in the morning and come back around one." He replied, laying one arm over the back of his chair. How odd; the reaction he received from the blonde was not one he had expected. Was the man afraid Kurogane wasn't going to come back or something?

"Can't I come with you?" Fay frowned and laid his hands in his lap as he looked down at the table. He didn't know why the news hit him so hard, but he did know he didn't want to be alone and the prospect of Kurogane being away for hours wasn't good.

"Tch, most likely not. My teachers wouldn't like someone suddenly joining their class without permission." He thought for a moment, staring at the other's depressed expression. He had an idea, but it was about the same thing as leaving the blonde at home.

"I could take you with me, but you'd have to stay in the library while I'm in class." Fay's head snapped up looking at Kurogane before he broke out into a smile.

"Thank you Kuro-rinta, I promise I'll be good!" Fay had to control the urge to leap across the table and bring the human in for a hug.

"You ok with that? You'd still be alone." He said nonchalantly, like he didn't really give a damn about the answer. The dark haired one stood and picked up the shamblings of the meal.

"But, there's a chance I can still see Kuro-run around and maybe Kuro-san will even come visit me." Fay laughed as he rested his chin on his upturned palm.

"I'm not making any promises." Kurogane caveated, setting the leftovers on a smaller plate and placing it in the fridge after being shielded with a clear wrap.

"I'm excited now to go with you." Fay smiled and crossed his legs under the table as he watched Kurogane move about the kitchen. The taller man paused and looked over his shoulder. He didn't say anything for a moment, before turning around again.

"Don't say such annoying things..." He muttered, though the blush was slightly visible. Kurogane looked at the clock and sighed. "I gotta start on my homework." He announced to no one specifically.

"Kuro-bun is a good student then." Fay's smile widened as he saw the faint blush dusting Kurogane's cheeks. It was very cute, but he supposed he wouldn't tease the man about it, just this once. Said student scoffed and walked into the living room, lounging on the still red couch among scattered books and papers. He looked up to the blonde, who had distinctly followed him.

"You know... I can't entertain you the entire time you stay here..." He growled, a little irritated he had no time to himself anymore. Though a voice whispered in his head he kind of didn't mind...

"I'm happy to just watch and I'm curious as to what you're studying." Fay scanned the books and papers, his curiosity peeking as he took a seat beside the other, he flinched a bit as he leaned back against the couch, he probably have to get his side checked soon, the skin was probably irritated and red by now. Kurogane, being sharp on any sort of thing like that, noticed the blonde winced and put down his book.

"Is your side hurting again?" He asked bluntly.

"Just a little, nothing that can't wait." Fay smiled, hoping Kurogane would let the matter drop, after all he didn't want to fell guilty over causing anymore problems for the man and he was pretty sure Kurogane's work was important. The other didn't think so, for he set his book down on the coffee table and moved some of the papers so there was nothing in the way between the two in the living room.

"Lemme see it then."

'Damn' Fay thought, he had been caught. He sighed defeated, knowing he couldn't talk Kurogane out of it now and lifted his shirt up and maneuvered so the other man could see his bandaged side. The student's calloused hand glided over the bandage, physically checking just how bad it had gotten.

"Did it get this bad when you came after me?" He heard the deep voice rumble, a slight guilty glint in the red eyes.

"It was my own fault, I shouldn't have been running." Fay felt his face warming at both embarrassment at having the man's hand on him and from guilt at causing Kurogane to feel bad about it. He shivered as Kurogane's hand moved over the bandages. The black eyebrow rose as he felt the other quiver, but Kurogane said nothing.

"Tch, damn straight." He replied, but the blonde could tell he didn't feel that way. The human stood and walked into the bathroom to get the aid kit and bandages. Fay watched Kurogane leave, before taking his shirt off the rest of the way; after all it would just be a hassle if he left it on.

The dark skinned man came back in before stopping abruptly, staring at the almost white skin. He would never be able to get over how unusually appealing that skin tone and build the blonde had. He shanked himself mentally for thinking those thoughts and sat by the blonde, as if he hadn't stopped.

"Lift your arms." Fay obliged Kurogane, lifting his arms as he looked away smiling sadly, not wanting to see if Kurogane looked annoyed because of him. The blonde could feel the taller start to unravel the bandages, which were now covered in a faint red. The red got deeper and more so on the bandages as he got closer to the gauze and wound. When the dirty bandages were tossed on the coffee table, he felt the calloused hand ghost over his flesh again, around the open area.

"Hnn... it's healed up slightly, but it looks reopened..." Fay's blush deepened and he shivered again at the contact. His eyes glanced down to see the wound, it was nasty red. He had hoped it would have healed at least a little more. Kurogane opened the aid kit, grabbing more medicine. He gently dabbed the disinfectant against the red skin, holding onto the blonde's stomach to keep him still.

For some odd reason, when he was done, he didn't want to remove his hand, and had to force himself to do so.

"Thank you Kuro-san." Fay said as he turned his gaze towards Kurogane. His smile was back as he felt Kurogane's hand against his stomach.

"Why do you always feel the need to thank me? I ain't doin' anything special." He said roughly, placing new gauze around the open wound. He sighed and forced Fay's arm higher; the blonde had been slowly lowering them as they got tired.

"Because Kuro-chu's taking the time to help me and I'm just voicing my appreciation." Fay was tempted to call Kurogane cute as well, but didn't want the other to stop. Fay chuckled lightly as Kurogane moved his arm higher; it seemed he was a little ticklish, which in turn made him wonder if Kurogane was ticklish. Fay's smiled as he thought about it as Kurogane wrapped his torso.

"Well stop it; your voice is annoying." Which they both knew wasn't true. Actually, hearing Fay's voice made the house seem a little more like a home, Kurogane absentmindedly thought. He drove another imaginary sword through his mind and finished up the wrap around the smaller man's torso.

"How's your wrist?"

"It wasn't as bad as my side, so it's just a dull throb, nothing serious." The blonde smiled warmly at Kurogane as he lowered his arms. Kurogane slightly narrowed his eyes before grasping the injured wrist, though not harshly. He looked at the bandage to make sure it too wasn't reopened.

"Is Kuro-pyon worried? I was being honest when I said it wasn't bad." Fay settled back into teasing the human, trying to force his rapidly beating heart to return to normal. He didn't know if he could though; with Kurogane touching him all over like this, it almost made him want more, which made his heart beat faster. Kurogane snorted and let go of the pale hand.

"Not worried, just making sure you're telling the truth." He said gruffly.

"Kuro-sama's so cute he even makes me blush." Fay clapped his hands together in joy as he smiled toothily at the human. At least now his cheeks weren't beat red as before when Kurogane was touching him. The human gritted his teeth.

"Quit calling me that! I ain't cute, faggot!" He spat, gathering up the medical supplies in a hurry and storming out of the room and into the bathroom.

"You oughta learn how to respect, dammit!"

"Kuro-min should know by now I'm only teasing him, I'd never hurt his feelings intentionally." Though Fay did feel bad about making the human shout at him, just when he thought there was going to be some kind of breakthrough and Kurogane was actually not going to yell at him. The alien sighed, he was so confused when it came to the other man, he just couldn't help his teasing. The dark haired man growled from the other room, letting himself cool off before going back in the room with the outsider. He didn't feel like causing another fight, and he certainly didn't want to cause the wounds to open again.

He grabbed the dirty bandages and tossed them in the trash can, afterwards slumping down on the couch with the book in his hand again. Fay felt the anger radiating off Kurogane and decided against talking for the moment, instead he reached for his shirt, pulling it back on as slowly as he could so as not to bother the new bandages. He then moved closer to Kurogane to peer at the book opened in his hand. The student allowed this and somewhat leaned the book so Fay could see better. He was currently reading about engineering, somewhat like the robotics the alien was familiar with, only less advanced and with more mechanics.

"Kuro-san's studying out of date technology?" Fay titled his head as he looked at a few pictures; it looked like something he would see in a history book back in Valeria's libraries. The man in question raised an eyebrow.

"'Out-of-date'? This is the latest stuff we got." He replied, throwing his other arm over the back of the couch.

"Things like this-" Fay pointed at a large turbine. "-are old on my planet, we have things that don't rely on electricity to run." Fay watched as Kurogane leaned back against the couch.

"Would Kuro-san like some help then with his studies?" Fay leaned back as well, holding the book up for Kurogane to see what he was talking about. The taller raised his eyebrow.

"How would you help me? The class doesn't require 'advanced' technology that your world had." He said blandly, taking his book back.

"But then wouldn't I be able to help you better if your technology is old to me?" Fay didn't tell Kurogane that he to spend hours reading whatever he could get his hands on and old history books had been some of his favorites. Kurogane let his jaw set as he stared at the blonde. He was mad enough listening to his teachers try to tell him what to do, but the blonde was doing that now too? Ugh, this week has been the worst. He scoffed and handed Fay the book.

"You look at it. I gotta do math now." Fay sat to work, glad he could be of some help to Kurogane as the human went to work on his math. He felt himself grinning ear to ear, happy he could be of some help, even if the other man still seemed angry. Kurogane somewhat felt relieved of stress when the blonde offered to help, and couldn't help but relax a little more. It wasn't half bad to have someone help for once. He started the math in silence, just as content as he was riding his bike with the alien.

"Kuro-san, are there any papers I should fill out, or did you want me just to read this?" Fay looked up from reading the book.

"Just read it to familiarize yourself how old our technology really is." The other replied in a distracted manner, scribbling something down on a piece of paper that had earlier written equations on it.

"Alright then." Really this world's mechanics weren't too old, maybe about a century compared to his own. Though he did realize humans relied on technology much more than Valerians, then again he chalked that up to the powers his people possessed making technology not needed for everything. Sighing, the blonde went back to his reading, enjoying Kurogane's company as they sat in silence.

About ten minutes into reading, Kurogane softly slammed his math book closed, setting it to the side. He sat for a moment, eyes glazing over in thought before he reached for another book, this one a science, and opened it. He flipped to a page and groaned, staring angrily at the work he had to do. Knowing it wouldn't run off the page from his fierce gaze (which it would if it were alive) he began on that next.

"From the looks of it, Kuro-sama must study a lot." Fay felt himself admiring Kurogane working so hard. He smiled warmly as he finished the chapter Kurogane had been reading from the book.

"Tch, not really. All the dumbass teachers assign too much work." He replied, half paying attention to what he was reading.

"I'm sure Kuro-rinta is an excellent student none the less." Fay closed the book and set it atop the math book. He sat patiently beside Kurogane waiting to see if there was anything else he needed from him. Minutes passed and Fay felt his gaze drawn to Kurogane, who was still reading. With a contented sigh he relaxed against the couch, enjoying watching the human. His face was not in a fixed scowl anymore, but in a peaceful and hardly stressed expression. Occasionally his brow would wrinkle as he memorized equations instantly, and then it would go back. His eyes moved quickly back and forth across the book, reading faster than what normal people could. He bit his lip slightly, reaching over for a paper whilst still staring at the book, writing something down before going back to reading.

Fay watched intently as Kurogane studied, his mind drifted to thoughts of leaning against the human as he studied or even working up the courage to possibly give him another kiss on the cheek. Though he immediately knew either of these things wouldn't be welcomed, so he just sighed and forced himself to just be content in watching Kurogane. Hopefully he wouldn't be scolded for just looking. It didn't take long for Fay to realize Kurogane was staring back. It wasn't angry or weirded out, more like the expression he had when reading, only his eyes were on Fay instead of the book. They were specifically on the blue eyes, staring into pupils.

Fay was surprised to see he stare returned without any anger and was left speechless. All he could do was smile faintly as he felt his cheeks redden. Kurogane's lips parted slightly, stuck in between the beginning of a sentence or thinking. He leaned forward and was just starting his sentence when they heard a knocking on the door, making both of them jump clear out of their skin. Kurogane stood in righteous fury, ripping the front door open.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!" He shouted to whoever dare intrude. Fay placed a hand over his heart, feeling it racing underneath his ribs. He then raised both hands to pat his burning cheeks lightly, trying to calm himself down. He had no idea what that had been about, so he stood and made his way towards where Kurogane had stormed off to. Hopefully by the time he got there he wouldn't feel so lightheaded. Kurogane had his hands on his hips, staring at the person outside.

"NO. You CAN'T come it, twit." He said very angrily, obviously peeved that they had been interrupted. The man at the door peeked over Kurogane's shoulder and saw Fay, and the alien had noticed it was Sorata. The storeowner waved with a smile. Fay walked up behind Kurogane.

"Sorata, it's...quite the surprise seeing you here." Fay wondered just why the man had decided out of the blue to come by as Sorata smiled at him. The man chuckled through his teeth with a slight blush on his cheek.

"He called me Sorata..." He said goofily, before Kurogane bapped him on the head.

"Go the hell away, dammit!" Sorata whined, holding his head.

"So mean! I bet Fay-chan doesn't have to put up with this!!!"

"I wouldn't say that." Fay laughed at the older man, though he did wince as Kurogane hit him. The blonde watched as Sorata continued smiling, not phased at all by Kurogane's hit.

"Fay-chaaaaaaaaaaaan! Get him to let me in!" He said, a fake tear leaking from the side of his eye as he made a puppy dog face. Kurogane growled and pushed Sorata by the shoulder.

"I SAID NO." He said forcefully. Sorata whined again.

"But! But! I brought sweets!"

"I HATE FUCKING SWEETS, ASSHOLE!"

"Maybe he can come in for a little bit?" Fay was curious now about the sweets Sorata was offering. He moved forward a little placing a hand on Kurogane's forearm, silently asking him again. Sorata continued to look up at Kurogane teary eyed. The student raised an eyebrow to Fay's contact, then he looked back at Sorata, then back at Fay before he rolled his eyes at the ceiling and sighed angrily.

"Fine, but only 30 minutes or so help me..." Sorata sprung up, hugging Fay graciously.

"Thank you, Fay-chan, you sweetie!" Fay returned the hug awkwardly before Sorata released him and all but ran inside in his excitement. He turned to look a Kurogane smiling.

"Thank you Kuro-pon, now we should go see these sweets Sorata was talking about." Fay wondered if they would be as good as the rest of the food he had eaten so far. Kurogane grunted in reply, closing the front door before shoving his hands in his pockets and shuffling to the kitchen where Sorata had run off to. Said man was happily unpacking boxes of cakes and goodies.

"Thank gods for Fay-chan! I didn't think Kurogane would ever let me back in after I broke his ceiling!" Kurogane folded his arms.

"Do it again and your hide is mine." Sorata just laughed. Fay would have to ask about the ceiling later, but as Sorata unloaded the sweets onto the table he found himself entranced by them. Kurogane stood at the doorway, watching the other dark haired man carefully. It wasn't that he wanted to see what the sweets were, but because he didn't trust Sorata alone with Fay, even if he DID love his wife with all his heart. He didn't want to risk it.

"Sorata, did you make all of this yourself?" Fay asked as Sorata began putting empty boxes away.

"Fay-chan's just too cute, but my honey-bun made some of it, while the rest is from the shop." He smiled as Fay scanned the table's contents. Kurogane looked at the window and then back to Sorata, who was smiling happily. The brown eyed man pranced over to the plates, much with Kurogane's hesitation, and handed Fay one.

"Here! Here! Try them all!" He sang happily. Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"You're too happy."

"Ah, that's what love does to a person!" Sorata handed Kurogane a plate as well. The older man then turned and handed Fay a plastic fork. Fay looked down at the plate not knowing where to start. Desserts back home were usually frozen, and looked nothing like this. Taking a bit of cake topped with pink icing Fay all but melted at the flavor. Earth definitely had wonderful food, especially when it came to sweets. Fay nearly purred when he tasted one of the candies on his plate.

"Sorata and his wife are truly wonderful cooks!" Fay sat down to further enjoy his meal as Sorata's chest puffed out with pride.

"My Sweetie is the most beautiful cook ever to put on an apron! Fay-chan knows good food when he tries it." The older man turned to smile at Kurogane.

"Though I can't say the same for Kurogane." The tallest in the group scoffed.

"I don't like sweets. At all." He smirked to himself; he had seen Arashi in an apron, and it had nothing on what Fay could look like. Kurogane blinked and then exited the room to go find a wall to bang his head on until it bled.

"Kuro-san?" Fay yelled after Kurogane as Sorata turned towards him.

"Maybe I can ask my darling dearest if she could give you some recipes to try out if you like them. That way you can make these whenever you want." For a moment Fay stopped wondering why Kurogane had suddenly left the kitchen.

"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like that. Maybe I could get Kuro-myu to try some." Sorata smiled in happiness for the little alien, glad that Fay cared so much for someone he had only just met. Kurogane really deserved someone like Fay. The blonde would give him a break from the harsh reality of life. It was unaware to Sorata that Fay had just heard, with his still very acute hearing, a faint bang as skin hit a far off wall.

"Ah, excuse me for a moment Sorata, I need to check something." Fay stood, ready to take his plate to the sink, but Sorata took it from him instead.

"I can clean up, after all I did bring the food." Fay thanked him before heading towards the noise. He stopped when he saw Kurogane in front of a wall.

"Kuro-chi are you alright?" The student was rubbing his forehead fervently, growling in anger. He opened his eye a crack and looked at Fay.

"Just peachy." He said sarcastically. He turned around and closed the washer, pretending to have been doing clothes. Once he was sure that he could walk straight and that his forehead was normal colored again, he turned around and walked to Fay.

"Why aren't you with the guy?" He said in regards to Sorata.

"I heard a thump and was worried; you did leave all of the sudden." Fay looked worriedly up at the human, wondering if he had done something to cause Kurogane to leave. He had, but it wasn't his fault. Kurogane shook his head as to not worry the smaller any longer. They both jumped again when they heard Sorata's laughter.

"Oh ho ho!!! So you two wanted to run off to be aloneeeeeeeeeeeeee~ did you?" He sang, making a vein throb in Kurogane's temple.

"ASSHOLE." He shouted before thwapping Sorata on the head again. Fay stood in shock, having not noticed Sorata approaching. He wondered if Sorata had some type of head trauma because of Kurogane, no one could possibly take getting hit over the head twice in such a short amount of time. Though the man only whined again, holding his head as he curled his upper half together.

"Ei ei ei! So rough! You shouldn't treat your friends like this! Poor Fay-chan, probably has it rough in bed..." Kurogane snarled and hit him on the back next, almost sending him toppling to the ground. The angered man grabbed Sorata's arm and dragged him to the front door.

"OUT. NOW." Fay followed as Kurogane ushered the older man out rather roughly. He felt his face heating up again.

"Kuro-san shouldn't have been so rough Sorata was just being nice and after he brought sweets too."

"Like HELL he's being nice! I've been single and I'm staying single, SO SHOVE OFF!" He shouted to the worker, who was now standing on the porch. Sorata stood straight and pouted.

"Well, I guess I gotta go now, Fay-chan. I'll see you later this week in the market?" He asked hopefully. Kurogane was about to decline for him when-

Fay smiled at Sorata, happy that he was being invited back to the shop after all that had happened today.

"We can come visit sometime soon, right Kuro-rinta?" The blonde looked up hopefully at Kurogane. The taller man being asked sputtered for a moment before turning.

"FINE. What the FUCK EVER." He said loudly, stamping off to the couch again. Sorata chuckled happily and waved before he started toward his car.

"Goodbye Sorata, thank you for the sweets!" Fay waved as he Sorata returned the gesture before getting into his car and driving away. As he watched the man leave Fay turned to walk back inside, wondering where Kurogane had wandered off to. The man he was searching for was fuming at the couch, staring at the book but definitely not able to concentrate. He huffed and threw the book on his lap as he leaned back on the armrest, face covered by his hands.

"MAN that guy pisses me off!" He barked, rubbing his temples in aggravation. Fay took the book resting on Kurogane's lap and set it with the rest of them on the table.

"Sorata isn't really that bad is he?" The alien then moved to where the human rested against the arm of the couch, lightly brushing his fingers through Kurogane's hair in a soothing manner all the while smiling warmly. Kurogane removed his hands, though they still hovered close to his face as he looked at Fay.

"He's a freaking dick! Tryin' to get into my lovelife and fuck things over...again!" He laid one hand down and covered his eyes with the other.

"He should go bother someone else!"

"What did he do?" Fay couldn't honestly see Sorata doing anything bad to anyone on purpose, but he didn't know what to think as he how angry Kurogane was. Afterall Sorata seemed like the type of person who only had the best of intentions when doing things. He idly kept his hand brushing through Kurogane's dark hair, noting how soft it was.

Kurogane growled to himself, not wanting to relive it. He shook his head and sighed, somewhat enjoying Fay's hand going through his hair. He froze, realizing this, and sat up quickly. Looking at the clock he groaned.

"We should get to bed." He said in a hurry, standing and gathering his papers and books. Fay pouted at not getting to hear Kurogane's story and having the human move away from him.

"I suppose your right." The realization hit him that he would be going with Kurogane to his school tomorrow. He began dragging Kurogane towards the man's bedroom.

"Hurry, Kuro-myu, the quicker we go to sleep the quicker we can wake up and go to your school."

"Oi, oi, oi! I didn't say we're going 'together'! Let go!" The taller snapped, pulling one of the blonde's hands off of him. Fay's excitement deflated a little as Kurogane yelled at him. "Then we're not sharing the bed?" Fay wondered why Kurogane was so against being close to him, it's not like the bed wasn't big enough to let them both sleep comfortably.

"There's no way in Hell I'm sleeping in the same bed as another man, let alone you! Why are you so excited for that anyway?!" He blurted out, going a little red in the face. He kind of wanted to himself, but he wouldn't admit it, not even to himself.

"I'm excited about seeing Kuro-rinta's school tomorrow and besides I promise not to bite." Fay couldn't help teasing the man. He laughed and tried dragging Kurogane. The dark haired man turned redder when Fay's comment hit his ears and lost track of what was happening, until soon enough they were in Kurogane's room. Said man growled and pulled away forcefully.

"I'll sleep on the couch!" He exclaimed, turning on his heel. Fay watched as he stormed off, he hadn't meant to make him leave. The blonde turned to follow Kurogane.

"Kuro-chan, I was joking, besides it is you're room after all, I'll sleep here." Fay, determined, sat down on the couch. Kurogane raised an eyebrow and pulled the blonde up easily.

"No, you're sleeping in my bed until I bring out the cot. I slept here before and I'll do it again." He said sternly, lounging on the couch where Fay had just been to prove his point.

"No." Fay was set on staying here and removed Kurogane's grasp around his arm, before he flopped backwards, onto Kurogane.

"Kuro-wan can sleep on the bed; it won't hurt me to sleep here." Fay moved to push Kurogane off the couch, trying to settle in between the human and the back of the couch for leverage. And unfortunately enough, the taller man refused to budge. Instead he raised an eyebrow at Fay's pitiful attempt. He sat up without a word so that the blonde was now sitting on the couch, but his legs were draped over Kurogane's.

"You're really childish, you know that?" Fay scowled as he attempts at trying to push the other man off the couch were foiled.

"Kuro-chi shouldn't talk and should go to bed."

"No, I am in bed. Its YOU who need to stop talking and go to bed." Kurogane smirked subconsciously at the smaller.

"But if you insist..." He said, picking up the blonde and easily slinging him over his shoulder.

"Kuro-san's is stubborn." Fay wiggled trying to escape Kurogane's grasp. While he was being carried Fay felt his face warm again as he tried to think of a way to make Kurogane let him go and let him have the couch. Having no thought of an escape plan, his tries were to no avail. Kurogane let Fay roll off his shoulder and land on the bed with a soft thud. Kurogane then walked over to the door and closed it before standing by the bed with his hands on his hips.

"Go to bed." He commanded, staring at the blonde. Fay felt like a child being scolded. On an impulse he grabbed the nearest item, which happened to be a pillow, and threw it at Kurogane.

"Kuro-rinta should see reason and sleep here instead." The student easily caught the pillow and threw it back.

"Shut up. Go to bed." He growled again, sitting on the bed and folding his arms. "Compromise; I'll stay here until you fall asleep." Shocked, Fay could only stare as Kurogane sat beside him. Figuring this was as good a compromise he was going to get for now anyway, so he stood, taking the shirt he had slept in last night and pulling it over his head. He then went to strip himself of his pants before crawling back on the bed.

"Don't think because I'm agreeing to this I'm letting you sleep on the couch. I'll wait until you fall asleep and go to the couch." Fay smile as he pulled the blanket over top of him, rolling over he moved to face Kurogane. Said man folded his legs in a masculine manner, placing his jaw in his hand.

"Then I guess I won't sleep, huh?" he said simply, closing his eyes as the blonde sat back down.

"I can stay up longer than Kuro-san can." Fay poked the other man's forehead to emphasize his point. Fay settled back down as he stared up at Kurogane.

"Tch. This isn't a competition, moron." He replied, looking over to the closet.

"Go to sleep now, or I won't take you tomorrow."

"Kuro-temper's mean." Fay moved the pillow he was laying on over his head, not wanting Kurogane to see him acting so childishly. Kurogane really didn't mean it, did he? Fay felt his heart drop at the thought of be alone and with the prospect of Kurogane having back out on his word, even if the human hadn't promised. Kurogane let himself smirk while the alien's head was covered. He shook his head and leaned back against the wall, folding his arms, watching the blonde.

"Kuro-min doesn't really mean that does he?" Fay said in defeat as he lifted the pillow just enough for him to look up at Kurogane. The red eyed man looked down.

"Don't go to sleep and find out." He said coolly, staring at blue under the pillow. Fay pulled the pillow back over his head as he contemplated Kurogane's words. With a half formed idea in his head Fay moved and sat up, taking his pillow in hand and smacking Kurogane with it. Hoping if he got him angry enough, the taller man would finally give up and let him have his way.

"Kuro-man should know I would just follow him." He hoped Kurogane wouldn't call him on his bluff. The other got angry alright. He snarled and grabbed Fay's wrists angrily and pinned him down on the bed, glaring intensely at the smaller man.

"When I say go to bed, I mean go to bed, dammit! You don't have pillow fights when you're an adult, you twit!" He barked, barely noticing just what position they were in.

"Now are you really going to push me into leaving you here, or are you going as far as making me never taking you anywhere again?!" He hissed, eyes narrowing.

"Kuro-sama should see reason then." Fay tried to glare back at the other man, but couldn't muster up a strong enough one due to having Kurogane looming overtop him.

"I'm only trying to be a good friend and offer you your own bed."

"Stop that. You know I won't take the bed! Plus you're still healing so sleeping on an uneven surface could cause your wounds more irritation than necessary." He quoted, as if he had personally experienced this. As he spoke of the blonde's injuries, Fay felt the tan hand on his bandaged wrist loosen slightly.

"Even if Kuro-rin's only concerned about my health I'll still insist on it." Fay shifted slightly before locking gazes with Kurogane.

"Then sleep here with me. There's enough room and I won't go to sleep if you keep trying to force me to sleep." Fay took a deep breath, he had never expected such a brave streak from himself... he actually felt kind of proud of himself.

Kurogane flinched again, noticing how he was seated atop Fay. His face flushed instantly, but he didn't move or say anything. He knew he was trapped. Dammit, Fay, he thought.

"Now, let's go to sleep, I still want to see Kuro-min's school." Fay beamed up at Kurogane. The taller gritted his teeth as he sat up on his knees, glaring down at the smaller.

"You're a brat." He said finally, taking off his socks and throwing them to the side before standing to turn off the light.

"And if I catch you spreading this about, you're head's going up on my wall." He warned vehemently. Kurogane took off his shirt then, giving the blonde full view of his well toned body.

"Kuro-bun's being paranoid; who would I tell?" Fay turned over on all four crawling back under the covers as he moved to his side to take in Kurogane form as he prepared for bed. Fay made a mental note to tease Kurogane about winning later, once he was sure the human wouldn't beat him up for it.

"All the people you met today. Just because you're like that." He said simply, placing his hands on his hips as he stared at the blonde. He would feel so awkward doing this, but he supposed it was the only way to make sure the brat of an alien get some sleep. He sighed in a rumble and turned off the lamp light. It was now completely dark, and Kurogane sat down on the bed, covering up.

"Don't worry…" Fay stifled a yawn with his hand as he felt the bed shift.

"I promise I won't tell anyone about Kuro-chan staying in the same bed as me." The dark haired man didn't feel like he could trust those words, but grunted in reply anyway. He turned his back to Fay, his arm lying over the cover.

"Get some sleep, moron."

"Yes, Daddy." He chuckled lightly as he stared in the dark at Kurogane. He shifted a bit, bringing his hand up and under the pillow as he closed his eyes. To the disappointment of Fay, Kurogane didn't move in his sleep, which meant no nice snuggling. But unbeknownst to Fay, Kurogane was still awake, his poor mind being tortured as he fought with himself over thoughts of the blonde.

After at least an hour Fay stirred, feeling a heavy pressure on his uninjured side. Blinking awake, he glanced around the room in the dim light, lifting his head up slightly only to come face to face with Kurogane. His eyes widened in surprise and stifled a noise from escaping his throat. Kurogane was still asleep it seemed. It sighed in relief, craning his neck to get a better view of the taller man. It looked like sometime during the night Kurogane had moved and was now using him as a makeshift pillow. Fay blushed heatedly, registering the arm draped over him. The student was softly sleeping, not snoring and barely moving. The only think that let Fay know he was alive was the steady rise and fall of his bare chest that was now exposed from the blanket. He seemed content with having the alien so close to him whilst he slept.

Fay felt as if his heart was going to burst from his chest as he thought of Kurogane against him. He tried not to move or even breathe too hard fearing he'd wake Kurogane up. The more he worried about waking him up, the more Kurogane seemed to stir. He groaned softly in his sleep, pulling the blonde close to his body. Fay's face was now pressed up against the other's collarbone and neck, his pale hands resting against the tan pectorals.

It was as if Kurogane were awake now, for his breath caught in his throat and his heartbeat beneath Fay's fingers sped up slightly, though he did nothing to move away. Fay bit his lip, trying not to make a sound as he was moved closer to Kurogane. With his fingers splayed across tanned skin Fay squeezed his eyes shut trying to force his blush down through sheer will. His skin was taut over solid muscle, Fay noticed as he ran his hands smoothly across the chest. When they traveled across the other's body, he realized most of his skin was like that; hiding well built muscles.

He felt Kurogane shiver and a weak bat at the pale hand as if the student thought he were a bug of some sort. Well, either Kurogane was asleep or really good at faking it. Fay chuckled silently, shaking a little as Kurogane tried to swat his hand away.

"Oi... blondie.... stop that..." He heard the dark haired man mumble in a deeper voice than usual. Fay jumped as Kurogane spoke up. The taller man took Fay's hand and set it on the covers, but it seemed he was too tired to take his own hand back, for he left it clasped around the blonde's. Fay felt almost feverish as a large hand moved his wrist to the bed and stayed there. He couldn't help himself from smiling.

He heard the taller sigh into the mop of hair Fay owned, settling back down for sleep. His other hand came up from the depths of the sheets to wrap around the lithe man's thin neck. He was up against his body again, and Kurogane didn't move any more than that.

Fay forced himself not to say anything, even though he felt the need to say how cute Kurogane was being bubbling up his throat. He wondered if Kurogane would mind if he tried to hug him? Fay knew he was acting sappy, but how often was Kurogane willingly going to cuddle? Fay felt his face break out into another smile.

Fay moved tentatively moved even closer than he already was, easing an arm to rest against Kurogane's arm. Seeing that Kurogane wasn't making a move to push him away Fay relaxed as he half hugged Kurogane and closed his eyes. The tan arm twitched with the small weight on him, but did nothing to move him away. It seemed like he was comfortable like this, for he was now holding Fay back, not tightly but securely.

Fay felt his heart swell with emotions as it beat furiously in his chest. The alien sighed in contentment as Kurogane practically held him. Thinking back to last night, Fay had to congratulate himself, had he known this would be the result of holding his ground and being stubborn, he'd have tried it sooner. He could only hope that when Kurogane really woke up he wouldn't decide to throw him out of the bed.

The soft breeze of the tanned man's breath blew wispy strands atop Fay's head as he slept, and the heartbeat of the human lulled the alien into a blissful unconsciousness.


	3. And when you did I decided

**Disclaimer: **If we owned Tsubasa it would kind of make more sense.

Mirika-rin: dear jesus this was a crackload. all these chapters are asses to edit. uhm... o__o yeah. anyway. Kurogane's still OOC a lot, Fay's cute, and Tomoyo comes in! yay! love me! -cough- Shakespeare's also not mine, but hey, he's a cool guy, so we added him up in here.

Please excuse the, ahem, _rush_ that we've put on this story's ....relationships. we wrote a lot and didn't realize it was over a short amount of time XD and plus, who can truly deny kurofay? come on.

*__* so many people love it already... I thought I was going to cry from some of your reviews -wipes face-

Ashine-chan:another long chapter XD they keep getting longer, but here's even more kurofay for everyone to enjoy, plus a very fluffy scene lol

* * *

The hazy red eyes opened slowly as he allowed the fragrance of something pleasantly sweet fill his nostrils. He blinked again, wondering why the hell there was a fragrance other than his own in his bed. He jerked slightly in realization to find Fay snoozing gently in his arms. Kurogane felt his face flush when he noticed the blonde was cuddling into his chest, and that he was cuddling back in a very sickening manner. He gaped like a fish for a moment, but couldn't find the rudeness to awaken such a gorgeous little thing. He pimpslapped himself mentally for the thought, but still didn't move in case of waking up the sleeping figure.

Fay's fingers deftly moved from their previous spot against Kurogane's arm as his brow furrowed against the light from the bedroom window. Kurogane took that opportunity to remove himself from Fay's being, sitting up in bed and grunting as the clock told him it was still an hour until he had to leave. He looked down to the blonde over his shoulder, watching him stir awake.

Fay frowned subconsciously as Kurogane moved away from him and he found himself slowly waking. With his eyes still closed Fay ran his hand through his hair, before trying to move back to the source of warmth that had moved away from him. Kurogane put his hand on the blonde's shoulder, sighing as he stopped him from coming in closer. One night was enough; he wasn't sitting through this throughout the day too.

"Oi. Get up." He commanded. Fay grumbled before opening one eye to look in the direction of the voice.

"Kuro-rinta...five more minutes, I was comfortable." His eye closed again, before he snuggled into the cover.

"Fine. Stay here." He said, not wanting to deal with Fay's antics so early in the morning. He stood from the bed, groaning softly in awakening. He placed a hand in his pocket, turning around, not even seeing that the light was hitting his body just so.

"I'll leave you here if you want to sleep all day." He commented, knowing how much Fay wanted to go to school with him. Blue eyes opened to stare up at Kurogane. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the shirtless man. Fay listened lazily to Kurogane's words, and as his half asleep mind registered his words, he was startled awake.

"Kuro-san, why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Fay scrambled, throwing the covers off his legs and grabbing hold of Kurogane, trying to make him hurry so they could get ready. Fay absentmindedly brushed his hair down with his other hand as he tugged on Kurogane's arm.

The human raised an eyebrow in amusement, not budging from his spot. He watched as the other struggled to get him to move faster. He was close to admitting in his mind that the childish excitement Fay had was almost heartwarming, and he had to force down a smirk from it.

"Oi, we got an hour, don't freak out." He said lightly, looking back at the clock.

"But we still need to get ready." Fay released Kurogane as the other man wouldn't budge. He didn't know where to start as he began looking around the room.

"So? All you need to do is get dressed." He said nonchalantly, shrugging before going over to the closet and pulling out an outfit for himself at random. He then itched the back of his head.

"I'm gunna take a shower. You eat."

Fay watched as Kurogane left to the bathroom, before turning to dig through his new clothes. Sifting through them he settled for the red shirt and dark pants he had liked yesterday. Sitting them at the foot of the bed, Fay moved to make the bed, his cheeks warming a little as he thought of Kurogane wrapping his arms around him. After he had finished the blonde ventured to the kitchen, wondering what he could possibly eat.

Opening the fridge he spotted the plate of vegetables Kurogane had prepared from them last night and took it. Sitting down at the table, Fay unwrapped the plate and began eating, making sure to leave some for the other man.

Fay heard the water stop suddenly, and the wet feet hit tile in the bathroom. A thought sprung abruptly out of his mind that made his face redden subconsciously; Kurogane wet and naked. He couldn't stop his mind from imagining the toned body he saw that morning dripping with warm water and suds from just bathing. Fay stopped chewing as his face flushed from thoughts of Kurogane in the shower. The door opening snapped him out of his imagination, and Fay tried to act like normal.

It didn't help that some of the usual stubborn spikes were tamed by water and falling in the tanned man's face. He had a towel wrapped around his shoulders and the buttons weren't done up on his shirt, revealing the tense muscles under skin once more. Kurogane raised an eyebrow again.

"I thought you would want sweets in the morning."

"Ah, I actually forgot about them, this was the first thing I saw." Fay was surprised that he had forgotten about them, but seeing Kurogane wasn't helping him remember that it was now his turn to shower. He couldn't help himself from staring at every inch of skin visible as he rested his chin against his hand. Kurogane hadn't quite caught on yet, for he simply grunted and walked over to the other chair and lounged. He had one arm over the back of the chair and was using the other hand to pick up slices of vegetables and fruit.

"Oi oi oi! What're you staring at?"

"Nothing, Kuro-rin." Fay smiled and rose from the table, not wanting to be delayed any further, despite wanting to continue staring at Kurogane. He hoped the other man wouldn't notice how he was blushing. Kurogane continued to stare back in question, but refrained from voicing his curiosity. The alien had to wonder just why it was this human that was so pleasantly handsome. All the other humans looked ok, but this one was especially taunting.

Fay left the kitchen, making his way towards the bedroom quickly to pick up his clothes before venturing to the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, Fay set his clothes atop the sink and pulled Kurogane's shirt over his head and into the hamper the human had pointed out to him the other day. Stepping inside the shower, Fay slide the glass door shut before turning the knobs. This time he was prepared for the cool water that assaulted his skin. Adjusting the temperature he relaxed, taking various bottles and cleaning himself. Before too long the alien shut the water off and stepped out, eyes scanning for a towel. Not seeing one, he contemplated what he would do. Deciding it best to call Kurogane, instead of possibly getting into something he wasn't supposed to, Fay yelled.

"Kuro-tan!" He heard the heavy footsteps come down the hall and stop once the bathroom door was opened.

"What?" Kurogane called from the other side of the shower.

"I need a towel. I didn't see one and I didn't want to start going through your things." Fay said as he opened the shower door slightly so he could see Kurogane. He smiled sheepishly as he looked at the other man. Kurogane blushed slightly when he saw Fay peek out, but he scoffed and went toward the laundry room. He came back shortly, handing the blonde a towel to use.

"Tch. Get one before you go in next time."

"Not my fault Kuro-min didn't give me a tour of his house." Fay chuckled before drawing back to dry himself off quickly. The blonde then wrapped the damp towel around his waist, still remembering Kurogane's scolding from before, as he stepped out of the shower. Kurogane had moved into the bedroom, shuffling through his nightstand as he looked for excess pencils. Damn teachers and their note taking, he cussed vibrantly in his head.

Fay moved, letting the towel drop from his waist as he gathered his pants from the sink top. Pulling them on, the blonde struggled a bit, due to his still damp skin, before buttoning them. Next was his shirt. Looking at himself in the mirror Fay straightened his shirt and took a hand, pulling the rest of his hair from his shirt. The blonde moved outside from the bathroom, heading towards the bedroom. Kurogane stood up straight when Fay entered, looking over to the blonde. He felt his face heat up when he saw the clothing he had liked on the lithe man, and turned away again, not saying anything.

"Kuro-kun, can we go now?" Fay said as he walked over to the man, trying to look over his shoulder to see what he was doing.

"No, I'm not done putting my things together." He said flatly, tapping the desk with his pencils whilst he looked for his notebook. Goddamn school supplies.

"We still have a while anyway..."

"But now I'm booored." Fay fell backwards onto the made bed, his arms and legs stretched out as he frowned. Kurogane growled in irritation, glaring at the blonde slightly.

"Then go entertain yourself." He said simply turning on his heel as he left the room to put his things away. Screw the notebook. Fay lifted himself from the bed, wondering over to the desk Kurogane had been searching in. On closer inspection he noticed a notebook sticking out from a pile of papers. Flipping through it he saw pages of notes and wondered if it was important.

Turning on his heel Fay left the room notebook in hand as he searched for Kurogane. The man was sitting on the couch, stuffing a book into his backpack with little effort. He then set down some papers on the desk that looked previously sorted. He looked up to Fay when he entered, and then to the notebook. He stopped moving, pointing to it.

"...."

"This?" Fay held up the notebook confused as he walked up to Kurogane.

"Where'd you find it?" The taller asked offhand, taking the notebook and looking in it to a specific page. It had more equations on it that the student had been writing down the night before.

"On the desk, is it important?" Fay felt himself smiling as he thought of doing something for the other man.

"Hnn... it has my homework in it." He replied quietly, placing the notebook behind the book in the sack. He zipped it up then, standing and swinging the bag on his arm.

"Ready?"

"Yes, Kuro-sama!" Fay hurried to the front door, slipping on his shoes as he waited eagerly for Kurogane to catch up. The taller man did so, opening the door afterwards and letting Fay walk out first so he could lock his door. They heard a car drive by slowly, and talking. It didn't take long for Fay to hear:

"Howdy Fay-chan! Going out with Kurogane now?" Sang the familiar peppy voice. The other dark haired man felt a vein pop out angrily.

"Hello Sorata, Kuro-chu's taking me to school today!" Fay waved as he smiled brightly at the older man. Sorata whistled, looking over to a woman in the passenger seat.

"I see! Honey and I are going on a day-trip. We'll be back tomorrow! Have fun learning!" He said happily before he continued driving. Kurogane growled at the retreating car, hands on hips.

"Asshole...."

"Kuro-chan should be nice to Sorata." Fay poked the taller man on the cheek before walking towards the human's motorcycle.

"Tch. Why the hell should I?" Kurogane asked with a hostile tone. He opened the compartment with the helmets and took them out, dumping his backpack in their place. He handed Fay his and sat on the bike.

"He's only trying to be nice." Fay put the helmet on before climbing onto the motorcycle. His arms wrapped around Kurogane's waist as he rested his cheek against the other's broad back. Doing so instantly brought flashbacks of last night to both of them, heating the air around them at least 2 more degrees. Kurogane said nothing on the Sorata comment and started the bike, trying to occupy his thoughts with something other than Fay and him snuggling. The lithe man wondered about Kurogane's lack of a reply, usually the other man was quick to yell. Instead the blonde tightened his hold while trying to keep himself from thinking about waking up in Kurogane's arms. His eyes scanned the horizon, taking in the views of both the country side and the town as they sped passed.

They both found themselves unable to think of anything other than that night and morning. Good thing they had helmets on, they both thought, in case the other looked to see his blush. Kurogane grumbled as he was forced to slow in town, going in a different direction to get to his University. Fay kept his eyes on the shops and people walking down the streets as he felt the bike slow. He noticed they had turned and lifted his head from its resting place against Kurogane. He saw a large expanse of buildings ahead with numerous cars parked on all sides; several people were walking from building to building.

Kurogane swerved to the side, driving into the parking lot. He swayed in and out the rows until he found a parking spot near the entrance, oddly enough, and zoomed into it. He stopped the vehicle and took off his helmet, shaking his somewhat damp hair. He turned to Fay.

"Oi, let go." Fay removed his own helmet as he released the taller man.

"Kuro-run's mean." The blonde smiled before hopping off the bike. He stood taking in the sight of the school, he smiled brightly trying to keep his excitement contained. The dark haired man stood as well and switched his backpack for the helmets once again, locking up the container and placing the keys in his pocket.

"Ok, let's go." He said simply, starting to walk toward the building.

"Don't get left behind; I don't want to have to come and find your sorry ass."

"Yes, Kuro-chan." Fay said as he walked beside Kurogane. Blue eyes scanned the various buildings they passed; he turned to look at Kurogane briefly, wanting to ask the taller man question after question about the school and about Kurogane. People passed them and in the same fashion as those from town whispered as they passed. He returned his gaze to Kurogane to gauge the other's reaction. Was it really so hard to believe the human had a companion?

"I wanted to thank you Kuro-min for bringing me." Fay smiled warmly at Kurogane. The other cast a sidelong glance at the smaller and grunted, as if to say you're welcome. He slipped his hands in his pockets and glared angrily at the next passerby's. He wanted to let everyone know that he wasn't doing this because he wanted to, dammit.

Smiling, the blonde turned away from Kurogane as they walked towards one of the buildings. Fay continued to look curiously at the school, wondering about what kind of classes there were, how students learned, though he had to admit to himself that he was even more curious as to how Kurogane interacted here, how the human went about his daily routine here. Kurogane opened the door to a close by building and walking in, his hand still on the glass to allow Fay to follow. He then went to another door and opened it in the same manner. When they arrived inside, Fay could see millions of books behind more glass. Fay was about to tease Kurogane for being a gentleman when he noticed said room coming into view. Could this have been the library?

"This is very impressive Kuro-pipi." Fay said almost breathlessly as he looked at the rows of shelves filled with books. The taller shrugged.

"It ain't a lot. I've seen bigger." He replied flatly, nodding toward the door.

"You'll wait here until I'm outta class. It'll be for about an hour, so do what you like."

"Is it alright for me to read these?" Fay said as he began reading the titles on various book spines.

"It's up to you if you wanna read them or not." Kurogane said gruffly, beginning to walk away.

"Kuro-sama will hurry back won't he?" Fay turned to watch Kurogane's retreating form. The feeling of being alone began to swell inside him again. The human turned again, only this time he continued walking.

"What do you think, idiot?" He called back, although he did feel kind of flattered that Fay was so eager to be with him. It had been awhile since he got that vibe from anyone, including Tomoyo and Sakura. Fay felt himself smiling again, which was becoming a quick habit of his since he had met Kurogane. After watching the other man leave Fay turned on his heel and began searching for something to occupy his time with. Fay looked up seeing a sign reading 'Fiction' near the back of the room. Shrugging his shoulders the blonde moved towards the rows of books, eyes scanning for something that would catch his interest.

Fingers deftly moved over spine after spine, reading titles and sighing as nothing seemed to catching his interest and he was almost at the end of the shelf too. Something red caught his eye just as he was nearly finished. Gold lettering met his eyes and Fay pulled the book from its place.

"Romeo and Juliet." Fay read the title aloud and opened the book to its front page. Deciding it looked promising, Fay moved to find a place to sit so he could start reading. Finding a secluded table away from the entrance Fay took a seat and opened the book.

The little alien had nearly finished two scenes by the time he looked up from the book to try and find a clock to read. In the distance he could see the red numbers of a digital clock and was excited to see it wouldn't be long until Kurogane would be arriving.

The book was finished by the time he saw Kurogane enter, his backpack slung on one arm like always. He looked around briefly before spotting Fay and walking over.

"Oi."

"Kuro-rinta!" Fay closed the book, placing it on the table as he turned around in his seat to smile at Kurogane. The taller snorted.

"Didn't I tell you to stop calling me that? And we're in a library, be quiet." He ordered, sitting in a chair next to Fay. He set down his backpack before looking at the book the blonde was reading.

"What the hell?"

"It's a very romantic book. There's even fighting in it so Kuro-min might like it. I'll have to read more from this Shakespeare." Fay said as he looked at Kurogane.

"I know what it is, I've read it before. Why the hell of all the books in here would you wanna read crap like that?" The taller asked, pulling out a book of his own. The one he had read 'Advanced Technician Studies' across the spine.

"Hopeless romantic I guess." Fay laughed. He watched as Kurogane took a book from his bag.

"Kuro-chan is more into non-fiction then?"

"Tch, I don't give a damn about books." He replied, opening it to a page in the back.

"Then Kuro-min is studying?" Fay looked on as Kurogane began reading.

"How was class? It was a bit boring without Kuro-san, even with the book to read."

"Class is shit, always will be too." He said gruffly, not really focusing on his book. He let his eyes travel over to the Shakespearean novel.

"...Have you read anything else?"

"No, this was the only one I found interesting." Fay smiled thoughtfully, thinking about the book's characters. Kurogane paused for a moment, then looked over to the fiction section.

"... I'll be here a while still..." He said slowly.

"...And I have another class soon..."

"Does Kuro-chu have any recommendations?" Fay grabbed hold of his book, ready to stand as he waited for Kurogane to answer. Kurogane snorted again, leaning back in his chair.

"Not really..." He paused again, looking down to his own book.

"There's a book over there with a bunch of crap he wrote in it, you can read that." Nodding in acknowledgement Fay stood up, moving towards the shelf he had gotten his book from. Placing it back on the shelf he scanned for any other books by the author. Finding several, he pulled one out and looked over its cover. 'Shakespeare's Sonnets' was written in bold print, he turned the book over reading the book summary, not knowing what a 'sonnet' meant.

Fay returned to his seat beside Kurogane still looking over the back cover. Deciding it wouldn't be too bad; Fay opened it and began reading. When Kurogane saw what book the blonde had retrieved, he tried not to chuckle at how faggy that one was. He had read about three of those sonnets and chucked the book away from him, disgusted at how gushy they were. He looked back at the clock and got comfortable, trying to concentrate on his large amount of homework.

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" Fay quoted; having skipped over some of the sonnet's to find more interesting ones. He smiled at Kurogane, who was intently studying.

Said man stopped flatly and looked up to Fay in a incredulous manner before frowning.

"No."

"For thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings, that I scorn to change my state with kings." Fay skimmed through the book, enjoying Kurogane's reaction. He held the book partially closed in his hands as he looked over to the human.

"It's very...sweet; don't you think Kuro-min?"

"No, it's vomit-worthy. Either stop reading it aloud or go put it back on the shelf." He said bluntly, looking back to his work with a glowering expression.

"Full of many glorious morning have I seen." Fay trailed off, thinking it best not to cause any trouble here; after all he didn't want to be kicked out. His eyes found a line that stopped his skimming. It was a simple line, not even the full sentence either. 'Lord of my Love'. Such a beautiful title. He looked over to Kurogane to see a faint blush over his face, due to his earlier line-reading. Glorious mornings.... mornings... mornings with Kurogane... cuddling.... it must've been what was on the other's mind.

"Kuro-san's blushing; maybe he is a closet romantic after all?" Fay felt his on face warm at the line and thoughts of arms around him.

"S-shut up! I'm not blushing and I'm NOT a closet romantic!" He hissed vehemently, also not wanting to get kicked out because of some idiot blonde who wouldn't stop aggravating him. He sighed angrily, shoving thoughts of their night to the back of his mind as he tried once again to concentrate.

"Kuro-tan's so cute when he blushes." With a somewhat evil glint in his eye Fay moved to place a hand on Kurogane's forehead.

"Though if Kuro-kun insists he's not blushing, then he might be sick." Kurogane moved away from Fay, glaring.

"Don't touch me or I'm taking you home." He warned. Fay lowered his hand and picked the book back up.

"Let me confess that we two must be twain..." Fay stopped abruptly, his mind racing to other thoughts before he hurriedly picked up another line.

"Nor thou with public kindness honour me." Fay could almost see the anger radiating off Kurogane.

"Kuro-tan, I didn't mean to make you so angry, I was only teasing. I'll be good." Fay looked downcast at the partially opened book, not wanting to go back alone.

"...thus, by day my limbs, by night my mind, For thee, and for myself, no quiet find..." The taller then recited quietly, almost as if he didn't mean to say it out loud. When he realized he had, red eyes opened widely and then looked at Fay, a faint blush growing darker.

"How can I return thy happy plight?" Fay spoke softly, in return to Kurogane's words. The taller man blinked and his face turned somewhat gentle. It only lasted a moment due to the fact Kurogane realized he and Fay were being watched by several of the other students. He grunted and gathered up his things rather quickly, blushing a little deeper before standing.

"I have to go to class." He said in a hurry. Fay sighed dejectedly, watching Kurogane's retreating form. He watched as the other students wandered off. Turning back, Fay buried himself in the book, reading page after page of poetry, all the while thinking of Kurogane.

It didn't take as long as the last time for the taller man to return, his book bag on the other shoulder as he entered. This time he didn't sit down.

"Oi. Let's go."

"Just a second Kuro-san." Fay stood before quickly walking over to the shelves to replace the book. Turning on his heel, with his hands behind his back, Fay smiled.

"I'm ready." The dark skinned man grunted and led the way out, still receiving stares as he walked with Fay. The blonde followed close behind as they reached the parking lot and Kurogane's motorcycle. He blatantly ignored the stares they were getting both from the library and outside. Kurogane seemed to as well, for all he did was dump his backpack into the compartment and handed Fay his helmet. He then sat down, starting the bike.

Used to the routine, Fay moved behind Kurogane, wrapping his arms around him as he waited for them to leave. The taller pulled out of the space and zipped out of the parking lot, headed back for home. He felt weird now, having memorized that one poem back when he was in junior high school. Why the hell did it have to come back to him now, after what had happened the night before?

Fay couldn't keep himself from blushing at the moment that had shared on the library and what had happened earlier this morning. He was glad for the bike ride, at least now Kurogane wouldn't see his face, even though the long ride made him think of why the other man made him react in such a way. It then traveled into the smaller man's mind that they were similar to the first story he had read.

Romeo and Juliet had fallen in love at first sight, got married, had sex, and died, all within the time frame of three days. The falling in love part was friendship, got married was town-outings, had sex was the cuddling, and dying... well... that hadn't happened yet, and it was the third day... how odd...

He had wondered what the last part might mean as his eyes drifted lazily over the scenery. Kurogane's house slowly came into view as they got closer, the ride seeming a little shorter that time. The driver pulled over to the side of the shelter, stopping the bike and turning it off. He pulled off his helmet and growled lightly when his mind wouldn't get the fucking thought of Fay out of his fucking head! Dammit!

"Is something wrong Kuro-min?" Fay said as he removed his helmet. He had heard the human growling and wondered if it had had anything to with him.

"No." The student declined flatly, dismounting his motorcycle and pulling out his backpack after Fay had removed himself from the bike.

"Tch... let's go inside already..." He grumbled lowly, not wanting to look at Fay at the moment.

"Kuro-myu doesn't sound fine." Frowning he decided not to push the issue and followed Kurogane inside, closing the door behind him.

"Today was fun Kuro-minta, didn't you think?" Fay asked as he slipped off his shoes, one hand against the wall as he balanced on one leg. He shifted and almost fell as he removed his other shoe, stumbling a bit forward as he did. Kurogane's hand shot out to catch him, pulling him back up in an upward position.

"Oi! Be careful idiot! You'll reopen wounds!" He scolded, irritated further. He took off his own shoes and tossed his bag to the couch, not wanting to do the homework. He then looked at the blonde, making sure he didn't do anything else to suggest harmfulness.

"Is Kuro-puu worried about me?" Fay smiled as he followed Kurogane further into the house. The other grunted, turning and walking to where his backpack was.

"Tch, no. I just don't want to waste more of my medicine on you because you were an idiot. That stuff's not cheap you know!" He plopped down next to his backpack, shoving it off onto the floor. Fay moved to sit beside Kurogane, careful as not to step on the other's backpack.

"Kuro-myu, I had fun today even if I didn't get to go with you to class." Fay placed his hands in his lap thinking of their time in the library.

"Did Kuro-study have fun?" The other paused and looked at the blonde, contemplating an answer. He grunted turning his head back to face forward.

"Damn blonde..." Which meant yes. He leaned forward and grabbed a book from his coffee table and opened it.

"......" He looked back over to the alien.

"...how are you wounds?" He had become curious since the earlier mention of them.

"They feel better, but now that they're healing my skin's itchy, but other than that it's no worse than a sunburn." Fay had ignored the sensation all day, not wanting to disturb the bandages.

"Kuro-sama's adorable when he worries, even if it doesn't show that he really is."

"Quit saying cute crap like that; it's revolting." Kurogane shot back, followed by a glare. He sighed, rubbing his temple. It wasn't his fault the blonde was on his mind all day, it was the blonde's!

"But it's true!" Fay leaned against Kurogane, a hand on his shoulder as he locked eyes with the taller man.

"There's just no denying it." His other hand poked the human's forehead to emphasize his point.

"You're annoying, and there's no denying _that_." The taller growled, pulling away from Fay, though he couldn't look away.

"I'm not that bad am I Kuro-rinta?" Fay smiled warmly even after Kurogane shrugged his hand away.

"Yes." He answered flatly, glowering a little more before turning back to his book, not caring that the other was still on him. He blushed slightly, his eyes on the book and words but his mind on the one next to him. Fay chuckled, as he leaned closer to Kurogane to look at the book the other was holding, all the while not paying attention to how he was still touching the other man.

Fay's balance was lost from him absentmindedly not caring about distributing weight, and therefore landed in Kurogane's lap. The other squawked indignantly out of surprise, his hands rising above the other.

"I-idiot!"

"Sorry about that Kuro-san, I guess I am clumsy." Fay smiled sheepishly from his current position to cover the blush threatening to cover his cheeks. The student was having no such luck, blush covering from ear to ear. He growled and grabbed a hold of Fay's shoulder, pulling him off.

"Moron! When something like that happens you don't just sit there and smile stupidly!"

"I didn't want to make any sudden moves in case you wanted to attack." He could barely contain his laughter as he was pulled up by Kurogane. The other pointed furiously at Fay.

"Shut up you! Why the hell would I attack you?!" He barked angrily, not hearing a knock on the door.

"Kuro-wankoro's bark is far worse than his bite it seems." Fay's teasing stopped abruptly as he heard a knock at the door. Kurogane was about to retaliate, but realized Fay's alertness and closed his mouth.

"What is it?" He asked peevishly. His question was answered by another, harsher knock. Kurogane growled and looked out the window, cursing lightly when he saw his visitors. He turned to Fay.

"You. Go to the bedroom. Don't come out if you value your life." He ordered, his tone putting all joking aside. No matter whom you were, Kurogane would not disagree with trying to protect someone from something as horrible as what the authorities could do. Fay immediately felt the once pleasant atmosphere of the house draining away and becoming too serious. With Kurogane's demand, Fay hurried to the bedroom, trying not to make too much noise as he did. The blonde turned as he entered the room, closing the door as quietly as possibly and held his breath, hoping it wasn't anything to serious and wished for Kurogane to be safe.

His sharp hearing allowed him to listen to Kurogane sigh in relief when Fay obeyed, and then him getting up to open the door.

"What the hell do you want?" Kurogane asked gruffly, sounding totally pissed. Fay heard a flap of paper.

"We have a warrant to search your house, Mr. Suwa. May we come in?" The officer said pleasantly. Kurogane's voice rumbled low and dangerously in his throat, but the alien could hear feet shuffling aside and more enter the house.

"Where's your girlfriend, Mr. Suwa?"

"She's... she's in the bedroom. Leave her alone. She's busy." Kurogane commanded vehemently, making Fay's heart flutter at the fact he was doing everything he could to protect him.

"I'd like to speak to her."

"I said she's busy, dammit." More shuffling of feet.

"I'm afraid you have no choice in the manner, Mr. Suwa." Fay backed away from the door, panicking as to what he should do, he could try to transform into a girl, but something like that might not be quick enough. Scanning the room for anything, Fay went into the closet as he threw off his shirt. Seeing one of Kurogane's he slipped it over his head. Hopefully the baggy shirt would hide the fact he had no cleavage, whereas his own shirt would leave nothing to the imagination.

The door opened then, and who entered was a dark haired man with small round glasses. He was smiling faintly, but it vanished when he saw Fay. A light blush spread across his cheeks when he saw the blonde, his eyes traveling up and down the lithe body hidden by Kurogane's clothing. He regained his smile and bowed slightly.

"Ma'am, if you'd join us in the living room..." Fay was startled as the bedroom door was opened and upon seeing the slightly taller man he felt uneasy, especially with the way his eyes roamed over his body. His eyes looked passed the officer, trying to see a sign of Kurogane. Finding none, Fay ventured slowly out, the officer stepping to the side to allow the blonde to exit the room. He hoped that once they started to question him his voice would be able to pass as female.

The other two were looking about the living room, both with dark hair and looking similar. One somewhat resembled Kurogane, with his spiky hair, but oddly shaped glasses made them different completely. Kurogane was obviously not amused, folded arms and glowering in the corner as he watched them nitpick his room. His red eyes glanced over to Fay, noticing his shirt on the smaller.

Fay smiled nervously as he approached Kurogane, seeking the other man as the three strangers surveyed and inspected every inch of the room. In any other circumstance Fay would have blushed at standing so close to Kurogane, but now he was just happy the human was there. Kurogane would've normally pushed Fay away from standing so close, but instead he moved closer, almost to where their bodies were touching. His ruby orbs surveyed the men as they all stopped and turned to the 'couple'.

The other two who hadn't seen Fay flinched, seeing his abnormal beauty, but quickly regained themselves with an identical smile. The one who had retrieved the blonde gestured to the couch.

"Shall we sit and chat?" Fay looked up at Kurogane, trying to see what he should do, still not trusting himself to speak or the other men in the room. Kurogane placed a hand on Fay's back gently before walking over to the couch. Fay felt a faint blush creeping along his cheeks at the gesture but followed him closely anyway. The three men took seats on the other chairs in the room, one bringing a stool in from the kitchen. Kurogane sat back in the couch, knowing this would take a while.

As both men sat down, Fay was happy to have Kurogane so close to him, especially with the leers from the policemen. Slowly he crossed his legs and placed his hands on his lap waiting for the men to continue. The one with the longest hair, the one had called Fay, smiled and folded his hands in his lap as well.

"I'm Kyle Rondart; this is Fuuma Monou and Seishirou Sakurazuka, my partners. May we have your name, miss?" Kurogane growled lowly.

"She's Yuui Celes." Kyle's eyes narrowed at Kurogane, but the smile did not falter.

"Can she not speak for herself, Mr. Suwa?"

"Ah, it's perfectly alright." Fay spoke quietly, placing a hand on Kurogane's arm in a comforting manner. Kurogane looked at Fay for a moment, then to the men. Kyle smiled wider and sat up straighter, his eyes falling on the hand that was on Kurogane's arm.

"I see you have a bandage on your wrist... where did you get that from, Ms. Celes?"

"Kuro-san keeps telling me I'm clumsy and for once he was right." Fay smiled trying to seem as innocent as possible.

"He also warned me about his motorcycle, but I wasn't paying attention." The one named Fuuma let his expression falter slightly, catching the nickname. Kyle blinked and sighed, hearing that Kurogane was telling the supposed truth about 'her' injuries. He pushed his glasses further up his nose with his finger.

"Have you sustained any other injuries, ma'am?"

"Nothing too serious…" Fay paused thinking.

"…a few bruises." He saw the other men trying to find fault with his story.

"And you, Mr. Suwa, were you with Ms. Celes when she had her... accident?" Kurogane glowered at the one who asked him a question, Seishirou.

"I was asleep. She was coming home from the market." Kyle looked at Seishirou and nodded.

"I see. What exactly happened to make you crash, Ms. Celes?"

"As I said before, I was being careless and fell once I had gotten home; luckily I wasn't hurt too bad and could walk inside." Subconsciously Fay's hand tightened around Kurogane's arm under the gaze of the policemen.

"I called for Kuro-sama, he woke up and helped take care of my wrist."

"You mentioned before it was a motorcycle 'accident' that had caused her wound, Mr. Suwa." Kyle said, sitting back in his seat as if he smugly called him guilty. Kurogane just stared.

"She fell getting off." He said, looking down to Fay.

"Kuro-kun's always yelling at me for not paying attention." He smiled sheepishly, hoping the others would buy his act. Kyle paused for a moment before looking at Fuuma. That man smiled back and leaned forward on the stool.

"Did either of you feel or hear an earthquake about two days ago? Coming from the west?" Kurogane snorted.

"The hell I did. I answered that question the first time you dickwads came." Fuuma continued to smile.

"And you said you didn't go investigate?"

"Yeah, I stayed here and worked on my freaking class work." He grumbled lowly, the hate for school was no lie.

"Did something bad happen? Kuro-rin and I were busy here so we didn't look into it." Fay looked worriedly up at Kurogane. He had hoped these men would have left sooner and after he was having such a good time with Kurogane too. Surely they couldn't have that many questions to ask. Kurogane simply kept his arms folded, glaring at the head man. Kyle smiled back.

"Nothing too serious, something that isn't important enough to worry about. What exactly were you two busy with that you couldn't go and check it out?"

"Wasn't interested." Kurogane shot back immediately. Fuuma raised an eyebrow.

"Come now, surely something was keeping you from-"

"Fine. We were fucking, happy?" Kurogane spat, obviously wanting these three gone. All three men blinked at Kurogane's words, not knowing how to respond to that. Though Seishirou gave a lecherous smirk and Fuuma smiled in kind manner. Kyle simply stared wide eyed at Fay.

"K-Kuro-tan!" Fay knew he was blushing furiously, bringing his hands up to cover his face as he leaned against Kurogane, trying to further cover himself. Of all the things Kurogane could have said, why would he choose that? Fay felt dizzy at the mental image and tried to hide himself away further in Kurogane's side.

"Tch, these guys wanted an answer, blame them." Kurogane said to Fay, trying his hardest to keep himself from blushing too. Gods, he didn't know what to say! It was that stupid persistent one, not him!

"But Kuro-san shouldn't go around telling people about that." Fay tried to take deep breaths, trying to calm his quickly beating heart. Kyle coughed, obviously ruffled by Kurogane's blunt words.

"Y-yes, I-I see..." He said slowly, fixing his glasses again nervously. The alien lowered his hands momentarily to gauge Kurogane's, as well as the officers, reactions. Seeing Kyle almost as embarrassed as he felt made it a little better, but as he looked at the other two he couldn't help but think they were imagining him like that. Fay frowned and leaned against Kurogane, not feeling comfortable at all anymore in the strangers' presence.

Kurogane caught onto the vibe, glancing down to see his houseguest before looking back to Kyle.

"Now, if you're done, I'd appreciate you asswipes to get the hell out of my house." He commanded coldly, watching as Kyle jerked to his harsh tone. They all exchanged a smile and stood, Kyle still blushing.

"Y-yes, yes, of course. Thank you for your time." He said. Kurogane then stood, holding his hand out to Fay to help him up. When the three men were out the door and Kurogane had slammed it rather loudly, Fay's hearing for once made him wish he was deaf:

"Well, I guess they're out of the question..."

"Only you would say that Kyle... Tell you one thing; that Kurogane fellow certainly has a nice piece of beauty to fuck.... I wouldn't mind filling that roll...."

"Seishirou you're disgusting." That Kyle guy stammered. Fuuma laughed.

"Oh come on, you know she was pretty hot." that was the last thing heard before doors closed and a car started and drove off. Fay covered his face with one hand as he listened to the officers' conversation. He didn't truly look that much like a woman, did he? He looked over at Kurogane briefly before closing his eyes in another attempt to calm himself down.

Kurogane looked at Fay and blushed, rubbing the back of his head. He guessed things would be pretty awkward from now on.

"O-oi... I only said that because I didn't want them to find out who you are..." He stammered, turning away.

"It seemed as though those other men agreed, apparently I'm a very attractive woman." Fay didn't really know why, but he felt almost angry. Maybe it was because he felt Kurogane's words as some sort of rejection? The blonde shook his head at the idea; Kurogane wasn't the type to not tell people how he felt about them to their face regardless of the outcome.

The other looked down at his feet, blushing deeper as the memory came back. He put his hand over his face and sighed; he was never going to live that down, not even to himself. He recovered in physical appearance, walking over to the couch and sitting down. He picked up a book and flipped through it, occasionally flashing a look up to Fay. Just as awkwardly as Kurogane, the lithe man moved back towards the couch taking a seat next to the other man.

"Does Kuro-min not like me then?" Fay couldn't bring himself to look the human in the eye. He idly looked anywhere but the man in question. His mind kept going back to the officers and his blush was back full force. Kurogane set the book in his lap, looking over to Fay in a nervous way. He paused, trying to think of the right words before sighing.

"Blondie... there are things you do that frustrate me, but I couldn't bring myself to dislike you. there are things you do that confuse me, but I can't dislike you..." He said awkwardly, looking back down to the book with mirrored blush.

"What do you mean then?" Fay turned to look at Kurogane who was blushing just as much as he was. He felt his heart race and off handedly wondered if it was healthy for his heart to go to such highs so often, but as he awaited Kurogane's answer he couldn't bring himself to care. The student looked at Fay with narrowed eyes.

"Hell, what else do you expect me to say?" He said defensively, gripping his fists tight on his knees. He couldn't be asking for something they both subconsciously wanted... could he?

"I...I like Kuro-tan." Fay turned his face away as he spoke, his mouth went dry and his throat tightened. He truly did feel feverish as he clutched the fabric of his pant legs tightly in anticipation. It seemed like an eternity after he had spoken and fearing the worst glanced over at Kurogane. The red eyes were wide as he stared at Fay, mouth hanging open slightly. His expression softened for a moment before he leaned down. He placed a hand on Fay's cheek, touching their lips together after saying;

"I... I like Fay too..."

Fay tensed from pure shock as Kurogane leaned close to him and once their lips had met the alien had truly thought for a moment he was going to die.

"Kuro-chii..." He whispered breathlessly after they parted. With half lidded eyes as he stared into Kurogane's eyes. The taller stared back, truly at a loss for what to do. Why the HELL did he just DO that DAMMIT!? He would have to mutilate himself for that later, at least mentally.

"...."Fay looked up at Kurogane when the other didn't reply. Fay moved back, a sense of dread washing over him as he really looked at Kurogane.

"I-I'm sorry." Fay moved quickly back and stood, walking briskly to the bedroom. Once inside he locked the door and moved to sit at the foot of the bed, his head clutched in his hands as his elbows dug into his thighs. He was confused, more so than he had ever been before and now he didn't know what to do, the look Kurogane had given him had made his stomach drop. Fay sat wondering what he should do.

The little alien heard the taller curse lightly before standing. He heard fast steps walking to the bedroom.

"Oi! Open up!" The human commanded, placing his hand on the door frame.

"I apologized, I didn't mean to make you do anything." The blonde said dejectedly from his spot on the bed. He didn't move to open the door, hoping the other would just leave him alone and cool off without having to yell at him.

"I said open the FUCKING DOOR, BLONDIE." Kurogane raised his voice, getting agitated easily. Stupid emotions.

Fay drew his knees up to his chest, willing himself not to get upset. Kurogane was probably going to be furious at him once he stepped foot inside the room, so instead of opening the door Fay sat quietly hoping Kurogane would give up and let him be. Said man growled again, this time leaning against the door.

"If you don't open it up, I'll break it down, it's your choice. Either you let me in, or you make me destroy my door that'll cause more hassle than necessary." He hissed, trying to keep his voice even.

"I told you I was sorry, what more do you want?!" Fay was surprised at himself for yelling back. It only caused him to clutch his legs to himself harder. Kurogane must really hate him now, if the human was threatening to break his own door down. Biting his lip, Fay didn't utter another word and rested his face against his knees.

"I want to look you in the eye and tell you something, Moron!" He heard suddenly, the voice somewhat wavering.

"I...I don't want to hear it." Fay knew, he knew Kurogane was going to force him to leave. Silently Fay cursed himself for getting so attached, he had never really meant for it to happen, but there was just something about the other man that stirred something within him. He rubbed his face furiously, so as to try and not cry, with so many things happening at once Fay was overwhelmed.

The taller paused and sighed, folding his arms and leaning against the wall across from the door. He decided it was better to wait than to yell, for once. He could certainly use this time to find his own feelings out. He had meant what he said, true, but to what extent did he like him? He just didn't know.

Not hearing another protest Fay turned his gaze towards the door. Perhaps Kurogane had left? No, Fay knew he would have heard the other man walk off if he had. Then what was the other man waiting for? Fay set his legs back on the floor and waited for a few seconds to see if the door would suddenly fall down. When it didn't look likely Fay thought that maybe Kurogane had calmed down. Slowly and cautiously Fay stood, but not before wiping at his eyes again just in case.

Carefully he unlocked the door and opened it a few inches to peek outside. He held back a startled gasp as he saw Kurogane leaning against the opposite wall. Said man opened his eyes slowly, glowering slightly at the smaller. This time his eyes weren't filled with hate or anger... but something else... something else that Fay couldn't look away from. Kurogane stood straight, letting his folded arms untangle and drop to his sides. He then walked slowly over to Fay, opening up the door all the way so the alien couldn't get away.

"Willing to listen now?"

"I...yes." There was no point in arguing with the man, he couldn't get away from him even if he wanted to. Fay moved back to his former seat on the bed, gaze downcast as he waited for Kurogane to speak. The student turned and closed the door, then facing Fay, he walked over and sat next to him.

"Oi, look at me." He said in a gruff manner, though not forcefully. Fay's hands fisted the cover underneath him as he slowly lifted his head and met Kurogane's gaze. Biting his lower lip he waited for Kurogane to finish. The human's jaw clenched before he sighed, looking at the blonde.

"If there's one thing you shouldn't ever run from..." He paused, closing his eyes in self-disgust for just how stupid it sounded to him before he continued, opening his eyes again. "...it's me."

"I don't understand." Fay spoke faintly, his eyes moving away from Kurogane's own. He had no idea what the other was trying to do; he was completely confused by the human's actions. Kurogane placed a finger under Fay's chin and made the smaller face him again.

"Don't look away. Don't apologize. Don't feel bad for feeling the way you do when you do something important. I want you to be yourself, and not hide behind a smile. I don't want you to be scared when with me. I don't want you to run away from me." Kurogane explained in a determined way. It was slowly becoming clear why so many people admired him.

"What are you trying to say?" Fay could feel the familiar warmth burning across his cheeks, especially with Kurogane touching him so gently. His head swarmed with a thousand possible ideas as to what the other man was thinking, but he still didn't know what the other man was planning. Kurogane felt slightly embarrassed, but to hell with that, he had already said so much and kissed the man, why not screw himself over some more?

"I'm not mad at you. I like you because you're you. I want to know more about Fay. I want to be with Fay more. I don't care that you're from a different planet or that you annoy the fuck out of me sometimes, that just makes you 'you'." He furrowed his brow.

"I'm not someone who'll dislike you because you did something you wanted to do." He paused for a moment, then spoke again.

"And I was the one who kissed you, so the apology wasn't necessary. Idiot."

"So Kuro-tan's not angry?" Fay smiled warmly as he felt his previous fears wash away. It was a weight off his shoulders to know that Kurogane didn't hate him.

"I'm still confused...what does this mean for us then?" Kurogane grunted and removed his hand from Fay's chin, leaning back onto his elbows.

"Hell if I know. I've never been in this situation before..." He blinked then looked over to the lamp, blushing a little.

"What do you want it to mean?"

"Kuro-san's the first person I've ever felt this way for before. Usually it's the other way around for me." Fay thought back on various suitors and callers of both genders trying to woo him, but to no effect, or at least not to the extent Kurogane had enraptured him.

"I enjoyed Kuro-rinta's kiss though. I know that for sure." Fay couldn't believe some of the things he was saying, it was completely out of character for him, but again his odd behavior seemed to stem from Kurogane. Said man blushed some more and continued to look away, trying to think of something to say.

"So...we're stuck..." Fay looked down beside him at the human with a confused expression, not understanding what he meant. Kurogane looked up and blinked, seeing the look.

"Neither of us knows what to do... we're stuck between friends and..." He looked away, shuffling his feet on the ground somewhat.

"...More than friends..." Fay blushed even further and couldn't believe what he was about to do. After all they only needed the smallest of pushes in one direction or the other. So with a deep breath Fay shifted on the bed to move closer to Kurogane's side. It only took a moment before he leaned in a placed a soft kiss against the other man's cheek. Fay rose just as quickly, not knowing what he was supposed to do now.

Kurogane's eyes opened wide and he looked up to Fay, then he blinked. A small chuckle elicited from his throat as his hand came up to pull the blonde back down.

"You and your stupid cute crap..." He muttered, planting another kiss against pale lips. Feeling his eyes close Fay didn't care as he applied pressure to the kiss. He was admittedly a bit clumsy at it having only done so a few times before. Kurogane was no expert either, but he had a little more knowledge in this field than the other. Their kiss lasted for a while, until they had to part for air.

"Kuro-sama...is a good kisser." Fay said breathlessly as he lay on the bed beside Kurogane. Thin fingers deftly traced over his lips, mesmerized by the feel of Kurogane's lips that had just seconds ago been on his own. The taller raised an eyebrow, smirking at the other's comment. He had never had the chance to pride himself in that. He was about to say something when once again, a knock came to the entrance door. Kurogane growled lowly, not moving for a moment.

"Dammit... who the hell is knocking this time?!" He said angrily, standing. Lifting himself on his elbows Fay stared at the door, wondering who could have possibly interrupted them. He could almost feel an anger similar to Kurogane's coming over him, but with what he had just experienced it was hard to get angry over anything at the moment.

Kurogane went to answer the door, and a loud thud followed by both a squeal and a surprised squawk could be heard.

"Kurogane-kun! I've missed you!"

"What the hell?! Tomoyo! Get the hell off of me!!" Startled, Fay nearly jumped out of his skin. He quickly scrambled for the door, wondering if Kurogane was alright. Though when he got close to the front door, he saw Kurogane sprawled out on the floor with a young woman over him.

This person had long black hair that splayed over everything in the smoothest manner and her purple eyes were looking at the human. Said human sat up, making the girl droop off him to be sitting in his lap, her arms still wrapped around his neck.

"Oi! What did I say?! Get off, twerp!" The girl pouted cutely, looking at the supposed older.

"That's not very nice to say!" Kurogane grunted in reply and pulled her off before standing.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tomoyo smiled and was about to reply when her eyes landed on Fay. She blinked then smiled.

"Who's that, Kurogane-kun?"

"I'm Fay." The alien smiled in greeting, not knowing what to make of the girl. Her body being so close to Kurogane, and the fact the human had called her by name kind of hurt in his chest, though he knew not why. Kurogane then grabbed the back of her shirt, lifting her up on her feet.

"You're such a troublesome child." He spat, though he didn't sound as annoyed as usual. He then looked over to Fay and blushed again, before looking away. Tomoyo caught this, for she sneered evilly. "Ohhoho! What's this? Has Kurogane-kun finally been bitten by the love bug?!"

"Love bug?" Fay didn't understand the phrase. So instead Fay smiled sheepishly towards Tomoyo, not knowing what to do.

"I suppose you could say that." He hoped it was a good answer; he should really have Kurogane teach him some of the phrases here. Tomoyo squealed and Kurogane glared over to him before the little girl tackled him again.

"Aww!! My cousin has finally found him a lover!!" Kurogane snarled, but blushed deeply at the same time.

"Get the hell off me Tomoyo!!" He barked, tugging at her arms. Fay was taken aback at Tomoyo's words, he hadn't meant for her to think that. Turning to the side Fay blushed furiously, Kurogane would probably scold him for it later. The tallest in the room managed to pull off his relation, picking her up and tossing her to sit on the couch, which she squealed happily about. Tomoyo then looked at Fay.

"You're so gorgeous; it's no wonder Kurogane-kun likes you!"

"Tomoyo listen." Kurogane said harshly, sitting down opposite of her on the coffee table. She looked at him, blinking.

"That guy is not from here, so when you say certain stuff, it confuses him. Don't use so much slang or the idiot won't get it." Tomoyo blinked again before blushing.

"Fay-san's a guy!?"

"Don't worry about it Tomoyo, it seems a lot of people seem to think I'm a woman." The blonde waved away her apology as he moved closer to the two relatives.

"Still, I'm very sorry..." She then smiled and looked to Kurogane.

"You said he's not from around here?" He nodded. She smiled wider and turned her purple eyes on Fay.

"Where exactly are you from? Osaka, Tokyo...?"

"Uhm...you see I'm from..." Fay looked to Kurogane for help, he was beginning to panic a little. The next time he and Kurogane were alone they would have to think of some kind of a story for him.

"Italy." Kurogane said bluntly, looking up to Fay.

"He's been studying Japanese and came here because he wants to become a cook." He continued, folding his arms. Tomoyo squealed happily, clapping her hands together. "Italy?! How exciting! I've heard their dishes are weird, but still very good!"

"Ah, yes, maybe I could prepare something for Tomoyo one day?" Fay sighed mentally in relief, he'd have to thank Kurogane for yet another quick save.

"Oh yes, you must! Let me guess; Kurogane-kun hasn't let you cook for him yet?" She said, cocking an eyebrow before looking at Kurogane, who flushed.

"Kuro-min doesn't think I would do a good job, but he's been kind enough to cook." Tomoyo really was a kind girl, Fay wondered how someone with Kurogane's disposition could possibly be related to the girl. Tomoyo's eyes glinted evilly.

"I see.... kind enough, eh?" Kurogane sat up straighter, not liking the look in her eye. The girl simply smiled, standing.

"Well then, would Kurogane-kun... or what did you call him? 'Kuro-min' cook for us?" She giggled, seeing Kurogane stand up abruptly.

"Don't call me such idiotic names! The both of you!" He spat. Fay felt himself relaxing as he took a seat beside Kurogane.

"Kuro-kun is very sweet, he even made me breakfast in bed." Fay said as he remembered the soup Kurogane had given him the day after his crash. As Tomoyo broke out into laughter, Fay knew he had found a sort of partner in crime with her. Though as he turned to gauge Kurogane's reaction, he hoped the other man wouldn't be too mad.

Kurogane, of course, was fuming. He pointed to the door, closing his eyes in concealed rage.

"Out. Both of you." He commanded vehemently, but Tomoyo simply laughed more before hugging her cousin.

"Oh, Kurogane-kun, don't be so harsh!"

"Kuro-chu should know by now when he's being innocently teased." Fay laughed as the taller man was hugged by his smaller cousin. Kurogane blushed and looked over to Fay.

"...Tch, you're both troublesome." He said before sitting Tomoyo down and going to the kitchen. Tomoyo smiled at Fay when he left.

"He's a really good cook, too, so it didn't surprise me when you told me he cooked for you. He used to make me supper all the time when we lived together."

"Kuro-myu's not told me a lot about his past aside from showing me a few pictures." Fay smiled as he thought back to pictures of a much younger Kurogane. He also imagined a Kurogane taking care of a smaller Tomoyo and thinking how cute the other man must have been.

"Hmm? Does Fay-san want to know more about Kurogane-kun?" She said sweetly, leaning back in the couch and looking at him with curiosity-filled eyes.

"Because I know EVERYTHING about Kurogane-kun! ohohoho!"

"Oh, please! I've only seen pictures of Kuro-chan climbing trees and a baby picture." Fay leaned forward waiting anxiously to hear what the girl had to say. Tomoyo leaned toward him with an all knowing smile.

"What would you like to hear?" She questioned.

"There's so may things I'm curious about, but anything would be good...perhaps something I could tease him about? Did he sleep with a stuffed animal or maybe he was afraid of the dark?" Fay was starry eyed as he imagined how incredibly cute Kurogane would have been. Tomoyo hummed, folding her arms in a Kurogane fashion while looking up to the ceiling in thought.

"Well.... let's see now... He respected his father and adored his mother... I was always with him it seemed... he wasn't afraid of the dark...." She smiled.

"But he was afraid of monsters..."

"Ah, how cute Kuro-kun must have been very brave then." Smiling warmly he could clearly see a young Kurogane trying to fight off scary monsters. Tomoyo giggled.

"Yes... he was brave... oh! One time, the two of us were walking on the cliffs by Tokyo, we should take you there later, and we looked out to the ocean. I had wandered out too far and slipping on the rocks, almost falling. But Kurogane-kun caught hold of me and pulled me back up to safety. He had to skid across the rocks, so he ended up with a nasty gash on his knee." She sighed in dreamy memories.

"He scolded me for a week."

"Kuro-pipi acts like he doesn't care, but he's really a big softie." Fay chuckled, resting his chin on his upturned hand as he looked at Tomoyo. Her smile turned sad as she looked down.

"Yes, this is true... he only acts that way because he knows so many people that have been used just because they were kind. He doesn't want to end up like them..." She then smiled wider.

"Has he done anything extravagant for you yet, Fay-san?"

"Not really, he took me into town for clothes and to his school which was fun." Fay wondered who 'they' were, but it felt like a very personal matter so he let it drop for now, maybe he could bring it up to Kurogane. Perhaps the girl was referring to people Kurogane knew in general…

"Oh? Did he buy you clothing?" She asked with sparkles in her eyes. She seemed really fascinated by the mere mention of fabric.

"Yes, he couldn't find any of his clothes that would fit me." Fay laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

"I keep trying to pay Kuro-san back, but he won't let me do anything."

"Oh! That's so adorable!" She giggled, standing suddenly.

"Would Fay-san show me his clothing!?" She asked eagerly, taking his hands in hers.

"I guess, but I don't see why Tomoyo would want to see that." Fay stumbled a bit as he was pulled up from the couch and into the bedroom. Tomoyo released him and waited for him to take out his clothes. He still hadn't had the time to properly put them up so he took them out of their bags and set them out on the bed. He glanced down and noticed his red shirt laying on the floor from earlier and picked it up adding it to the pile. Tomoyo hummed, pulling out a blue shirt and then looking to Fay.

"hmmm... I see... yes... hmmm... did Kurogane-kun help you pick some of these out?" She asked, eyes not leaving a pair of white pants.

"Yes, I didn't really know what to get." Fay said as he watched the girl examine his clothes with a serious look. He had honestly thought they were nice, but with the thoughtful look on Tomoyo's face he wasn't so sure anymore. She broke out into another smile.

"Seems like I've rubbed off on Kurogane-kun; he picked all the ones that would flatter your figure." She giggled again.

"Or maybe he wants to see as much of Fay-san as possible?"

"I-I wouldn't go as far to say that." Fay blushed and looked away from the girl. Images of the past few days and especially of the past few hours caused him to blush even more. It seemed that everyone thought they were a couple. Fay realized that it might not be so far from the truth after all, which didn't help his heated face or the knowing look his received from Tomoyo. She smiled softly, placing a hand on Fay's arm.

"Don't be so modest, Fay-san. Kurogane-kun is very humble but very gruff, a tsundere. He wouldn't have let you stay if he didn't like you." She turned back to the clothing.

"I know Fay-san's a good person if Kurogane-kun likes him so much." She smiled evilly.

"Just how far have you two gone?"

"How far have we gone?" Even though Fay didn't understand what exactly it was Tomoyo was referring to, the tone the girl said it with made shivers run down his spine and his heart to start beating rapidly against his ribs.

"You know, in your relationship..." She scooted forward a bit.

"How deep is your relation? How close have you two come?"

"Ah, I'm not sure Kuro-rin would like me to say anything." He smiled nervously not knowing how to answer. Tomoyo's words made him curious as to what exactly their relationship was now, especially with current revelations. She pouted and sighed, looking disappointed.

"Ah, I see... I'll just have to pry it out of Kurogane-kun later." She regained her smile and looked at the clothing.

"Fay-san, there's something I'd like to say to you." She said, almost saying exactly what Kurogane had said earlier, but nicer.

"What is it Tomoyo?" Fay was ready for anything, especially when the girl seemed to do a complete 180 on him. She really did resemble Kurogane when she became serious. Her smile didn't fall or become sad, so it wasn't a bad thing. She looked at Fay then, her face holding only complete honesty.

"When you said Kurogane-kun wouldn't let you repay him, it's because he doesn't want you to trouble yourself over him..." Her words struck him and he smiled down at her.

"Kuro-kun should know that I wouldn't care to do something for him. I would never consider it to be troublesome...I should be the one thinking that instead, he's already done more than I can ever hope to pay him back for." Tomoyo shook her head, smiling wider at his words.

"Don't be worried that you are troublesome, Kurogane-kun might say you are, but the fact that he's even putting up with you is a good sign, trust me, I know for a fact that its a good sign." She giggled to herself, having been told more than once she was a nuisance.

"But Fay-san, if you really want to repay him..." She placed a hand on his cheek.

"Just smile."

"Tomoyo is a gentle person; it makes me wonder how someone as grumpy as Kuro-min can be related to you." Fay smiled all the same for her kind words. He wished he could be closer to Kurogane and show him how he wasn't troublesome, especially to Tomoyo. She giggled again.

"Some mysteries will never be solved." She said simply walking over to the door.

"Shall we go bother our lovely Kurogane-kun, Fay-san?"

"Sounds like a good plan Tomoyo." Fay offered his arm to the girl, who took it as they exited the bedroom and made their way towards the kitchen and Kurogane. When doing so, they both caught a whiff of a glorious smell that would put any other non-professional cook to shame. Kurogane was reaching for some bowls when he saw the two come in.

"Oi, it's about time." He scoffed, setting the bowls on the counter. Tomoyo skipped in, smelling the contents of the pot.

"Mm... you made my favorite..."

"What is it Kuro-pon?" Fay had to admit it smelled delicious as he stood beside Kurogane and Tomoyo. The taller man folded his arms.

"Soup." Tomoyo slapped his arm gently.

"Not soup, quit calling it that!" she looked at Fay and smiled.

"It's a special dish my dad taught us when he got back from America. It's called Stew. It's thicker than normal soup and with more veggies in it."

"Is Kuro-myu being modest? Does he not want me to now he's a good cook?" Fay said as he leaned against the counter smiling up at Kurogane, before glancing at Tomoyo and giving her a wink. Tomoyo giggled and Kurogane blushed a little, growling lowly.

"Sh-shut up! Let's just eat already!" He said, making Tomoyo take the bowl and serve them.

"Kuro-san's cute when he blushes, don't you think so Tomoyo?" Fay smiled brightly as thanked Tomoyo for the bowl she gave him. Taking a seat across from the girl, Fay took a tentative sip, not wanting to burn his tongue.

"Ooh, Kuro-rinta this is wonderful!" Fay held his spoon up in exclamation.

"Yes, Fay-san, it is." She said happily, setting her bowl on the table. Kurogane scoffed and looked away, leaning against the counter. Tomoyo smiled wider at the taller, knowing he was flattered. Fay and Tomoyo carried on a light conversation as they ate. The blonde found the girl delightful and wondered if she'd be paying more visits in the future despite her having interrupted them earlier.

"It's nice to have a conversation with someone who doesn't growl at you." Fay laughed as he gathered their finished dishes and set them in the sink.

"Kuro-wan doesn't like to talk so I usually end up talking at him instead." Tomoyo laughed.

"This is true, he stopped growling at everything I said when we lived together for three years, so it's not surprising he still growls at you." Kurogane huffed.

"You two. Stop talking about me like I'm not here."

"I can't imagine how angry Kuro-san would be if I were to live with him for so long." Fay laughed warm heartedly, as both of them ignored Kurogane.

"He'd probably throw me out because I called him cute too many times."

"Oi!" The gruff one barked, making Tomoyo look at him. "hmm? Did you say something, Kurogane-kun?" This made the taller growl, going into the other room.

"You two are so aggravating!" He spat on his way out, and Tomoyo giggled at this.

"Kuro-sama is very easy to read sometimes." The blonde could see how embarrassing his and Tomoyo's conversation was.

"But it just makes him more enduring." The dark haired girl nodded, standing on her tip toes to reach the top shelf.

"Yes... but other times you have no idea what he's thinking..."

"Yes." Fay nodded completely understanding Tomoyo's words.

"Shall we go see where he went off to?" Smiling he stood and waited for Tomoyo's answer.

"He's most likely trying to study, but failing." She said with a knowing smile. Sure enough, Kurogane was sitting on the couch with a foot up on the coffee table, staring uselessly at words on the pages.

"Tomoyo must be psychic." Fay with said girl beside him walked towards Kurogane.

"Would Kuro-wankoro like some help?" The other man looked up from his book and snorted.

"What help can you offer me? All you'll say is that this is prehistoric to you." Tomoyo blinked, looking curiously at Fay and then Kurogane.

"..."

"Ah, Kuro-tan, just because I know what I'm talking about doesn't make it 'prehistoric' to me." Fay smiled sheepishly at Kurogane's slip. Tomoyo simply looked between them confused. The taller stared at the blonde for a moment, then looked back to the book.

"Whatever." he said simply, realizing he was still the only one who knew Fay wasn't from this planet. Tomoyo, tilted her head to the side.

"Is Fay into mechanics too?"

"Y-yes, but not nearly as much as Kuro-san. I'm actually more interested in reading poetry than anything." Fay hoped Tomoyo would let it go and took a seat beside Kurogane. Tomoyo followed suit taking a seat to Kurogane's other side.

Tomoyo leaned on her cousin whilst smiling at Fay.

"Did Kuro-chi ever tell you he was into poetry?" Kurogane twitched, glaring at his relative with a don't-you-dare face. But it was too late, Fay had heard something so deliciously humiliating.

"Kuro-sama told me he didn't." Fay leaned forward looking over at Tomoyo.

"Tomoyo has to tell me all about it!" He supposed it would explain how Kurogane had known that line from the book. Fay could feel his heart beating faster as he thought of their time together in the library. The taller grunted.

"I wasn't 'into it'; I was forced to read a book by that Shakespeare guy in junior high." Tomoyo smiled wider.

"You said that it was your favorite."

"Only because you made me choose a favorite, twerp."

"I'm fond of Shakespeare as well, but Kuro-ruu made fun of me over it." The alien pouted as he looked up at Kurogane. Though mentally he found himself smiling at the thought of Kurogane being interested in the same things as he was.

"Maybe Kuro-heart is a closet romantic?"

"Would you let that die?"

"Oooo a closet romantic! Fay-san is great for coming up with names!"

"Oi! Don't agree with him!"

"But Kurogane-kun, you ARE a closet romantic! Hasn't he done anything sweet worth mentioning? You've bought him clothing! That's a good one!"

"That's because I didn't want him running around my house naked or using up all my clothes!"

"Ok, you cook for him when he knows how to cook!"

"I don't want to eat any of his weird ass dishes!" Tomoyo pouted, looking at Fay for some help.

"Kuro-chan shouldn't scold Tomoyo when she's just pointing out the truth." Fay smiled reassuringly to the girl before his smile widened cynically. Tomoyo giggled knowing the blonde was up to something.

"Kuro-rin just doesn't want to admit how incredibly cute and caring and just how wonderful he is." Fay hugged Kurogane from the side, Tomoyo following soon after both started laughing loudly as they continued listing off Kurogane's attributes and qualities. The taller twitched and tried to pull them both off, but to no avail.

"Oi, oi, oi! Get off o' me you two!" He spat, tugging at the smaller arms.

"Tomoyo! Why the hell did you even come here anyway?!" He asked suddenly, glaring at his cousin. She stopped laughing and looked up, confused for a moment. She then smiled widely.

"Oh yes, I remember. Mother and Father told me that Uncle and Auntie would be visiting sometime this week; work is being lenient." Kurogane froze.

"....What...."

"Kuro-ruu's parents are coming in?" Fay smiled until he saw Kurogane's expression. With their previous conversation it hadn't seemed as if the news would be a bad thing, but apparently there was more to it than he had been told. Kurogane looked down at Tomoyo.

"When did they tell you this? Did they give a specific time?" He asked sternly. Tomoyo removed herself from her cousin, placing her hands in her lap.

"They said possibly Friday, at the earliest. And... they told me yesterday. I couldn't come then because I was working with a model." She smiled at Fay.

"They'll like Fay-san, I'm sure." Kurogane growled and rubbed his temples.

"That's what I'm afraid of..." He hissed lowly, too low for Tomoyo to hear.

"Does Kuro-san not want people to like me?" Fay removed himself from Kurogane just as Tomoyo had, staring into the others eyes curiously.

"It's not that..." He said, rubbing his head awkwardly. Tomoyo caught onto what they were talking about and grinned.

"He's just afraid his mother will get attached and make Kurogane-kun keep you." she giggled, watching the spiky-haired man glare daggers back at her.

"Ah, I see..." That sinking feeling began to make itself known again.

"…So Kuro-pon doesn't want to keep me around or for people to get attached?" It sounded strange to him and Fay clasped his hands together resting them on his lap as he titled his head in confusion. The tallest there flinched slightly at the accusation, and looked to Fay. He had a weird gleam in his eye, as if to say 'that's not it at all' but he then looked away, folding his arms.

"You're annoying." He said gruffly, making

Tomoyo giggle more. "Kurogane-san, you're too kind."

"WHO'S KIND?!" He barked back, making the girl squeal and jump up to run away. Kurogane jumped up too, getting ready to chase her. Fay latched on to Kurogane's waist as the other man jumped up from the couch.

"Kuro-bully shouldn't go around trying to chase poor Tomoyo." The blonde admitted he was glad for the distraction as he tightened his hold as he sat half off the couch. Kurogane blushed slightly, looking down at the alien.

"O-oi! What're you doing?"

"Someone has to keep Tomoyo safe from danger." Fay could almost see the blush Kurogane was sporting from his seat and laughed lightly. Said man growled and grabbed Fay's arms tightly, tugging him off forcefully.

"Get off, Blondie!" He snapped, trying not to lose his balance between the short distance of the coffee table and the couch. One of his stature wasn't good in tight places.

"Kuro-sama, stop struggling." Fay flinched as Kurogane nearly fell forward so thinking quickly Fay pulled back not wanting the other man to hurt himself on the table. The taller still lost his balance, but in the opposite direction. He flipped over during the fall, as to not end up sitting on the blonde, and his hands landed on the back of the couch and the armrest. He grunted when his hands hit the sofa, obviously taken off guard by the entire situation.

"It looks like Kuro-san is the one who's clumsy." Fay laughed as Kurogane sat awkwardly on the couch. Kurogane tried to bolt upright but the blonde was clinging to him relentlessly made him stay atop, his face vibrant.

"S-Shut up you!" He said loudly, once again failing to sit up. They were close, so close... It was then that they heard chuckling.

"If you two wanted to be intimate, you could've just told me to leave earlier." Fay blushed furiously and his grip on Kurogane's shirt loosened. With blue eyes wide he looked over at Tomoyo who was currently smirking at them from across the table. Kurogane then took that chance to sit up on his knees, which were on either side of Fay now, and gape with wide eyes at his cousin.

"T-T-Tomoyo! We weren't-- I was--"

"It's alright, Kurogane-kun, I understand." She said simply, her hand against her cheek whilst the other cradled her elbow. She waved her hand at them in a shooing manner. "Please, do continue." Fay peeked over to see Tomoyo staring at them with almost a joyful glint in her eyes. He then moved to look with widened eyes at Kurogane who was currently straddling him. He gulped, not aware that his hands were still clutching the other man's shirt. Feeling almost dizzy Fay flushed scarlet. Kurogane continued to gape like an appalled fish, unable to come up with a witty comeback to Tomoyo's taunting laughter. He then looked down at Fay and blushed even more. In one swift movement, he was off the couch and off the blonde, standing next to the coffee table. Tomoyo whined suddenly.

"Aww, Kurogane-kun! It was just getting good!!"

"Shut up you."

"Tomoyo must be seeing things." Fay smiled sheepishly as he tried to will his blush away. Sitting up on the couch he couldn't bring himself to seek out Kurogane's gaze.

The girl placed her arms to the side and looked at the clock.

"Oh my, it's getting late anyway." She said, and looking to Fay she bowed.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Fay-san; we should meet up again soon!" She then turned to Kurogane and hugged him.

"And you! I'm glad you finally found someone you're happy with!" He squawked indignantly, but before he could toss her off she was headed for the door. As Tomoyo let herself out Fay sat silently on the couch for a few moments.

"Tomoyo is really... something." He didn't know what to say to about the girl after she had thought they were about to do that and had even wanted to watch. Though he did admit she was rather fun.

Kurogane had shut the door after saying quick goodbyes. He didn't move from the door, nor looked away from the handle until he could no longer hear Tomoyo's car driving off.

"She's... troublesome...."

"I didn't mean to make you fall; I was trying to keep you from falling actually." Fay hadn't known what to say, it seemed they were where they had left off before Tomoyo had stopped by. He shifted on the couch awkwardly, not sure what to do. Kurogane looked at the smaller in a sidelong glance, his blush still very apparent.

"Yeah, well... fell anyway..." He muttered turning toward the bedroom. He was emotionally exhausted. Today was the worst....and at the same time.... the best one he had ever had... He slapped himself mentally. Time for some shut eye in order to think straight. He was halfway across the living room when he felt a weight on his back.

Fay moved quickly and clutched the back of Kurogane's shirt tightly in both his hands. Resting his forehead against the broad back he didn't really know why he had done it. But where Kurogane was concerned he had found himself doing a lot of things he normally wouldn't have done.

"Kuro-sama..." He voice muffled as he spoke the other man's name softly. Kurogane felt his face flush, but his expression was serene.

"What are you doing, idiot?" He asked softly, almost gently.

"I'm tired and would Kuro-san stay again?" Fay spoke a little more clearly. He had also wanted to talk about before, what type of relationship it was they had now and what did it mean, but he felt drained and he had been unable to get the words out. With half lidded eyes he waited for Kurogane to answer.

The taller looked over his shoulder, slightly confused at first, but then he understood and sighed. He ran a hand through his hair.

"You'd have to let go for me to stay." He said quietly, looking forward with more blush.

"..." Fay kept silent as he smiled and released the other man. He felt his heart swell and warm at Kurogane's words. The other man looked over his shoulder again into Fay's blue orbs before continuing his trek to the bedroom, turning off the light in the hallway whilst doing so. As soon as he entered the bedroom, his shirt was flung to the hamper in the corner of the room.

Fay followed close behind once he entered the room he could barely make out Kurogane shrugging his shirt off by what little light that was given off through the window. Fay turned his head away as he became flustered. Deftly his hands unbuttoned his pants and slipped them off his long legs. With his discarded pants he gathered up the rest of his clothes that were still strewn about the bed and placed them back inside the closet.

Kurogane watched the other shuffle about, his eyes keen in the dark, more so than average. He blinked when he saw the blonde take off his pants. He had to turn away at that, unable to control his facial color.

"O-oi... which side do you want...?"

"Kuro-san can choose I'm not particular about it." Fay turned in the dark room, he face heating even more. The other stood silent, unable to think as he watched the other in the darkness. Hadn't he been pantless before? Why the hell was he so embarrassed by that now? He shook his head, walking over to the shorter.

"Get in then. We have an early day tomorrow. That is, if you're coming with me again...." He grumbled, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"I'd love to..." Fay moved the blanket and crawled into bed, sliding his legs against the cool sheets Fay shivered slightly as he waited for Kurogane.

"I really enjoyed spending time with Kuro-rin today." He smiled up at Kurogane, wondering if the other could see him at all in the darkness. The student stared at the smile before scoffing and crawling in with him.

"Tch, you always have fun." He said, still sitting up in bed. He stared forward, mind racing about what had happened during the day. He blushed and put a hand over his face when he realized he had already confessed. What the hell?! He had known him not even for three days!!

Fay had already laid down as Kurogane moved to sit on the bed. He looked up at Kurogane, a hand resting gently against his cheek as his mind swarmed with ideas. He had felt the urge to kiss the other man as before, but he would settle with being able to sleep beside him. Kurogane probably would leave if Fay had tried and as such the alien kept himself in check, not wanting to break the fragile moment. Kurogane looked down, placing a hand on the blonde tresses.

"What are you looking at? Go to sleep already." He ordered gently, not really wanting to lay down with the lithe man just yet. He felt if he did, he might something that he would never forgive himself for.

"Kuro-myu should go to sleep too, he's the one with class tomorrow after all." Fay felt himself leaning towards Kurogane's touch. Silently he lifted his hand that had been resting against his heated cheek and placed it over Kurogane's larger hand. The human blushed at this, but found that he couldn't look away.

"... I'm not that tired..." He murmured, though that wasn't true mentally. Physically he could do all sorts of things, but mentally he was fried.

"Then I can stay awake if you would like some company." Fay asked worriedly as he gazed up at Kurogane, his hand still over the tanned one. The other thought for a moment and decided against keeping the alien awake. He removed his hand and chose to lay down facing the blonde.

"I'd rather if you sleep." He said calmly, still staring at the other intensely. Fay reached forward across the small space between them and brushed Kurogane's bangs aside.

"I can always sleep while Kuro-pon's in class. So he shouldn't worry over me."

"Tch, I don't worry over anything." He said falsely, hand absentmindedly reaching up to grasp Fay's. He blinked, and for whatever reason that escaped him, he scooted forward and planted another kiss upon Fay's lips.

Fay's hand fell limp in Kurogane's grasp as he was kissed. He moved his other hand out to cup the taller man's cheek gently, his pale skin a stark contrast even in the darkened room. Kurogane closed his eyes as he felt the other's hand on his cheek. He was so beautiful in the dark of night, or rather all the time, he just couldn't enjoy it to his full potential staring at closed eyelids. He removed his hand clasping Fay's to snake it under the covers to grasp Fay's waist and to pull him closer.

A soft gasp left Fay's lips as he felt himself being grabbed and pulled closer. His nails dug into Kurogane's cheek, but only enough to cause a soft pressure. A small smile found his lips as he looked intently at Kurogane. With his other hand free Fay moved it to rest against Kurogane's head, his fingers deftly brushing through the dark hair.

Red eyes opened to meet blue as the kiss continued, staring at the azure with something Fay had never seen before in anyone's eyes. He felt the taller man's grip around him tighten. He parted from the blonde, but only to connect their lips again, this time a little more passionately.

Fay's hand in Kurogane's hair pushed the other man closer, applying even more pressure to their kiss. A low noise escaped his throat as he was kissed soundly. Kurogane moved one of his hands to the smaller man's shoulder blades, pressing their bodies closer. Had this been why every couple wanted to make out in front of everyone? If so, he could no longer blame them...

Fay honestly thought his heart would burst from his chest if Kurogane kept making him feel this way. He choked back another sound from escaping as he felt a hand move against his back, bringing him even closer to Kurogane until his was flush against the other. In turn his nails dug in a little more sharply against Kurogane. The taller growled lowly in his throat, the nails slightly annoying his skin.

He looked at the blonde cautiously as he parted his lips, taking a swipe with his tongue at the pale man's lips. Fay gasped sharply, his hand now fisted against Kurogane's head, not wanting to draw blood because of his nails. His other hand continued to rest against Kurogane's heated cheek.

Kurogane smirked slightly, liking the sounds that elicited from the blonde, before he once again licked the pale lips, this time slower. Fay felt a spark shoot down his spine as Kurogane licked his lips. A tidal wave of emotions washed over the blonde as he tried to press himself even closer to Kurogane. Instead the student pulled away slightly, enough for his mouth to move in speech.

"Oi... Blondie... open up..." He said lowly, kissing the other's mouth once more. Air filled his lungs once more before Fay nodded and complied as Kurogane brought his lips against his own for another kiss. With half lidded eyes he stared at Kurogane as he was held tightly in the other man's grasp.

Kurogane stared back, his tongue moving against the pale lips before pressing against them slightly. He tightened his grip around Fay's body, subconsciously wanting more of this deliciousness. Closing his eyes, Fay parted his lips. His hands unclenched and his arms moved to encircle Kurogane's neck as best they could. His fingers idly brushing through dark strands as his arm above Kurogane bent sharply to wrap around the human.

The other's tongue dipped into Fay's mouth to seek out the velvet one that awaited him. Kurogane shivered in delight, enraptured by the pure bliss the lithe man brought him. His touch elicited yet another noise from the blonde's throat as Fay wrapped his arms tighter around him. A shiver passed through his being once more as their kiss continued.

For the first time their tongues mingled, making Kurogane's eyes close all the way. He explored the smaller man's mouth, wanting to taste every nook and cranny of it. The other could feel his lips bruising from the force of the kiss, but tugged Kurogane closer. Gently, compared to the rest of him, Fay moved his leg to hook over Kurogane's hip to try and get as much contact with the other as possible. Fay's lungs burned pleasantly as he Kurogane continued to explore him.

Said man growled in approval, his arm that held the alien's back sliding down to the pale knee, hooking his hand there. Gods, the blonde was so sensual to touch and to taste, why he hadn't done this sooner he'd never know. He pulled away, gasping roughly for air before attacking the other's mouth once more. If he could do this all night long he would until morning was over and done with.

Fay was caught off guard by Kurogane breaking away from the kiss only to be disoriented as Kurogane came back to him with full force. He shifted against the other man as his leg was held tightly and moved even further toward Kurogane. The blonde's fingers clutched desperately at Kurogane's hair, all but trying to meld himself to the other.

The human tightened his grip around the other's waist, remembering almost too late that the alien was still healing. He moved his hand a little higher, as to not agitate the bandages. He shivered when their bodies were completely flushed, all the while their kisses becoming more developed. Fay inhaled sharply as Kurogane's hand moved from his bandaged side to rest higher up on his ribs. He shifted to accommodate the human as said man pressed further against him.

Kurogane felt like he could continue all night like this, but his mind was screaming at him to do otherwise. He parted for air, but this time he didn't come back for more. He sighed, kissing the blonde's forehead.

"We... we really need to sleep...." Fay's gulped down air filling his lungs with much needed air. His eyes closed briefly as Kurogane kissed his forehead gently.

"I take back what I said about Kuro-chan being a good kisser." The blonde looked down as his face heated at what they had just been doing.

"Kuro-rin is a great kisser." Kurogane blinked and blushed a little, chuckling quietly to himself.

"Right..." He sighed, looking down as well as he realized just how entangled their bodies were. He blushed deeper. Fay followed Kurogane's gaze and saw how they were still holding each other. The blonde blushed further as he realized his leg was still draped over Kurogane's hip. The taller removed his hand from the other's knee, but only to wrap it around the tiny waist once more to fold his hands together on the alien's back.

"That... that was one hell of a good night kiss...." Kurogane said, almost smugly. Fay smiled warmly, his fingers moving gently through Kurogane's hair. He laughed lightly, his smile brightening at the human's words.

"I have to agree with Kuro-san." Kurogane found himself smiling lightly at the one he held, and since they had been in the dark for a while, the blue eyes could clearly make it out as well. The taller couldn't find anything to say, but he felt like he didn't need to speak. Fay sighed and rested his forehead against Kurogane's collarbone. The adrenaline running through his veins began to leave him as he relaxed. He shifted once more to bring his arm to rest on Kurogane's. His eyes began to grow heavy with sleep, even as he thought how he hadn't been all that tired before.

Kurogane allowed his eyes to close and his head to rest against the soft pillow. He nuzzled the blonde hair faintly, sighing in its fragrance.

"Night, idiot."

"Goodnight, Kuro-myu." Fay sighed as he closed his eyes and relaxed in Kurogane's arms.


	4. I was going to run with you

**Disclaimer: **Like I've said dozens of time before, I don't own tsubasa. and neither does Tsubasa-fan.

Mirika-rin: wow. really sorry if this doesn't flow well XD I did a crappy job editing (like always) but oh well. forgot to mention in chapter two that I got ms word uploaded, so now you can yell at me for mistakes lol AHEM! anyway, Kurofay, yeah. more of it in this chapter, believe it or not.

Tomoyo get's introduced :'D and yes, LOTS of CLAMP characters will appear from here on out, some more so than others. some will, but won't be named (like shop owners and cashiers) and OC's will pop up here and there. :'D love me? -brick'd-

Ashine-chan: yet another long chapter and I'm sure we'll get some good reviews after this one XDD

Mirika-rin: oh ashine-chan X'DDD

* * *

The dark haired man stirred, feeling something shift against his chest. He looked down, only to find it was the little alien who was breathing slowly against his skin. Kurogane was about to yell at the other, but realized it was mostly his fault for this position, remembering the night before vibrantly. He blushed; feeling like his heart had stopped.

Fay stirred in his sleep as he felt something shift beside him. His hand clenched into a loose fist before he slipped back into unconsciousness. Kurogane watched the smaller, entranced by his sleeping beauty. The tanned man raised a hand to grab the loose hand on his shoulder, looking at the wrist to see if the bandage was any bloodier than before.

Fay felt himself waking as his hand was lifted. A small noise escaped his throat as he slowly opened his eyes. Brow furrowing, he looked up to see Kurogane's hand around his own.

"Kuro-pon?" Fay mumbled, still not fully awake. Kurogane looked at the smaller, before clutching the pale hand gently.

"Oi." Fay opened his eyes fully and stared up at question, his hand still held in the human's larger hand. The dark haired man blinked and leaned forward, kissing the blonde in a morning greeting, seeing as his first one wasn't taken as that. The blonde blinked, not used to affection from the taller man. He recovered from his surprise quickly to return the kiss. His lips curled into a smile as they pressed against Kurogane's.

Kurogane let it last for a little while, before pulling away, not wanting another last-night-moment to make him late for school. He removed his arms from around the blonde and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. Fay reeled from the kiss and lay back down, his cheeks a nice rosy pink as he looked at Kurogane as the human sat up.

"Good morning Kuro-kun." Kurogane looked over his shoulder and smirked slightly.

"Morning." He then let his legs go over the side, getting ready to stand and start the usual routine. Fay moved to his side watching Kurogane moving to rise from the bed. Fay reached over and put his hand over Kurogane's.

"Does this mean, that you're...uhm..." Fay didn't know how it would be said here and looked down at the rumpled sheets for a moment in thought.

"...courting me?" Fay flushed as he uttered the last words. At least that was what it was called on his planet; he hoped it held the same meaning here. Kurogane jerked slightly, hearing the words. He looked over his shoulder again and raised an eyebrow.

"....You could.... you could call it that..." He muttered, before turning back around, his face red once more.

"What is it called here then?...our relationship." Fay held his breath, he was certain that they were far more than friends now, especially after last night and the brief kiss they had just shared. Kurogane sighed and ran a hand through his hair, letting it rest on the back of his neck with his eyes closed.

"Usually people call this dating..." He said shortly after, eyes opening slowly.

"But that's after someone asks if the other person would be with them that way..." He looked over to the blonde.

"The kissing comes later."

"Then would Kuro-rin want to do this dating with me?" Fay was hesitant, speaking carefully. He was so unsure of himself where Kurogane was concerned.

"On any other terms I would say no." He said flatly, removing his hand from Fay's. He leaned down, lacing one arm over Fay so he would be lying atop him half way. He gently brushed his lips against the other.

"But now... I'd have to disagree with my earlier thinking..." Fay had felt his heart sink as 'no' passed Kurogane's mouth, but taking in the rest of the man's words his eyes widened. As he lay back down on the bed with Kurogane hovering over him, Fay couldn't help but feel hopeful.

"So..." Kurogane rumbled across Fay's lips, his eyes closing half way whilst staring in blue.

"Shall I court you?"

"Yes, I think I would like that very much." He smiled shyly up at Kurogane as his lips ghosted across the others as he replied. Kurogane couldn't stop a smirk that spread across his lips, once again kissing his new companion as a seal to their new relationship. Wrapping his arms loosely around his lover's neck, Fay sighed into the kiss. Kurogane pulled away slowly, not really wanting to go to school today. He heard the clock click loudly as the hour to leave was reached, but he did not move away from Fay, dipping down to enjoy another kiss.

Breaking the kiss Fay took a deep breath as his chest heaved from lack of air. He craned his neck up to kiss Kurogane on his brow, his nose gently bumping against Kurogane's bangs. The student chuckled and allowed the smaller to plant one on his forehead before pulling away to look at the blonde. He stared at him, just taking in the beauty that lay before him. The one who was now his.

Fay giggled as Kurogane pulled away from him. He was amazed that they were doing this; he had never thought something even remotely like this would happen to him. He brought a hand up to his face to feel his heated cheek.

Kurogane watched the other feel his own cheek, and noticed that Fay was still blushing. He raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing. He then pulled away, looking over to the clock on the wall. He groaned and bowed his head slightly; 15 minutes until he had to leave.

"What's wrong?" Fay followed Kurogane's vision to the clock and back to the human. Kurogane looked over to the blonde and realized that when he had sat up his hand had moved from the side of the bed to slip over Fay's leg, though the blonde's leg was still under the cover. He blushed at that, but focused on the conversation.

"I still have school today."

"Then Kuro-rin should hurry." Fay moved forward, supporting himself on his elbows as he looked up at Kurogane alarmed.

"Are you late?"

"No, not late." He said, still not moving away from the bed. He looked over to the closet where his clothes awaited him, but he just glowered in that direction.

"....How fast do your world's relationships move?" He asked, slightly curious. He certainly knew it was moving fast for Earth's relationships.

"I don't really know first hand, but typically kissing doesn't come until later." Fay vaguely remembered hopeful lovers coming to him with cheerful smiles and a glint in their eye, though he had turned them away. He pondered, thinking back to memories he had of watching couples. It seemed that they had moved faster than what he would have thought.

"About after one partner has been wooed..." He thought about Kurogane giving him flowers or walking arm and arm with him down garden pathways as he had seen from others. His blushed intensified. Kurogane raised his eyebrow once again, before he decided it was best to stand. He had heard many a time about one night stands, and some he even heard about partners getting married after the first month of even knowing each other. All those turned out like shit. He growled to himself, not wanting that to happen. He walked over to the closet and looked for a shirt.

"How long does Kuro-chii have until he needs to leave?" Fay asked as he rose from the bed, his slender legs moved over the side of the mattress as he prepared to stand.

"I have over ten minutes." The other replied, pulling out a shirt with a collar that buttoned up halfway. He took it off the hanger and then looked over to Fay.

"....Do you always make the bed?"

"Yes, it's the least I can do." He said idly as he smoothed the cover over the bed, making sure it was even. Kurogane's words suddenly clicked in his head and Fay shot up alarmed. He briskly moved over to the closet, grabbing a shirt and jeans as he stood beside Kurogane.

"Does this mean I don't have time to shower?" Kurogane shrugged, pulling his shirt on over his head.

"You can shower if you like. I don't have to be on time all the time." He said simply, walking out with his hands in his pockets. Fay nodded, gathering his clothes he quickly dashed out of the room, but not before leaning up to give the other man a quick kiss on the cheek. Throwing his clothes to the side Fay hurriedly stripped and turned on the shower. Noticing his bandages he unwrapped them carefully, it seemed that while the skin was still a bright red it didn't cause him any pain.

After that was done the alien made quick work of showering, he hissed as cold water hit his skin before grabbing bottles and washing himself. Once that was taken care of he grabbed a neatly folded towel that had been set aside and dried himself. His mind raced, not wanting to cause Kurogane to be late. Throwing on his clothes, Fay was walking out of the bathroom as he tried to towel dry his damp hair. Kurogane was sitting on the couch, his legs crossed on the coffee table and a book in his lap. He looked up to see Fay, and then to the clock.

"3 minutes." He said, looking back to the blonde.

"You bathed in 3 minutes..." He said, setting down the drink that was in his hand. He looked lower, to the blonde's side.

"Does it need re-wrapped?"

"No, it should be fine and I thought we were in a hurry, instead Kuro-rin's relaxing!" Fay pouted before throwing his damp towel at Kurogane, being careful to aim high so he wouldn't knock over the taller man's drink. The other man caught it, dropping his book at the same time, while smirking smugly. He then placed the drink on the coffee table and motioned for the blonde to come over to him.

"C'mere, Blondie." Fay moved to stand in front of Kurogane, arms crossed as he looked down at the other man.

"What is it Kuro-chu?" The taller man reached up and grabbed one of Fay's arms, pulling it slightly. Doing so caused the alien to lean over the taller.

"I want another kiss." Fay smirked as he leaned over Kurogane. Slowly he brought his lips to the taller man's. The blonde broke the kiss after a few moments. Biting his lip Fay looked over his shoulder towards the clock.

"Kuro-pyon's going to be late."

"Like I give a damn." He heard the tanned man say, pulling at the pale arm again. Doing so made Fay straddle the taller, who just smirked wider.

"Kuro-sama's not a very good student after all." Fay leaned forward kissing Kurogane's forehead. He relaxed further, sitting on the other's lap as he smiled. He could feel himself shuddering at the look in Kurogane's eyes, it sent a pleasant jolt done his spine.

"Tch. Not when you're around." The other muttered, wrapping his arms around the smaller man's body. He stared into the blue eyes and felt the other shiver, eliciting a new sensation out of himself. He leaned up and captured the pale lips once more, demanding and gentle at the same time. The blonde wrapped his arms around the other man's shoulders; he then shifted his legs around to where they lay bent on either side of Kurogane. Comfortable, Fay happily returned this kiss, hoping it wouldn't make them too late.

Kurogane pulled his new lover closer, wanting more of Fay all the while. He knew that if they continued this, they would get somewhere where Fay was most likely not willing to go. He sighed mentally, trying to force himself to pull away but to no avail. Fay sighed, enjoying the kiss as Kurogane held him. He knew that they had gone fast, but it seemed that Kurogane just threw his entire world off its axis and Fay knew he couldn't care less. Though when the need for air grew too great Fay reluctantly pulled away. He slowly untangled an arm from Kurogane and brought his fingers up to his lips, without looking at them, he knew they were most likely bruised from the other's kisses. Kurogane looked at what the other was doing and could barely see that Fay's lips were a blue-purple color. He narrowed his eyes, then looked at the other's eyes.

"Have I been kissing you too hard?"

"It doesn't hurt, just feels funny. Besides, if I didn't want Kuro-chan's kisses I'd say something." Fay grinned, planting a small kiss on Kurogane's cheek. The other grunted, running one of his hands down the non-injured side.

"Still...." He said quietly, placing his head in the crook of the pale neck. The shirt Fay was wearing then revealed a lot of skin, almost sliding off the milky shoulders. His lips touched smooth skin, and he automatically kissed it, as if on instinct.

"Kuro-min's too sweet when he worries." Fay all but purred as Kurogane kissed his neck. His breath caught at the sensation against the sensitive skin there and closed his eyes as he own hand came to rest against the other man's neck. Kurogane ran his lips against the soft neck to the collar bone, tracing the silky curves of the other's neck. He growled lightly in approval, kissing the other's chest gently. They both nearly jumped out of their skin when a loud ringtone broke out into the quiet room.

"Kuro-sama?" Fay looked around the room trying to find the offending object. He removed his hands, hoping his nails hadn't dug too deep into the tanned skin as he had been startled. The other grumbled in anger, both from being interrupted and from being so taken off guard. He kissed the blonde once more before moving him onto the couch. He stood and walked into the kitchen, where a phone was placed on the wall.

"Yeah?" He said into the receiver. Fay lay down on the couch, trying to catch his breath. He placed an arm over his eyes as he took deep breaths, trying to settle his nerves. He could hear Kurogane grumbling from the kitchen.

"What? Why the hell did you call me?... yeah, I was getting ready... no, Tomoyo, I'm not leaving the idiot at home alon- what the hell?!" Kurogane sighed, placing a hand on his hip.

"Yeah... yeah... fine... We're just leaving..." He looked over to Fay.

"Yeah... he'll be fine... NO I AM NOT GETTING SENTIMENTAL!" He shouted.

"Fine! Fine! See you then." He hung up, growling lowly to himself as he went back in the living room to pick up his bag.

"Oi, come on."

"Are we going to Kuro-tan's school now? Is Tomoyo coming over?" Fay stood up, adjusting his clothes as he walked towards Kurogane. The other grunted, opening the front door.

"She's still curious about you and wants to take you shopping while I'm in class." He paused, looking at Fay.

"We should probably come up with a back story for you when we're both in the library." Fay frowned at not being able to spend the day with Kurogane, but he supposed a trip with Tomoyo wouldn't be bad either.

"Kuro-pipi already told Tomoyo where I was from last night." Fay replied as he followed Kurogane outside and towards the human's motorcycle.

"Yeah, I know. But there's more to it than that; your parents, friends, childhood, work, where you lived before you stayed with me, why you're staying with me, what got you into cooking... She's a nosy little brat." He said, handing the other his helmet before getting on. Fay's head swam at the thought of having to memorize all of that as he secured his own helmet. Sliding behind Kurogane, Fay wrapped his arms around the other's waist, waiting for them to go. The taller put his helmet on.

"You could actually go with what childhood you had and all that... but your work and everything business oriented we'll have to make up..." Kurogane started the bike and sped onto the road, driving off toward the town. Understanding Fay stayed quiet as they left for Kurogane's school. Maybe Tomoyo wouldn't ask too much about him.

As they reached the parking lot Fay wondered back to the girl's words about how he wasn't a burden to the taller man, but Fay still felt he was asking too much of Kurogane, having the other lie to his family by helping him lie to them. The driver stopped in the same parking spot as before and stopped, removing his helmet.

"Oi, let go." He said simply, having the odd feeling of déjà vu.

"Is Kuro-tin embarrassed?" Fay laughed as he complied and took his own helmet off. Moving from the motorcycle the alien waited patiently for Kurogane.

"Tch, not everyday I'm dating an alien..." He muttered gruffly, following suit. He then took his backpack, like always, and replaced it with the helmets. Fay's smile faltered in surprise for a moment at Kurogane's confession, but came back with full force.

"Kuro-pon's adorable." He laughed as he reached up to pinch the other's cheek. The taller swatted at his hand, glowering down at the blonde.

"Oi, oi, stop that. You're such a pest." He snapped in annoyance, starting his trek to his class.

"I'll leave you behind if you keep that up."

"Kuro-bluff wouldn't just leave me." Fay smiled as he walked briskly to keep in step with Kurogane's strides. With his hands clasped behind his back, Fay followed the other man to the library.

"Tch, watch me next time you do something stupid." The student said, shoving his hands in his same damn students were watching him and the blonde again today, and it was pissing him off.

"Kuro-gruff's so mean." The blonde disregarded the people watching them as they entered the library.

"She'll be here after my first class, so you can chill in the library for a while." Kurogane said nonchalantly, staring at the alien next to him. Scanning the rows of books Fay found himself walking towards the table he had sat at yesterday.

"Blondie, I'll be back in an hour." Kurogane called after him casually, watching him for a moment before heading off to his class. Fay waved, thinking it wasn't a good idea to kiss the other man in public.

"I'll see Kuro-rin then, have fun." He smiled as Kurogane stood in front of him ready to leave. The taller vanished from view behind the corner the next moment, as he was kind of thankful for the blonde not kissing him. If he did, he would have to go mutilate himself from embarrassment.

Fay moved once he saw Kurogane walk out. He turned and headed for the books, not wanting to waste any time. Scanning them, he really didn't care what he picked up, too happy over current events. His fingers glided over a deep blue book, interested he pulled it out 'Love Poems' was written in Silver script with a floral border around its edges. Smiling fondly at the book Fay took it back to his seat and began to read. At first there were simplistic ones, starting with verses like "Roses are Red, and Violets are Blue...", but further into the book, some of the poems became very visual, while others were light and fluffy and made Fay want to hug a random person.

"...might be driven to sell your love for peace, or trade the memory of this night for food. It well may be. I do not think I would." Fay sighed dreamily as the words resonated within him. He glanced at the clock, excited to see it wouldn't be long until Kurogane came back. He looked back down to the book, reading the first one he saw.

"...To whom shall I court with red rose lips, a person of my dreams who saved me whilst I dreamt, sleeping below the tidal waves of bliss, their bed in which I lay among sheets unkempt...." Fay sighed once more closing the book and setting it down on the table as he glanced over at the clock again. His eyes glossed over as he thought about the poems words, which in turn lead to thoughts of a certain human.

Said human appeared behind glass doors, but with someone at his side. He was talking to them with fake interest, but a faint blush was over his cheeks. The person smiled sweetly and glomped the taller. Kurogane froze for a moment, then shoved the smaller off and proceeded to yell loudly at her. Fay could barely make out 'already seeing someone'. She looked frightened at him, then ran off crying, shouting 'you're so heartless!'. Kurogane regained his composer and looked at Fay, his head flicking in a "c'mere" fashion.

Fay hurriedly placed the book back on its shelf as he frowned. Walking out of the library, the little alien met with Kurogane, the girl from just moments ago nowhere to be found.

"Who was that Kuro-pon?" Kurogane shrugged, starting to walk off.

"Beats the hell outta me. She's a girl from my technician class. She wanted to know if I was single and WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!" He said, cut off in mid-sentence by his own fury as he caught a group of people looking at him. Fay winced at Kurogane's exclamation, having been to close to the other.

"What did Kuro-myu say?" Even though he already knew the answer, he smiled as he listened for Kurogane's response as they walked past the group that had fixed their collective gaze on them. Kurogane shoved his hands in his pockets, grumbling.

"I said I was already taken." He said peevishly, glowering over his shoulder to the group, all of it jumping back at least one step.

"Are we not going back to the library?" Fay asked as they stood almost near the building's exit. He smiled lightly, ignoring the people behind them, after all Kurogane did a good enough job yelling at them than he ever could. The student nodded his head forward.

"I'll be damned if I go back today. The librarians wouldn't let me in if they saw me shouting outside. We'll wait for Tomoyo over there." He said, and Fay saw that he was talking about a little circle in the sidewalk. There was a stone bench on either side of the circle, one was under a plum tree that was blossoming. Fay strolled leisurely beside Kurogane as they made their way over to the bench.

"So what should I know first? You already told Tomoyo I was from this Italy and a cook." The blonde took a seat on the bench, admiring the tree overhead. Kurogane stood beside the bench while facing Fay, setting his backpack down on the seat.

"Well... let's start with your work. Why are you a cook?" He asked whilst folding his arms.

"Because I enjoy it and have a knack for it." Fay leaned back enjoying the weather.

"Who introduced you to cooking?" Kurogane asked, as if he knew what Tomoyo would ask in the future.

"My mother." He looked up at the blossoms hanging over them as he thought back to her, it had been years since he had last seen her.

"Was she good?" Kurogane asked, eyes landing on the blonde as he studied his expression.

"Yes, but she was clumsy, father always had to help to make sure there wasn't too much of a mess." The alien laughed at the memories of being small and covered in flour as his mother flipped the sack over again. He could see his father as well, moving around worriedly wiping him off and checking on his wife. Kurogane's facade gentled a little when he saw Fay had happy memories of his parents. He looked away, to the blossoming tree, and thought of another question.

"She'll ask if you're studying abroad. Just say yes, and that the program you're in isn't widely known." He sighed.

"You look old enough to be a college student, anyway..."

"Is that everything then? Tomoyo won't surprise me with something like she did last night will she?" Fay thought back to Tomoyo asking about their relationship and how far they had gotten and flushed. Kurogane shrugged.

"She'll want to know how old you are, your favorite color, what design model you like, to that you don't gotta know..." He thought for a moment.

"She'll ask how deep our relationship has gotten... if you answer that, it's up to you what your answer is..." Kurogane said softly, blushing lightly at the thought he was now no longer single.

"Actually, Tomoyo asked me that last night, she said she would be asking you about it though." He smiled thinking of what Kurogane's reaction would be. Kurogane groaned, placing his hand on his face.

"Of course..." he said blatantly, sighing in annoyance.

"So troublesome..." Fay grinned.

"Is Kuro-tan embarrassed about talking to Tomoyo about it?"

"No!" The taller barked, though his blushing expression said otherwise.

"Tomoyo is nosy, but she knows when to stop pushing a matter." He folded his arms, looking away.

"Kuro-rinta's cute when he blushes." He laughed as the other man turned away. He wondered if Tomoyo could pry a confession out of the other man, she did seem rather persistent.

"WHO'S CUTE?!" Kurogane roared, face turning back to the other.

"Why, I'd say the two of you together is cute." Said a very sweet voice. Kurogane turned to look at who dare intrude, but stood straight when he saw it was his awaited cousin.

"Ah, hello Tomoyo, Kuro-rinta told me you'd be picking me up." The alien waved at the girl in greeting. biting back his laughter at Kurogane's expression. Tomoyo smiled at Kurogane before looking at Fay.

"Why yes, I am." She walked over to them, only to be followed by ladies in black suits. Kurogane left his arms folded, turning his head to the blonde again.

"Hello, and who are Tomoyo's friends?" Fay nodded at the women as he looked up at Tomoyo. The girl looked behind her and smiled, turning her gaze toward Fay quickly.

"Ignore them, they're just here to make sure nothing happens to me." Fay tilted his head in confusion looking at Kurogane then back to Tomoyo and the mysterious suit clad women. Kurogane blinked when he realized he hadn't told Fay just what it was his family did. He growled and turned his body to face the blonde.

"Both of our parents work for the military. Hers do specific things in engineering and planes." He nodded toward the ladies.

"They make sure no act of aggression happens to their daughter, who is the heiress of the company." Tomoyo smiled and reached up to pat the spiky hair.

"Good boy! Does Kurogane-kun want a doggy treat?"

"WHAT THE HELL!? Little brat!"

"Kuro-wanwan should have told me his family was so important!" Fay poked the others chest with a slender finger. He supposed it explained why Kurogane was taking such advanced classes.

"Hmm, that's not all. Kurogane-kun's mother is a priestess who blesses children from all over the world, while his father is a general in a top secret mission!" She giggled slightly, seeing Kurogane glare at her, as if to say not-another-word. She spoke anyway.

"Kurogane-kun wants to work on building spacecrafts."

"THAT DOES IT!" Kurogane roared, swiping at his cousin, who squealed and skipped away. Fay was surprised to say the least. He stared wide eyed for a moment on the bench, while Kurogane tried to attack his cousin. It couldn't be a coincidence could it? Fay held a hand to his cheek as he felt himself flush. And the other things Tomoyo had said, Kurogane was in an extremely important family it seemed, it was a bit shocking to say the least. Kurogane growled as Tomoyo hid behind a lady, who blocked her from his view.

"Dammit Tomoyo! You cheat!" He shouted, but the woman did not waver, even after hearing the girl giggle. Kurogane growled and waved his hand, turning on his heel.

"Do what you want." Fay shook himself out of his thoughts as Kurogane turned around and smiled at his and Tomoyo's chasing. Kurogane shoved a hand in his pocket whilst the other grabbed his backpack.

"Oi, if you want you can take him back home too." He said, looking over to Tomoyo. The girl nodded.

"I assume Fay-san would want to ride with his boyfriend." Kurogane flushed, and was about to retaliate until he realized that Fay was indeed his boyfriend. He grunted, and started to walk away.

"So we're off then?" Fay stood from the bench. It made his heart flutter as Kurogane didn't deny their new relationship.

"Have a good day at class, Kuro-san! I'll see you later!" Fay yelled as Kurogane walked towards his next class. He then turned to Tomoyo and chuckled. Tomoyo shared the giggle, smiling to the man who didn't look back. She took the pale hand and smiled.

"Yes! Let's go!" She said cheerfully, pulling him in the direction of the car, causing Fay to stumble slightly. One of Tomoyo's guards had a door already opened for them and Fay had to duck as he was pulled inside by a giddy Tomoyo. The girl clapped her hands twice and the ladies dispersed into different cars and they started off.

"Now, Fay-san, why exactly are you a cook?" She asked, almost predictably thanks to Kurogane.

"I've always had a talent for it." Fay hadn't expected to be questioned as soon as they were alone. Tomoyo smiled and looked outside the window.

"Did you learn it from anyone specific? A teacher maybe? I learned how to sew and things like that from my mother."

"My mother taught me as well." Fay chuckled at how excited the girl seemed to be as she drilled him for information.

"Ooo really?! Was she a good cook!? Did she teach you all you know!?" She said ecstatically, turning her gaze back to the blonde.

"Yes, she was good and she taught me most of what I know, I read a lot of cook books and things when I was learning. Maybe sometime I can find a good recipe to fix for Kuro-chan." Fay couldn't help himself from laughing at the girl's expression. Tomoyo giggled and smiled wider.

"I'm sure he would appreciate it... Just how long have you two been dating?" She asked, taking him off guard. Kurogane hadn't exactly warned him about her clawing into their relationship information.

"Not long at all really." Fay flushed at the sudden subject change, not knowing Tomoyo would ask about this again.

"hmmm... so you two ARE dating...a date? A specific date that you two got together?" She asked, smiling evilly. She was definitely going to tease Kurogane later.

"Yesterday, Kuro-rin takes awhile to figure out things." Fay covered his face partially with one hand so the girl couldn't see his face. The girl laughed happily and nodded.

"This is true, sweet but dense... wait, how long have you and him known each other?"

"About a week." Fay was beginning to panic; he wished he had thought of something like this happening before he had left Kurogane. Tomoyo gave him a surprised look.

"My my, moving fast aren't you two?" Her smile reappeared softly.

"It must be destiny... Kurogane-kun wouldn't have done something like this if it hadn't been..." She placed a hand on Fay's cheek.

"This probably means you are the one for him..."

"Tomoyo is too kind." Fay looked away from her, as his cheeks heated. The idea of he and Kurogane being destined for each other struck a chord in him and made him smile pleasantly. The girl smiled wider and removed her hand, looking forward again.

"Are you studying abroad? How did you end up with Kurogane-kun?"

"I am… We met not far from town, I was lost and Kuro-kun helped me." Fay at least remembered part of what Kurogane had told him. He looked out the cars window seeing buildings fast approaching.

"Oh? How exactly did you end up living with him? Did something of a financial crisis happen?" She asked, looking back with worry in her purple orbs.

"No, nothing like that, my things were just lost as well. Kuro-min took me to his house and I've been there ever since." He said reassuringly to Tomoyo. He could feel the car slowly coming to a stop as they drove past building after building. Tomoyo gave him another look of concern before turning to the person who opened her door.

"Well, I suppose if Kurogane-kun is taking care of you now... it's alright..." She said before taking a step out.

"How long will he be taking care of you?"

"I've not discussed it with him, so I'm not sure." It was odd that he hadn't thought about it before. Surely he hadn't expected to stay with Kurogane forever? Even if the thought of it made him happy, he could never burden Kurogane with having to take care of him. Tomoyo hummed, holding out her hand to him to help him out of the car.

"Maybe Fay-san shouldn't ask, just so Kurogane-kun won't think of it?" She said with a wink.

"I like Fay-san too much to lose him as a future relative."

"I-I don't think I would be." Fay faltered as he stood outside the car. The thought of being part of a family again left his heart aching. Tomoyo gave a cute curious look, her smile never wavering.

"Why? Kurogane-kun likes you so much that he's dating you in the first week that he's met you, I can almost smell the wedding roses." She said, starting to walk toward a shop.

"Kuro-wan's the one to decide that." He smiled nervously as he entered the shop after Tomoyo. The girl laughed adorably, looking back to the blonde.

"Don't worry, Fay-san, I know he loves you." She said, that word plucking the heartstring once more.

"Kuro-min's reluctant to say we're dating let alone that." The girl then let her smile falter.

"Kurogane-kun is only like that because he's shy, not because he's reluctant to be with you, Fay-san. He's the type of person who believes that actions speak louder than words that can possibly embarrass someone." She informed before tilting her head at Fay curiously. Said man looked around the shop and turned to Tomoyo again.

"Why are we here Tomoyo? Kuro-ruu wasn't very informative." The young woman clasped her hands behind her back and looked over to the counter.

"We're just looking around. If you want something, or if I want you to have something, we'll buy it."

"I'm fine with whatever Tomoyo chooses...I'm not particular when it comes to things." Fay was flattered at the girl's generosity. It was such kindness that showed how Tomoyo and Kurogane were related after all. Tomoyo smiled wider and grabbed the blonde's hand, pulling him toward a rack.

"Let's begin then!"

"Uhm, Tomoyo seems to be the expert with clothes." Fay said as he was pulled over to the nearest section of clothes. Tomoyo took one look at him before turning to the clothes and sifting through them searching.

"That's because I'm a clothes designer!" She said happily.

"I used to use Kurogane-kun as my model for men's clothes! That's why most of the stuff on my market for men is for well-built guys..."

"I can imagine you had trouble getting Kuro-rinta to cooperate." Fay laughed as he imagined Kurogane having to parade outfit upon outfit for Tomoyo. She giggled and held out a low cut shirt, holding it out in front of Fay for closer inspection.

"He didn't appreciate it very much, even though the clothes based off him are very good sellers."

"Tomoyo's clothes must be very popular then." Fay watched as she put various shirts up to him, some went over her arm as others went back on their respective racks. It went on until Tomoyo held several shirts draped over her arm. The girl smiled happily and handed the counter clerk the shirts.

"You don't even need to try these on, Fay-san, I know they'll look perfect." She said smiling, allowing the cashier to ring it up. She paid him with a plastic card and then allowed the ladies in black to carry her bags to the car as she began to go to the next store.

"Tomoyo should let me repay her somehow." He felt guilty accepting the clothes as they walked down the street and into the next shop that had caught the girl's eye.

"Oh there's no need to thank me; Fay-san spending time with me is all I need." She smiled, knowing the other wouldn't be happy with that answer.

"But if you really feel the need to thank me, wear these clothes for Kurogane-kun and cook for me next time I'm over."

"If Tomoyo insists then I guess I have no choice." He thought back to the clothes she had gotten for him, none had been something he would have considered special enough to pay back the generosity; surely Kurogane wouldn't like to see him in them. He was confused by it, but didn't say anything as he agreed to the girl's terms. The young person smiled happily as they store hopped some more, walking out with more and more bags. Soon the second seat and trunks of two cars were filled of a variety of clothing, furniture, and appliances. Tomoyo sat in the car for the last time, sighing.

"Well, I suppose Kurogane is out of class now. We'll drop you off at the college and bring your clothes to your home."

"Thank you Tomoyo, you'll have to let me know what you would like me to cook for you next time you visit." Fay still wasn't sure why the girl had gotten furniture and other things but he supposed he could ask Kurogane later. Both climbed back into the car and chatted happily as they were driven towards the college.

They arrived to see Kurogane leaning against a building's wall, some people chatting with him. He didn't look too happy, but he was tolerating them. Tomoyo hummed, her brow twisting.

"Looks like Kurogane-kun's getting questions about you..."

"I don't understand why so many people would be curious about me." He frowned as he looked out the window.

"Thank you Tomoyo for everything."

"Fay-san shouldn't worry, don't forget to wear the clothes" Fay helped himself out of the care as Tomoyo waved a goodbye. He walked towards Kurogane, hesitantly. His inhuman hearing let him eavesdrop on their conversation. A guy with red hair in front of Kurogane was talking.

"So, that blonde guy's name is Fay? Fay-san.... how beautiful..." A girl with dark hair punched his arm lightly.

"Hey, Hey! I'm still your girlfriend, Chichiuwa!" He laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry, Camika." Another girl beside Kurogane folded her arms.

"You said you were living with him? Why?"

"He's living with me." Kurogane corrected, turning toward the orange haired girl.

"He had ride troubles and can't contact his family, so he's staying with me until they manage to get a hold of him."

"How do they plan to do that?"

"Shit I don't know."

"How long do you want him to stay with you?" The man asked, and Kurogane sighed, looking down.

"I don't care, as long as he wants to stay..." The two girls squealed.

"Aww! Kurogane-san's in love!" The other stood straight in a fighting stance.

"Oi! Oi! Shut up!"

"You're not denying it!" Said the orange haired girl.

"S-stop saying stupid crap, twerp!"

"My name's Miriki, thank you, and you can't help it! He's just too swoon-worthy! Oi, speak of the devil." They all turned to look at Fay who was still slowly approaching. Kurogane turned his body to him, hand in his pocket.

"Oi."

"Sorry for interrupting, but Tomoyo just dropped me off." Fay tried not to look at the other people hovering and staring at him.

"She said she was going to deliver everything to your house." Fay was beginning to feel uncomfortable as the others stared at him.

"...'bout time, she's so slow." Kurogane scoffed, looking over to the crew. The couple smiled.

"See ya, Kurogane-sama; we'll talk about mechanics at lunch tomorrow ok?" Said the one named Camika. Kurogane shrugged at her, then looked to the one named Miriki. She smiled back in a boyish manner, her side ponytail swaying slightly.

"I'm waiting for Ashine-chan; we planned to write a story about two lovebirds." She winked, making Kurogane roll his eyes.

"Fine, whatever. And just how much stuff did you two get?" Kurogane asked, turning his attention to the blonde.

"You'll just have to see." Fay smiled sheepishly as the group dispersed. He wasn't sure either if he should tell just how much Tomoyo had gotten. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, not liking the sound of that. His cousin was infamous for always buying too much. He sighed, knowing it couldn't be helped.

"Alright." He went to his bike and did the normal routine, placing his helmet on and starting the vehicle. Fay followed as well and before he knew it they were off towards home. As they approached he saw no sign of Tomoyo, surprised at how fast she must have been. They came to a halt and as usual Fay was the first to get off the motorcycle. Kurogane followed suit and slung his backpack on his shoulder, leading the way to the front door, when he opened it, he let out a surprised yelp.

"Hell! My house is covered in plastic bags!"

"Tomoyo went a little overboard." Fay peeked around Kurogane to see a wave of plastic greeting him. Fay stepped inside, careful not to trip. Kurogane grumbled.

"Ya think? And why the hell is there more chairs in my house?!" He shouted, looking over to the new table and chairs in the middle of the entrance room. Kurogane growled and picked some of the bags up, looking in side. He blushed, seeing just what type of clothes.

"Y-you agreed to buy these?!"

"What's wrong with them? Tomoyo didn't let me try them on and she picked them out." He blushed wondering what it could be. Kurogane pulled one out, showing Fay that it was a see-through t-shirt with lace around the neck.

"This is freaking lingerie!! Girls wear this to satisfy their boyfriends and husbands before they fuck!" He spat, blushing deeper.

"S-so that's what Tomoyo wanted me to wear?" Fay picked up the flimsy garment holding it up to his chest inspecting it. He had to admit it wasn't so bad, though did Tomoyo really think about them doing that? Kurogane hid his face with his hand, humiliated. Dammit, cousin, you're dirtier than you make it out to be. He sighed, looking around.

"Are all the clothes like this?" If so, you might not make it out here another day as a virgin to humans, he thought, but slapped himself mentally for thinking those thoughts. It was too early, no matter how sexy the blonde was...

"I promised her I'd wear something, she wouldn't let me repay her so I agreed." Fay began rummaging through bags, sighing in relief that not all of the clothes looked like the one Kurogane still held. The student dropped the piece of revealing fabric and rummaged around some more, until he pulled out shampoo.

"She bought you hair stuff?... This is girl shampoo...." Fay took the bottle and opened it.

"It smells nice." Sitting it down he looked through other bags, noticing various products and clothes. Kurogane looked around some more. She had bought everything Fay needed in order to stay a while, which made Kurogane snort.

"She's a twerp." He said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Would Kuro-san like me to try something on? Tomoyo will ask about it next time she sees either of us." Fay dropped the bag he had been looking through as he waited for Kurogane's expression, knowing the other man would most likely blush. Lo and behold, a faint blush spread across his face, and he looked away.

"I don't care; do as you please. I gotta find some place to fit all this junk..." As Kurogane began picking up bags and sorting them, Fay grabbed a few bags of clothes and headed towards the bedroom. Once inside, he shut the door and emptied the bags, not knowing what he should try on.

Fay went through the selection and stopped as he came across a dark blue mid-sleeve shirt. Thinking it was as good as any the blonde pulled off his own shirt before slipping the new one on. He noticed something wrong with it though, it seemed if he lifted he arms so far up, the shirt rode up and put his stomach on display. It had to be too small. Tugging it down, hoping to stretch it, Fay left to ask Kurogane about it. Said man had managed to sort out clothing and appliances and he was currently looking at an alarm clock that had one too many flowers on it when he looked up. He blushed, taken aback by the shirt.

"U-uh...."

"I think it's too small." Fay placed his hands on his hips, the shirt lifting to expose part of his stomach.

"What does Kuro-pon think?"

"I'm gunna kill her..." Kurogane said, staring at the naked flesh.

"That shirt is supposed to be like that..." He said flatly, trying to pull his eyes off Fay but failing.

"I can't go out with this." Fay tugged at the shirt, embarrassed thinking about others seeing him wearing the shirt. Kurogane finally looked away, blushing deeper.

"You can wear a shirt under it." He said simply, standing. Fay still struggled with the shirt, not noticing the other man blushing.

"Why don't you change out if it, if it's bothering you." He heard the other man say, walking over to him leisurely.

"But it was a gift, I don't want to seem like I don't appreciate it." The alien gave up with the shirt and let it be, pouting as it lifted. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, standing in front of the smaller.

"You don't have to wear it if you don't want to." He said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Go take it off if you're not comfortable. You can wear another one instead." Fay walked over towards the remainder of his new clothes, slipping off the shirt he had on as he went. Upon reaching them the blonde squatted down in front of them, hunched over as he placed the shirt in a bag and drew a new one at random and slipped it over his head. To his relief the black shirt feel below his waist as its sleeves brushed against his knuckles. The alien stood, straightening the shirt, his back still to Kurogane. The blonde tugged at the v-neck of the shirt, hoping it would be too low to wear out.

The taller man moved to face that direction, watching as the lithe man undressed and redressed. Kurogane could still make out the light bruises that were almost healed, and the side wound definitely looked better. He wondered if a human were to sustain those injuries if he would heal as fast as Fay had.

"This is much better than the other one." He smiled happily as he turned to Kurogane.

"Did Kuro-wankoro get everything sorted?" Fingers deftly ran across a new chair as he scanned all of the bags still left in the room. Kurogane's eyes fell on the nude skin around the youth's neck. He blushed and looked away. Why the hell did Tomoyo have to get all the freaking attractive clothing for the damn blonde?!

"Is something wrong Kuro-min? You keep staring…" Fay frowned and moved his hand to his neck, thinking the other found something wrong with the shirt. The taller blushed a little deeper, looking back over to Fay.

"No... there's nothing wrong..."

"Then why is Kuro-kun staring?" Fay walked leisurely towards the other man to stand on front of him, a curious look on his face. The student growled lowly, eyes once again tracing the collar bone of the alien.

"...."

"Kuro-min...?" He titled his head as Kurogane growled. He was beginning to think something was wrong as Kurogane practically bore holes into him with his staring. It made the blonde nervous and he shifted from one foot to the other. The student turned away suddenly and sharply, the thoughts of what his body wanted to do racing through his head as he tried to get away from the blonde that taunted him.

"Forget it... it's nothing..." He said softly, blushing all the while.

"If something's troubling Kuro-chu he should say what it is." Fay lightly grasped the back of the other's shirt to try and prevent him from leaving. The tanned man's fists were shoved in his pockets, his red eyes not meeting the blonde, though he had stopped.

"I told you there's nothing wrong, dammit." Fay released his grip on the other and turned dejectedly, gathering more bags to take into the bedroom. He hadn't wanted to make the other mad, so he lifted the bags and walked towards the bedroom not wanting to upset Kurogane further. The taller hesitated, watching the smaller go. He didn't want Fay to think he was mad at him, but he certainly couldn't pull off Mr. Nice Guy with the alien showing off just how sexy he really was. The muscular man sighed, running a hand through his spiky locks before going over to the couch and picking up the bag with the hair and bathing supplies.

Once inside the bedroom Fay busied himself with folding the various clothes and setting them inside the closet, he mind wondering back to Kurogane as he went about his sorting. The other was going through the same thing, placing the soaps into a hanging basket with his own in the glass shower. He looked over his shoulder to the door, knowing the blonde was right across the hall.

Fay sighed as he sat down on the floor. Leaning back on his hands with his legs spread out in front of him, Fay wondered how he hadn't realized Tomoyo had bought so much. His face turned red as well as he had pulled some more clothes that Kurogane had called 'lingerie' out of bags and placed them in the closet. Now that he was finished, Fay didn't know what to do now as he stared into the closet.

"Oi, what the hell are you doing?" He heard Kurogane say at the door. Said man was leaning against the frame, arms folded and eyebrow raised. It seemed as if what had happened minutes earlier was forgotten.

"Nothing, just wondering what to do, I've already put all the clothes up." He didn't look up at Kurogane, not wanting to think back to the revealing clothes bought for him. The dark haired man grunted in recognition.

"Your soaps and shit are in the bathroom now." He said nonchalantly, looking at the clothing folded at the bottom of the closet. He sighed; he was going to have to place those boxes elsewhere so all of Fay's clothing could fit easily.

"Kuro-tan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you earlier." Fay knew it was better to get it out in the open before he sat and thought too much on the issue. The red eyed one paused before sighing, walking over to crouch next to the alien. He placed a hand on the tresses.

"Oi, what did I say about apologizing? And who the hell said I was upset?"

"Kuro-puppy was growling." Fay smiled as Kurogane moved to look at him at eye level.

"I ain't a dog, Blondie." He said in a huff, his hand tousling the hair roughly before the man stood once more.

"And I always growl." The blonde smiled as Kurogane mussed his hair.

"I suppose that's true." Fay smirked as he stood as well. The well built man felt his expression soften when he saw the other smirk. Good, Fay wasn't worried about him being mad anymore. He opened the closet door and searched through his pants.

"You. Eat supper." He commanded offhandedly.

"Kuro-rin cooked?" Fay looked curiously as he saw Kurogane searching through his pockets.

"Then what are you doing?" He looked questionably towards the taller man as Kurogane pulled out money. Said man looked over his shoulder.

"I ate out today while you were gone. This is spare change that I had left over." He then pulled out a pair of black pants, slinging it over his shoulder.

"And now I'm going to take a shower."

"Then does Kuro-rin want me to wait for him?" He took one look at the money and then back to Kurogane. He had been surprised Kurogane had had something to eat without him, but he shrugged it off as him having spent nearly the entire day with Tomoyo.

"No. I'm not hungry." He said simply, leaning over to give Fay a chaste kiss before turning. Fay blushed at the brief kiss and deftly moved a hand up to touch his lips.

"What am I suppose to do then?" He lowered his hand a bit so he could speak clearly. Kurogane looked back, shrugging.

"I dunno. Cook?" he replied flatly, going into the bathroom.

"Kuro-rin's letting me cook?" Fay clapped his hands excitedly as his eyes grew wide in shock. Fay wandered into the kitchen, wondering what he could possibly make. While the food looked different than what he was used to he figured it was basically the same when it came to preparation and taste. His first stop took him to the fridge were he pulled out vegetables, and some type of meat. Laying them on the counter, the blonde moved over to the cabinets opening and closing each of them until he secured the pots and pans he was looking for, along with a few other ingredients and utensils.

Fay set to work cutting and chopping, though he had to stop for a bit to figure out how to use the stove. Pouring the various foods into a large pan Fay waited for it to cook. He then moved to boiled water, wanting to cook some rice, even if it didn't look like any rice he had ever seen before. Once he had everything prepared and everything turned off, having made more than enough in case Kurogane wished to try some, Fay set about getting a plate and serving himself.

He smelled the rugged fragrance of Kurogane's soap enter the room, the man wearing it rubbing his head slightly. This would be the second time Kurogane appeared in front of Fay wet, but this was the first he saw his tan body just as damp as his hair.

"Oi... Why did you make so much?"

"In case Kuro-rinta wanted some." He couldn't help himself, staring at a shirtless Kurogane as he sat down at the table. Said man looked at the blonde, then to the food. It certainly looked appetizing. He supposed he could eat a light supper, even though Miriki and the others made him eat so much at the restaurant. He picked up his eating utensil and inspected a piece of food before consuming it cautiously.

"Does Kuro-min like it?" Fay took another bite from his own plate as he watched for Kurogane's reaction. The other continued chewing then swallowed. He paused for a moment before reaching forward and taking another piece with a shrug.

"It's edible..." Which was translated from Kurogane-speak as 'freaking amazing'.

"See? Kuro-chu shouldn't have worried about my cooking ability." Chuckling, Fay continued eating, every now and then watching the other man from the corner of his eye. He could feel himself smiling at the thought of Kurogane enjoying his food.

Once they were finished, the student cleaned his plate and the blonde's in the sink. He blushed when a thought suddenly hit him, but instead of voicing it he shoved his hands in his pockets and walked toward the bedroom wordlessly. Fay stood and followed Kurogane, noting the other's blush and sudden exit. He was curious as to what could have possibly driven the other man away.

"O-oi... you have your own clothes now... don't wear my shirt to bed..." He heard the other one speak, revealing what it was that he was so flustered over.

"I didn't think I had anything comfortable enough to wear to sleep in." Fay stood in thought, knowing that none of the clothes he had gotten would be long enough to wear. The other looked over his shoulder as he laid out an outfit for the next day.

"...... I'm sure Tomoyo wouldn't have bought you all that clothing and forgot about a night shirt or something." Fay rummaged through his clothes, stumbling across the thin shirt Kurogane had picked up earlier. Blushing lightly, he picked up the long shirt, pulling it out, and set it aside. He sifted through the garments again, picking up a pair of shorts as well. Taking off his black shirt, Fay pulled the new one on. Seeing it reached a bit above his knees, he unfastened his pants quickly, changing into the shorts that barely reached his knees. He blushed, thinking what he must look like. It didn't help when he felt hungry eyes roam over his back for a moment, scanning every inch of the almost hidden skin. Kurogane shook his head and went to the doorway where the light fixture was.

"Get in bed." He said lightly, not wanting to look at Fay in case something of instincts took over and he took the blonde as truly his. Fay pulled back the cover, one knee on the bed as he leaned over to pull the comforter off the opposite corner of the bed. After a few seconds the blonde crawled the rest of the way into the bed, throwing the cover partially over his long legs. He sat up, waiting for Kurogane to come to bed as well.

Said man flicked the light off, the only luminous part of the room now the moonlight shining through the window. The moon was full enough to make the shadow of Kurogane visible as he crossed the room to lie down with the blonde. As he felt the bed shift, Fay lowered himself down onto the bed, turning onto his side as he curled up to make himself comfortable.

The taller lay down as well, covering them both up with the blanket around their shoulders. The red eyes didn't close, staring at the alien.

"What is it Kuro-san?" Blue eyes looked ahead, half lidded as they met red. Fay moved his arm from under the comforter to lie beside him, his hand resting against his cool pillow. The taller hesitated on an answer before growling, his arm rising from under the heavy blanket to wrap around Fay's neck in order to pull him close.

"Why do you have to be so goddamn attractive, moron?" He grumbled, kissing Fay possessively. Fay's reply was quickly muffled by Kurogane's kiss, not that the other minded in the least as he kissed back. The hand that was lying on his pillow, moved to rest against Kurogane's jaw, his thumb moving gently across the skin in a soothing manner.

The other snaked his unused arm around Fay's waist, pulling him closer in a similar way to the night before. Kurogane parted first, being more responsible with getting air this time, and came back to kiss the blonde a little more passionately. Fay gave a muffled yelp as he was pulled closer, only given a brief moment for air before he was kissed again. His nails applied a slight pressure into Kurogane's skin as the kiss deepened.

Kurogane was quicker to act than their previous make out, his tongue darting out to lick the smooth lips of the blonde. He moved his arm from around Fay's neck to lower, finding his hand resting on the thin fabric on the lithe man's back. Fay gasped, his lips parting as Kurogane asked for entrance. He could feel the taller man's hands roaming down his neck to finally rest at his back; it sent a shiver down his spine as he brought his other hand up to place it against the other's chest.

Kurogane delved his tongue into the smaller man's mouth, tasting all he could taste and finally running over the blonde's. He tightened his grip on the smaller, wanting more of Fay with each passing moment. He didn't know if he would be able to stop this time, not with how Fay was dressed and how they both felt. He suppressed a shiver that was caused by the thought. Fay moved his hand from Kurogane's jaw to the back of the taller man's head, his fingers brushing through the dark hair as he was kissed soundly. Fay moved back a bit, his and Kurogane's lips still connected, until he nearly had one of Kurogane's arms pinned beneath him and the mattress. He could still feel the presence of Kurogane's other arm snaked around his waist and the large hand against his back. The alien sighed into the kiss, moving his leg until his foot lay flat on the bed, his knee bent under the cover.

Kurogane, not wanting to be separated, moved with him, his body shifting slightly until the hand that held the back was resting on the other side of Fay's head. He was halfway atop the lithe man, never once breaking the kiss. When he heard the other sigh, he couldn't help but let a shiver escape. Fay wrapped both arms around Kurogane's shoulders, enjoying the weight of the other man on top of him. The blonde smiled into the kiss as he felt Kurogane shudder. He could feel his thigh brush Kurogane's side as the human settled over him. His lungs burned for air and reluctantly he ended the kiss. Panting Fay looked up at Kurogane as he caught his breath.

Said man looked back, also gasping for air. He seemed to smirk in the moonlight, obviously pleased with what they were doing. He leaned down again, only instead of kissing his lips, he nipped lightly at the other's jaw line and neck, placing soft kisses wherever he saw fit. Fay craned his neck up and to the side to offer Kurogane room. He laughed at the light touches against the sensitive skin. Fingers sprawled atop Kurogane's head as Fay stared up towards the ceiling, mewling at the kisses.

Kurogane stared at the other from where he was, not liking the laughter from his affection. But that slowly dissolved when the gentle sounds elicited from the pale mouth. The human ran his tongue across the bone in the other's neck, all the way up to the tip of his chin. Fay's laughter was cut short as he felt Kurogane's tongue leave a warm trail from his collarbone to his chin. His back arched at the jolt of electricity that shot down his spine. He had to bit his lip to keep from making any noises.

The taller man noticed this and smirked, dipping down to run his tongue across the collar bone of the other. This not only tasted good, but it also could bring more noise from the blonde. He wanted that. And for some reason, he wanted that a lot.

"K-kuro-sama..." Fay turned his face to the side, his cheek feeling all too warm against the pillow. His breath hitched as he felt Kurogane's tongue once again tracing his collarbone and closed his eyes at the feeling. Fay squirmed a bit, his thigh moving against the other's side as he did. Kurogane growled lowly when he felt the leg, almost forgetting what he was doing. He pulled away from the blonde before nipping at the naked flesh again, a small and a little harsher than before, but not too hard as to bruise the beautiful flesh.

Fay panted harshly as he felt himself flush at Kurogane's touch. A wave of excitement rolled over him as he heard the other growling lowly, and as his chest rumbling from the sound. The blonde almost felt faint at the sensory overload and dug his nails against Kurogane's shoulders as he groaned as he was bitten. But did Kurogane give him a break? Of course not. The taller felt a jolt of need go through his body, his hand sliding down the lithe body to the hem of the partially existent shirt on the smaller man's leg. He brought his lips up to kiss Fay as he slowly brought his hand up the thigh until his fingers were touching the blonde's stomach.

Fay gladly returned Kurogane's kiss, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the touch of the other's lips against his own. When Kurogane moved to place his hand on the blonde's stomach, Fay's eyes snapped open as he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end at the new sensation. He moved his other leg to rest at an angle on Kurogane's other side, while he brushed his other thigh against Kurogane's muscular side.

The student raised an eyebrow at the other, smirking against lips as his hand continued to travel up. The other tan hand was resting next to Fay's head, in order to keep his balance. Kurogane's fingers traced closely to the soft skin, sending chills through his spine. Fay shuddered and arched off the bed as Kurogane's hand ghosted over his skin. The alien was sure his cheeks were scarlet from Kurogane's touches. His hands moved from Kurogane's shoulders to either side of the man's head, moving the other away and effectively breaking the kiss so he could breathe once more.

"...Kuro-rin." Fay called the name breathlessly as he gazed heatedly at the other man. His body felt as if it were aflame as he shifted below Kurogane. The red eyes were set ablaze as they stared back, enraptured by the blue orbs. A sudden and very wicked smirk spread a cross his lips.

"....Should I stop?" He said, beginning to pull his hand away from the pale skin that was obviously being pressed back against his palm.

"N-no don't." Fay was reluctant to admit he hadn't had much experience in relationships, but refused to stop, wanting Kurogane to continue. Fay moved Kurogane's face closer to kiss the other's lightly sweaty brow. The blonde then moved to give a tender kiss to Kurogane's temple as a silent plea to continue. He heard a deep chuckle come forth from the human, the hand returning to hold the alien's side. Kurogane leaned down and kissed the neck once more, his hand slipping under the light fabric to caress the other's side up across the ribs.

A choked moan escaped the blonde's throat as he felt Kurogane's hand moving under his shirt. His eyes half lidded and glazed over with too many emotions, Fay shuddered violently at the new touch. He worked his fingers through Kurogane's hair to distract himself from the twisting sensation forming in his stomach. Kurogane bit once more on the neck, a little harder than before as his hand touched to blonde more. He looked up to see the expression on his lover's face when his hand gently grazed past a soft nipple.

Fay's breath hitched and his eyes opened wide as he tried to look down to see what Kurogane was doing. The taller man returned to look at the blonde again, his studying the other's face as his fingers began to play with the perk piece of flesh.

Fay clasped a hand over his mouth as another moan tried to leave his lips. The blonde's head fell back onto the pillow as he shut his eyes tightly at the strange sensation. His thighs parted further on instinct as he laid his cheek against his pillow, all the while Kurogane continued his teasing. The human chuckled again, leaning down to run his nose against the other's ear.

"Why are you trying to be quiet? No one will hear you but me..." He said smoothly.

"It's embarrassing." Fay didn't meet the others gaze not wanting to admit he had never been like this with another man before, after all aside from Kurogane every other person that had tried to touch him had only done so out of lust. His blush intensified at the memory and of what was happening now.

"Oh? Embarrassed?" He placed a gentle kiss on the other's cheek.

"I can stop touching you like this if it embarrasses you." He said, casting a glance down at Fay's expression when his fingers gently squeezed Fay's nipple.

"No, don't." Fay turned to look at Kurogane, his eyelids heavy from all the sensations coursing through his body.

"I'm just not used to this." Fay removed his hand to place it against Kurogane's cheek. Kurogane tilted his head to the side, planting a kiss on the hand.

"If you don't want me to stop..." He leaned down, kissing Fay's lips.

"Make noise for me..." He said huskily, his hand slowly continuing what it had paused from.

"Aaahh, Kuro-myu..." Fay felt his nails dig into the other's skin a little too much as Kurogane teased him. The other grunted slightly, the nails of the other being sharper than he remembered, but the sound of the alien's voice made him want more. He leaned down, kissing the collarbone and licking it slightly. His hand left the tender skin of the other to move the fabric off Fay's body. Kurogane worked it off until it was on Fay's forearms. The taller man held the shirt there and kissed the blonde again, before dipping down and occupying the area where his fingers were with his mouth.

Fay squirmed as Kurogane removed his shirt and gasped loudly as Kurogane's mouth replaced his fingers. It was the strangest sensation he had felt yet, but it was also sending wave after wave of pleasure through his body. The blonde shivered as his thighs pressed tightly to either side of Kurogane. His chest heaved as his breath quickened, enjoying Kurogane's touch more and more with each passing second.

The dark haired man still held the other's hands captured in his shirt above blonde tresses whilst his tongue swirled the skin in his mouth. He growled lightly when Fay's legs touched him needingly, feeling the same urge. He gently nipped on the flesh, producing little bruises around one and once he saw it he moved to the other one, giving it the same treatment.

"Kuro-rinta...my hands." Fay's fingers twitched and ached to touch Kurogane as he whispered desperately. He unwittingly bucked his hips up and immediately was embarrassed by it, having never done such a thing before. Kurogane pulled away from Fay, pausing after the other had moved forcefully against his pelvic area. He raised an eyebrow before chuckling, kissing the alien.

"You and your cute crap..." He muttered, removing the shirt from the pale wrists. Quickly Fay threaded his fingers in Kurogane's hair bringing the other closer for another quick kiss.

"Kuro-chan is a tease." The blonde said as he planted lighter kisses along Kurogane's forehead. He laughed breathlessly as he wrapped his arms around the other's neck.

"Not my fault." The other replied simply, his hand stroking the blonde's side. It seemed to have healed up nicely, for it wasn't causing the alien any more pain, not even when he touched it. Kurogane kissed Fay sensually, all the while his hand roaming the light body. Fay shifted on the bed and leaned up into the kiss gladly. timidly he hooked a leg around Kurogane's back, moaning into the kiss at the new angle. Fay relaxed into the kiss, seemingly melting into the mattress as Kurogane's weight pressed down on him.

The taller bent his knees, making Fay's bend as well, as he broke away from the kiss and reapplied his lips to the blonde's. He tried to make sure he wasn't crushing his companion with his body, hoping he was evenly balanced. He growled in low approval as the smaller man's leg came over him, his hand running down the body to hold the back of the alien's thigh.

Kurogane's weight lightened suddenly and Fay whimpered at the loss. As his leg moved further up Kurogane's back, his body was moved to a new angle. In turn, Fay's other leg moved to hook awkwardly around the other man's leg. Fay's breath hitched as he felt Kurogane's hand on his thigh and felt the knots in his stomach tighten.

The human pressed his body back down on the blonde, hearing the little whine, and the dark haired man removed his lips from the other man's. He had something on his mind that he needed to figure out, and he'd be damned if asking was an option. Kurogane kissed the alien's neck again while his hand slipped from the thigh and down to the inner section of Fay's legs, grasping the parts there.

"Kuro-sama!" Fay nearly jumped out of his skin as Kurogane cupped his arousal. He leaned up then, he eyes closed tightly together. With Kurogane's hand moving down there, Fay's leg's clenched around Kurogane, bringing the other man closer. The taller growled, licking the other's neck again.

"What? I was gunna touch that sooner or later..." He said bluntly, smirking smugly to himself. His hand removed itself; instead the human ran a finger across the pant line of the shorts.

"Is that alright? If I touch you there..."

"...Y-yes." Fay shivered as fingers traced over his skin. Fay moved too wipe sweat off his brow and move his hair out of his line of sight. His blush intensified even more, if it was at all possible as his heart felt ready to burst. Unsure of himself, he lay back down, his stomach tensed as he briefly smiled reassuringly up at Kurogane.

The other's lips broke out into a soft smile, as he leaned down to kiss Fay once more. His hand gripped the edge of Fay's shorts and slowly tugged them off, exposing the alien all the while keeping their lips locked.

He tensed as the last remnant of his clothes was slipped off his thin hips. He held onto Kurogane like a lifeline as he returned his kiss with vigor. The human continued to kiss the alien, his tongue mingling with the other man's in the warmth of Fay's mouth. The dark haired man let his hand fall down onto Fay's member, grasping it slightly.

Fay broke the kiss as he gasped. He moved to bury his face against Kurogane's neck, kissing the tanned skin there as he felt the other's larger hand wrap around him. The red eyed man leaned his head into the blonde's, his breath rugged as he tried to keep himself from taking advantage of the inexperienced. His hand slowly began to move up and down on Fay's shaft, not going too slow or too fast for the beginning.

"Kuro-rin..." Fay whispered against the other's skin. He's eyes were at half mast and darkened with lust. He nuzzled Kurogane's neck and licked away stray beads of sweat that had began running down the tanned skin. Hanging on to the other Fay tried not to move his hips as Kurogane pumped his erection. The alien moaned and his breath washed over Kurogane's skin as he lost himself in the sensation.

Kurogane shivered, the other hand pulling the blonde closer as he buried his face into the pale neck. He wanted to be inside Fay at that moment, his own pleading need wanting to be satisfied, but he found himself unable to force the blonde to take him at that moment, his hand still moving against Fay's member.

Fay bit his lip as Kurogane continued to stroke him. The leg draped over Kurogane's back moved further up his waist brushing up against the fabric of the other's pants. He wondered why, at that moment, Kurogane wasn't completely undressed like he was.

"Kuro-wan?" His hand deftly went to cup Kurogane's cheek to draw his attention. The other stopped and looked at Fay, curious as to what he could want.

"hnn?"

"Shouldn't Kuro-rinta be...undressed as well? It doesn't...seem fair that I'm the only one that is." Fay said between pants. The other scoffed and kissed the other's slightly sweaty forehead.

"Tch, fine." He muttered before pulling away from Fay. He sat there for a moment, his eyes roaming he other's body in all its glory before he hooked his fingers in his pants and pulled them off, not looking at Fay as a blush overtook his face. Fay blushed as he watched, almost in slow motion, as Kurogane slipped off his pants and boxers at the same time. He looked quickly away before Kurogane could reveal himself, but after he heard the dull thump of the garments hitting the floor he couldn't resist the temptation to look.

He stared openly wide eyed, that is before he realized he was staring and just as quickly as before turned his gaze elsewhere. Kurogane rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment before he huffed; why the hell stop now? He crawled back over top of Fay, pulling the blonde's face to his with his fingers. He kissed him lightly, but possessively, showing that he still wanted to continue.

As Kurogane moved back over top him, Fay's legs were on either side of his soon to be lover's waist, his feet firmly planted on the mattress as he leaned up to deepen the kiss he had currently received. His hands grabbed Kurogane's arms trying to hold the other in place.

Heart racing Fay thought back to seeing Kurogane finally in the buff. From glimpses he had caught when the other was out of the shower and when they were in bed, Fay knew Kurogane was toned, but seeing him in his entirety drove that idea further home. Even down there Kurogane was impressive, even if he was only a little more well proportioned than Fay himself. His heart rate increased another notch and his face turned a shade redder as he embarrassed himself with carnal thoughts. Kurogane pulled away, his expression one of confused embarrassment.

"O-oi... what're you blushing at?" He asked gruffly, slightly unnerved that Fay's face had turned red and refused to go back pale even after he was done looking at Kurogane's nether-regions.

"Nothing, just thinking." Fay smiled warmly before he leaned up to place a tender kiss against Kurogane's cheek.

"Of?" He asked, leaning into the kiss. After seeing Fay blush like that, he wasn't sure if he should be proud of his size or be embarrassed of it...

"Of Kuro-pon." Fay noted Kurogane's own blush and he smiled brightened, seeing as how sweet the other man was. Said man sighed, not knowing if that was a good or bad answer, but seeing the sweet smile that came along with it reassured him it wasn't anything to worry about. Kurogane leaned down and kissed Fay a little roughly, like the kiss on the couch earlier that day. His body leaned down against Fay, absentmindedly spreading the pale legs apart more.

Fay choked back a moan as he felt himself brush against Kurogane's member. As he was being kissed Fay hooked a leg around Kurogane's waist again as he kissed the other man back with a bit more aggressively. The muscular man growled in approval, his hand slipping down to keep the leg in place whilst he pulled Fay closer with the other hand. Gods, this was almost too much. But at the same time, it wasn't enough.

The alien made an amused sound as Kurogane moved them closer together. He hummed pleasantly as their bodies shifted and arousals moved against each other. The blonde squirmed a bit and moved to drape his other leg over Kurogane's waist, enjoying how the other liked it. Kurogane groaned, his member twitching in anticipation when it rubbed against Fay. The human kissed the blonde roughly.

"Blondie...." he began, his body's needs overpowering his will to keep things smooth and nice for the alien.

"I... I can't stand it any longer... I want to be in you..." He hissed in the pale ear, forcing himself not to buck against the smaller frame. As expected Fay flushed scarlet. It was a deciding moment, a large step in their relationship and as Fay looked up at Kurogane he knew that giving himself to this man was what he wanted above anything else at this moment.

Through his lust clouded mind, Fay soberly realized abruptly Kurogane was his most important person.

He smiled affectionately up to Kurogane his hand moving to brush Kurogane's cheek tenderly.

"Yes, Kuro-min, I think I would like that very much." Fay craned his head up to kiss underneath Kurogane's chin. Lying back down, his hair sprawled messily on the pillow around him, darkened with sweat Fay waited. The student looked down at Fay with the same realization, before kissing the blonde gently and full of...well, love. While doing so, Kurogane's hand traveled back down to Fay's groin, slipping passed his length to touch the blonde's entry point. Fay's hips bucked upwards as he felt a finger probing his entrance. He broke the kiss to see that Kurogane's hand was currently between both their bodies.

"Kuro-chan." He shuddered at the intrusion and the odd feeling accompanying it, but found it wasn't entirely unpleasant. He pulled Kurogane closer to him, so they could enjoy yet another kiss. The tanned man paused for a moment before he proceeded, allowing the finger to widen Fay slightly. He pulled it out, blushing slightly as he pulled away to speak.

"Now two..." The blond hugged Kurogane to him even more at the added pressure. He shuddered as Kurogane began scissoring his fingers, stretching him. It was uncomfortable at first, but Fay grew used to the feeling. Peppering kisses along every available inch of skin in front of him, Fay had no clue that this was what it was like to be with another man. He felt his anxiety lessen as he continued to kiss Kurogane, taking in the other's scent as his nose bumped against his throat.

Kurogane had to smirk, finding Fay's reaction to what he was doing with his hand somewhat adorable. He caught hold of the blonde's lips with his own as a warning that he was going to replace them with the real thing this time. Fay took a deep breath and exhaled, nodding against Kurogane's shoulder, quietly saying he was ready. Kurogane touched the head to Fay's entrance slowly, entering the blonde with cautiousness as to not hurt him. Even though Kurogane had prepared him properly, his fingers had nothing on what was coming now.

"Aaahhh...Kuro-min." Fay tucked his head under Kurogane's chin and clenched his eyes just as he was entered. He knew his nails were going to leave a mark on the other man's skin, but the odd pressure and feeling of Kurogane's erection moving slowly within him made Fay tense.

"Nnn..." The other grunted, slight strain present on his face.

"Gods... you're so tight..." He muttered, shuddering slightly as the walls around his length tensed. He managed to sheath himself into Fay all the way, holding the smaller as they both got used to the other. Kurogane couldn't give a flying fuck about the nails; all he could think about was the blonde and how wonderfully fresh he was to this.

"Kuro-w-wankoro..." Fay brushed the back of his hand over his forehead, wiping away sweat. His mind raced, Kurogane was actually inside him, they were about to....to make love. Fay felt his heart soar and his pulse quicken as adrenaline flowed through his veins. He was a strange sensation, but as moments passed and Fay adjusted to his lover's size he shifted his hips, giving Kurogane an encouraging kiss under his jaw line as he waited not sure of what to do.

The taller took that kiss as a 'go', and he pulled slowly out, although not all the way, before entering again with a soft grunt. His hands were now on both sides of Fay, holding him up and clenching the sheets tightly as he let the new sensations waver off him. Fay winced a bit as Kurogane shallowly thrust back into him for the first time. It sent a wave of pleasure down his spine and to his own neglected erection. It still felt odd to him. Fay brought Kurogane closer to him, wanting to feel the man's weight on him. He cheeks were tinted pink as he kissed Kurogane.

The taller kissed back, his arms bending at the elbows to allow him to reach and to continue exiting and re-entering his new lover. The rhythm at first was clumsy, for both of them were new at this, but after a couple more thrusts and repositioning one was finally established. Kurogane buried his face into the crook of Fay's neck, panting lightly against his skin there while making a few more lovebites. Fay smiled into the kiss as the rocked back and forth gently, the pace of Kurogane's thrusts increasing gradually. His hands were sprawled across the muscular back of his new lover, nails slightly groping across sweat slicked skin as he was moved.

On a particular thrust Fay wrenched his lips away from Kurogane's and arched almost completely off the bed.

"K-kuro!" The blonde choked on his words, not even able to say a proper nickname as Kurogane brushed against something that made sparks dance under his closed eyes. His nails racked over Kurogane's back as he came down from the feeling. The other smirked to himself, knowing he had hit the spot that was in everyone. He pulled Fay closer to him and continued to aim at that spot, becoming a little rougher with each graze.

"nn...d...dammit...." Fay shuddered as Kurogane's hips jerked against him with each thrust, not to mention how the other was somehow hitting his prostate each and every time making him almost delirious from pleasure. Briefly he thought of Kurogane's back and how it must be adorned with scratches now, but he tossed his head back against his sweat dampened pillow as Kurogane's movements became a little rougher which in turn caused a noise to escape his throat each and every time.

Kurogane grunted; listening to the blonde was only enticing him more. He growled aggressively, one of his hands reaching down to hold the pale hip as he thrust hard into the blonde. He clenched his teeth while his other hand braced him against Fay's pillow, almost unable to continue because of the speed they were attaining.

"K-kuro-sama!" Fay gasped sharply as Kurogane increased the pace to an almost alarming speed. Long legs around the taller man's waist swayed with the rocking motions they were causing. Fay's hands slid to Kurogane's upper arms, his nails running down them leaving light marks in their wake. It was almost too much for the other to take as their angle was changed and Kurogane was gripping his hip tightly, Fay felt his only arousal, which was still left untouched, twitch as friction their bodies created sent shivers down his spine.

The human continued this for a short while, but his hand on the pale hip glided over and grabbed the abandoned erection, and pumping it in time with the thrusts. He knew this would help Fay reach release better than just letting it sit there begging to be touched. Kurogane panted deeply and shoved deeper, not knowing how far he could go, or how far Fay would let him go.

"More, Kuro-chii..." Fay mewled as he tried to pull the other man closer to him. He moved his legs further up his lover's back, hooking his ankles together so they wouldn't slide down. Once Kurogane began stroking him as well, Fay had closed his eyes in euphoric bliss, loving the sensation of being filled as he littered Kurogane's skin with clumsy kisses.

Kurogane grunted in reply, giving the blonde what he wanted. He moved faster and harder, though it was a wonder how, considering how frantic they were moving beforehand. Kurogane bit at Fay's neck, claiming several spots anew and old ones with a bruising kiss. He closed his eyes tightly, lusting for the depths of Fay more and more the closer he got to filling the blonde with something else.

The alien saw stars as Kurogane claimed him. It wasn't long after Fay gave a startled cry as he arched off the mattress and stilled. His hands moving to Kurogane's hair pulling the dark strands a little too roughly as he felt something warm splashing between them. He panted against Kurogane's ear as the other still moved at a frantic pace.

A few more thrusts and Kurogane too relented to a loud cry, his body arching against the blonde's as Fay felt himself being filled with similar liquid. Kurogane groaned and let his elbows give way, his face being buried into the blonde's neck as the waves of ecstasy hit him over and over. Fay practically purred as Kurogane spilled inside him and as the taller man fell forward.

Fay moved his hands to stroke the dampened hair. As Kurogane's face lay buried by his neck, Fay placed gentle kisses against the dark hair and any tanned skin he could reach. The human remained like that for a few more moments, before sitting up above the blonde with his elbows. He leaned down and kissed the alien before pulling himself out of his lover.

Fay returned the brief kiss Kurogane gave him as the other man rose. The blonde winced and shuddered with an audible noise as Kurogane pulled out of him. Thin hands moved to hold strong arms as he looked up to meet the others eyes. Said other locked his gaze with blue, noticing the hue seemed to be darker than normal. He wondered if that was because he was too tired and was seeing things or maybe it was a reaction to what had happened for aliens like Fay. He shrugged it aside and brought his lips against Fay's to brush them gently.

"I take it back; I don't like you." Eyes going wide, Fay's hands feel limp to the mattress as lips pressed against his own. His legs lay sprawled on either side of Kurogane as the words echoed in his mind. He felt his heart plummet to his stomach. Kurogane noticed his reaction and chuckled.

"Dumbass... I love you..." He said lowly, placing his hand atop Fay's, their fingers setting together in a loosely laced manner.

"You should really learn how to let people finish their sentences..."

"I..." Fay couldn't find his voice at that moment, so instead he grabbed a lock of Kurogane's hair and tugged. He glared lightly at the human for having frightened him like that, but he soon found himself smiling as he pulled Kurogane down for another kiss. The other obliged full heartedly, capturing soft lips in a heated way. He wondered if he had ever done that with previous girlfriends and love-making, but whatever had happened in the past was nothing compared to how Fay had made him feel now. The sex was amazing, needless to say, but even the everyday things, like how the blonde clutched his back when they went to town, it made him feel like he could move mountains with a glare. Ending their kiss, the blonde moved to look at his new lover.

"Kuro-rin's sure that he loves me, he's not just saying it in the heat of the moment?" Fay smiled as he teased Kurogane. He had to admit he was surprised at the confession and knew not to take something like it too lightly, especially when it was from Kurogane. Fay pushed down memories of confessions from lovesick people out of his head, he knew Kurogane was not like that and it made him cherish the moment even more.

"Tch, I wouldn't have wasted breath on it if I didn't mean it." He said simply, moving to lie next to the blonde. He paused when he saw just how much of a mess they had made, before sitting up.

"Ugh. I can't sleep in this." He said bluntly, picking up a soiled blanket. Fay moved a little to not get in Kurogane's way as the other removed the cover. He could feel his body beginning to feel the after effects of their previous activities; he knew he would be sore tomorrow. Moving to sit up, being sure to cover himself in modesty, he watched as Kurogane rolled the dirtied blanket up. He made a face as he felt a wetness on the inside if his thigh and stomach, blushing when he realized what it was. The other didn't look at Fay as he tossed the dirty sheets on the floor.

"Oi, if you want, you can go wash up." he said, pulling the pillows off the bed and setting them aside so he could removed the fitted fabric. Fay nodded and stood, swaying a little as he searched for his discarded shorts. Finding them by the door, he slipped them on before walking out of the bedroom and to the bathroom. Once inside he searched for a washcloth. Finding one he then undressed and stepped into the shower. Quickly he turned the shower on letting the warm water wash over his muscles that were beginning to become sore.

Washcloth on hand he grabbed one of the new bottles of shower gel and began washing himself. His face heated as he cleaned below the waist, alarmed a little when he saw rivulets of pink wash down his thighs and down the drain, Fay hurriedly finished and stepped outside and quickly found a towel to dry himself. He glanced at himself in the mirror over the sink and flushed at seeing the love bites covering his skin before pulling on his clothing once more.

When he returned to the bedroom, the human was wearing his previous sweatpants and looked cleaned up as well. He was pulling a comforter off the top shelf in the closet, his eyes glancing over to Fay when he entered. Fay smiled as he moved a little clumsily to the bed. Sitting down he moved back to his previous spot, waiting for Kurogane. The dark haired one removed the blanket and walked over, closing the hamper lid on the dirty sheets as he passed it. He then unfolded it and lifted it up, letting it fall over Fay slowly.

"Oi, you're not..." He began, blushing.

"I didn't hurt you did I?" Fay blushed at the question as well.

"Kuro-rinta was my first...I'm a little sore, but that's to be expected." Fay looked down at the blanket now covering him; idly he smoothed out any wrinkles trying not to meet the other's gaze. Kurogane didn't say anything, but stood there quietly as he thought. Suddenly something came to his attention, for his eyes shot from the clock on the side of the room to the alarm on the counter, swiftly grabbing it and illuminating it with its backlight. He let his arms drop as his head leaned toward the ceiling.

"Fuck."

"What is it Kuro-san?" Fay looked towards his lover worriedly as the other swore.

"It's fucking 5 in the morning." He said, language obviously showing his anger. He set the alarm back down on the counter with a loud slam before pulling the blanket off of his side of the bed.

"Then we should sleep." Fay frowned, knowing Kurogane had class tomorrow, he felt bad about having kept the other awake for so long. Maybe he shouldn't have wanted to continue if it meant problems for Kurogane. The taller man shrugged, sitting down and looking at Fay after he had covered up.

"I can miss a day or two, it won't kill me." he said, pulling the blonde to him to deliver a kiss on the cheek.

"I'd rather be here anyway."

"Hmm...Kuro-san-" Fay smiled as he cupped the others face, laying down beside Kurogane, Fay sighed in contentment.

"-isn't a very good student at all." The other smirked in acknowledgement, lying down as well.

"So? I don't have to stay up like this in the future..." He threatened, knowing that the alien wouldn't like that very much.

"It's my fault Kuro-rin stays up so late." As he scooted closer to Kurogane, Fay nuzzled the others jaw, his eyes growing heavy with sleep. The dark skinned man sighed and wrapped his arm around the blonde, pulling him close.

"Sleep, idiot." he said lightly, knowing that the other was tired. He looked to the side and reached over to grab the alarm, turning it off as to not disturb their slumber before placing it back down.

"Kuro-min's so" He paused to yawn.

"demanding." Fay rested his forehead against Kurogane's as he closed his eyes.


	5. Because if I didn't

**Disclaimer: **Do I even have to tell you that I don't own them? Because I wish I did ;__;

**Mirika-rin:** This is a fun chapter. A fun, fun chapter. I KNOW you guys will appreciate it, with the lack of KUROFAY DAMMIT from the authors, ahem. owo More characters get introduced, or rather just one, and a nice little fluff at the end, like a bunny tail.

**Ashine-chan:** Now that we've finally had a confession and a lemon, looking back the plot bunnies ran amock and we ended up with this lol I blame it on the lack of kurofay in recent chapters. Anyways, here we introduce another character and everyone gets to see more of TRC plot elements being incorporated...though I doubt that's what most of you will be looking for XD

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The human found himself getting used to waking up with Fay in his arms. He sighed in awakening into the lightly fragranced hair. He flinched slightly when he felt a finger jab at him. He swatted at it, and heard a giggle.

"Kurogane-kun shouldn't let his lover keep him up on a school night..." He heard his cousin say lightly. He scoffed and waved his hand at her before wrapping his arm back around Fay's sleeping form.

"Go the fuck away..." He said groggily. She giggled again, and for once complied. Kurogane was about to set off for dreamland again when his eyes shot open in realization. What the fuck was Tomoyo doing in his house?! And... And she had seen...!!! He jumped out of bed, making sure the blonde didn't fall out with him, before he threw on a shirt and ran into the living room where the girl was. Fay was jolted awake as he felt the bed rock and heard the thundering of footsteps. Groggily he sat up, hand going to his mussed hair. Scanning the room he didn't see Kurogane.

"Kuro-san?" He could hear the two in the other room talking, Tomoyo giggled.

"My, you got up quickly."

"What the hell are you doing in my house, you brat?!"

"I have a key remember? I used to live here too. And I came over to take Fay-san out again." He could actually envision Tomoyo's evil smirk.

"But I could see that Fay-san was a bit preoccupied. Usually couples wait a while to commit like that."

"S-shut up you!"

"Kurogane-kun...." Her voice became serious. Fay could make out shuffling footsteps.

"Fay-san... what is he?" Fay had swung his legs over the side of the bed, preparing to dress and greet Tomoyo when his eyes widened in shock and he paused, straining his ears to listen in on the conversation. His mind started to race, wondering how Tomoyo could have possibly known. He heard Kurogane hesitate.

"W-what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tomoyo shuffled a little more.

"What is...Fay-san to you?"

"....He's an idiot...." Kurogane's relief seemed to swim in his voice.

"But... he's more important to me than anyone..."

"Anything?"

"That too."

"hmmm.... I suspected as much, you wouldn't have gone and done what you did if you didn't feel that way for him..." The alien sighed in relief, his hand clutching his chest. Fay smiled warmly at Kurogane's words, knowing it must be hard for the other man to admit such a thing. Moving from the bed, Fay went about getting dressed. Stepping out of the bedroom, he wore the black shirt from last night along with a pair of charcoal colored pants.

"Tomoyo, good morning." He smiled as he saw the girl standing in front of Kurogane. She looked at Fay and smiled warmly too, only to have it fall in worry.

"Oh Fay-san!" She exclaimed rushing over to him to touch exposed neck, where a lovebite was clearly visible.

"Did my mean cousin do this to you!?" Kurogane blushed and looked away.

"Yes." Fay knew he was blushing as Tomoyo inspected him. He should have picked another shirt, preferably one that covered his neck. Tomoyo turned on her heel and hit Kurogane on the shoulder blade.

"Don't be so cruel to him, Kurogane-kun!" The tallest in the room flinched noticeably as her fist came in contact with his back.

"Aie! Don't do that, Tomoyo!" He growled, grabbing her wrist to stop her from hitting him again.

"Kuro-rin didn't hurt me." He moved forward quickly to stop Tomoyo from pummeling her cousin, but winced a bit as he forgot about how sore he currently was. The girl paused in her actions, having both the men stop her, and she sighed, retreating.

"But your neck looks terrible. Kurogane-kun could've at least not bit so hard." The other's cheeks flushed and he gritted his teeth while folding his arms.

"Yeah, well, he's not the only one who walked away with bruises...." He muttered, though Tomoyo turned to him with sparkles in her eyes.

"Oh?!" Fay's face heated at Kurogane's statement. Tomoyo stood beside him as she nearly sparkled at her cousin's words. Fay couldn't meet Kurogane's eyes as he turned, his body complaining at the movement.

"What's that look for?" Kurogane asked peevishly, and Tomoyo scooted closer to him.

"I want to see the markings my cousin received from his lover! He's probably the only one who could've actually laid a hand on the almighty Kurogane-kun!"

"Like hell I'll show you twerp." Tomoyo whined.

"Its not anywhere inappropriate is it?"

"W-what the hell?! No!"

"Then lemme seeeeee!"

"No!"

"I...I didn't hurt you did I Kuro-rinta?" Fay became worried as he remembered last night digging his nails a little too harshly in the others skin. Kurogane looked up from his cousin, seeing the concern in the other's eyes.

"N-no, you didn't. Tomoyo stop being a brat and let it drop."

"Just oooooooooooooooooone?!" Kurogane sighed and rolled his eyes. He reached up and unbuttoned his collar so it flapped about lazily against his neck. He then pulled it over to show one of the long nail marks Fay had caused from the late night events. Fay frowned as he saw the red marks along the others back, he hadn't meant to do any damage. He shifted from one leg to the other, his lower back aching a bit from last night. It made Fay think back to the small amount of blood that had washed away last night in the shower which made him blush even more. Tomoyo inspected them with a curious glance before Kurogane buttoned the collar once again.

"Happy now? Little brat." The little human hummed slightly before turning to Fay.

"So, how late did you stay up? Are you still tired?"

"Kuro-rin can answer that better than me." Fay smiled sheepishly as Tomoyo turned to Kurogane awaiting an answer.

"Til this morning." He said simply, his mind traveling back to the sheets in the hamper. He wondered why that orgasm had brought forth so much of his essence... He blushed, realizing he was letting his mind wander around a very corrupted child. She smiled innocently.

"I see..." She turned once again to Fay.

"Was Kurogane-kun to harsh on you? You seem to be standing funny."

"Tomoyo, knock it off." Kurogane commanded sharply. His tone was surprisingly forceful, so much that the girl actually stopped talking altogether. The student sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I don't think today would be the best day to go shopping."

"I'm sorry Tomoyo, but Kuro-kun's right, I'm still a bit tired." Fay had hoped he wouldn't hurt her feelings too much, but he didn't think he'd be able to last an entire day walking about town. Fay had also hoped no one would have noticed his stance, he knew now that Kurogane would probably question him once they were alone. The girl frowned slightly in disappointment, but it regained itself in full force happily.

"That's alright! My cousin is a little forceful when showing affection, so it's no surprise." Fay could see the tallest shoot her a glare.

"I'll come back Thursday then, to check up on you and to take you out on the town." She walked over to the door before smiling once again, only maniacally.

"Just make sure Kurogane-kun doesn't treat you...TOO roughly..." She giggled, and before Kurogane could yell at her she had shut the door.

"Tomoyo is very perceptive." Fay said as he watched the girl leave. Though he was glad she wasn't too put out by him not going with her. The other grumbled, obviously both embarrassed and peeved.

"Yeah, always has been. I can't hide anything from her now...." He thought for a moment, turning to Fay.

"Except for you." He said slowly, in reference to their earlier fears in the conversation Kurogane and Tomoyo had had.

"Yes, I was worried for a moment." Fay moved to stand beside Kurogane reaching for the other hand and, with a blush renewed on his face, laced their fingers together.

"Are we going to school today?" Fay asked, having not glanced at a clock earlier. Kurogane allowed his hand to be taken.

"No. If we did I'd be twenty minutes late." He took his hand away from Fay and scooped him up in his arms unexpectedly.

"And you wouldn't last ten minutes there."

"K-kuro-san!" Fay yelped as he was picked up. He held on to the other's shoulders tightly for a brief moment in surprise. The human carried Fay back into the bedroom and dropped him on the soft bed.

"You said you were still tired. Go back to sleep."

"I'm not that tired, honestly." Fay mentally sighed in relief, glad Kurogane hadn't picked up on his awkward movements earlier.

"Oh? Then why did Tomoyo mention you standing funny, eh?" He asked, folding his arms.

"It wasn't anything." Fay failed to meet Kurogane's gaze as he shifted on the bed.

"Don't lie to me." The other said flatly, sitting next to Fay. He looked to the floor and thought for a moment.

"It's my fault, huh?"

"And I said last night Kuro-rin was my first...I bled a little and am a bit sore, but I knew I would be." Fay said quietly as he leaned against Kurogane, his head resting against the other man's shoulder. Said man tensed, hearing the blood part, and he sighed, raising his arm to wrap it around the other.

"...Yeah..." He said quietly.

"....What relationships are...." He searched for the appropriate word.

"...acceptable, on your planet?"

"All types, but it is frowned upon by some of the older generation to see couples moving as fast as we have." Fay smiled softly enjoying the others touch.

"Nn... like it is here..." He said pensively.

"What's most common?" he asked, finally showing some curiosity in where Fay used to live.

"I suppose male/female, but not by too wide a margin...why?" He lifted his head up to search Kurogane's face. The other shook his head slightly.

"No real reason..." He grumbled. Fay suspected there was more to Kurogane's questioning, but let it drop.

"What does Kuro-sama want to do, seeing as how we're not going to school?" He idly grasped Kurogane's shirt.

"There's nothing much we can do..." He said nonchalantly before leaning more against Fay.

"We already gave you a back story..." He looked over, his mind traveling back to the fact that the other wasn't human.

"How long can you keep your ears like that?"

"As long as I want, they'll change back if I want them to." Fay smiled as he blushed thinking of spending the entire day alone with Kurogane. Though he was curious as to why the other man was asking him this now.

"Why is Kuro-min curious?" The dark haired one blushed faintly, looking away somewhat.

"I just realized that I hardly know anything about you..." He grumbled almost inaudibly.

"I don't know much about Kuro-chii either." Fay smiled lightly kissing Kurogane's cheek. Kurogane looked at Fay after the peck was planted.

"Well, I'd say my past isn't any of your damn business..." He then cast his gaze on the other's neck in curiosity.

"But you're from somewhere else..."

"Kuro-rin's staring again." Fay blushed probably thinking the same as Kurogane was. "Does this mean that Kuro-pon will tell me about himself?"

"Tch..." The other scoffed, looking away as he leaned against the palm of his hand with his elbow supporting him against his knee.

"I don't care if I tell you or not. It depends on if you want to know."

"I want to know about Kuro-myu very much." Fay moved, placing one arm on the bed at Kurogane's other side while he stood on all fours staring Kurogane in the eye with a playful smile on his face. The other raised an eyebrow with a mimicking smirk.

"Oh? What is it that you want to know?"

"Whatever, Kuro-san wants to tell me." Fay said as he continued to smile at Kurogane.

"Give me specifics idiot, I'm not gunna start from day one." The taller growled, lifting a hand to run it across the alien's cheek and down his neck.

"Hmm...perhaps what is it Kuro-ruu wants to be when he finishes school? Or maybe what was Kuro-rin like when he was younger." Fay gave Kurogane a quick kiss to his cheek, not knowing what to ask first. The other scoffed.

"I wasn't really planning on doing anything. My parents just forced me to take college, so I shot for doing something that I was familiar with, and that was robotics." He thought for a moment.

"My dad was really into it, so I guess I wanted to take over the company when I started. Now I don't really care anymore."

"But Kuro-rin's smart, he shouldn't just quit." Fay frowned a bit. He had wanted to ask more personal questions, but was afraid that it would upset Kurogane and ruin the comfortable atmosphere. The student raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't say I was quitting. I just said I don't care if I take over the company or not." He looked at the blonde pensively, running a hand through the blonde tresses.

"I don't know what would happen to me if I did... or you..."

"What would happen?" Fay leaned into the touch, trying to comfort the other man, as he continued to stare at Kurogane. Said man stared back, his eyes clouded by thought.

"I would become very busy.... it'd be hard to live like I do now...." He frowned deeper.

"I'd hardly see you or Tomoyo, or anyone else in the town." He removed his hand and laid the rest of the way down.

"I would be trying to create something to help me go to different worlds and such." He chuckled lightly at the irony.

"I could help Kuro-san with his work." Fay lay atop Kurogane as said man moved to lie down on the bed. The alien rested his head against his lover's chest, a hand drawn up to rest in front of him at it held the fabric of Kurogane's shirt. The taller man brought one of his hands up to lay it against Fay's back as the other went behind his head.

"I don't know if you could. Here you have to have what's called a license to work on special things like that, and I'm the only one who knows about where you came from..." He said, staring up at the ceiling.

"I could help in secret; no one would know Kuro-min was getting help on the side." Fay smiled at the thought of being able to help Kurogane after all the other had done for him.

"Kuro-san, can I ask you something personal? You can ask me anything in return." Fay plucked idly at the fabric underneath him. He wanted to know everything about Kurogane, even if it was bad. The other was about to comment on the helping on the sidelines, not really liking it, but he closed his mouth to hear Fay's next line of speech.

"What is it?"

"Kuro-tan's not a bad person, but everyone seems to think so...I've noticed the people here talk badly about you." Fay clenched the shirt in his hand as he thought back to all the people they had passed on the street whispering about Kurogane behind his back, it had mad him angry to think they didn't know how kind the man could be and didn't care to find out. The other's expression didn't change for a moment as he registered Fay's words, before he looked down.

"So? What about it?"

"I'm angry that they can't see how Kuro-myu really is and spread rumors about you." Fay moved to look down at Kurogane, pressing a small kiss against the others jaw. The dark skinned man raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you angry for that?" He looked back up to the ceiling.

"People talk about people, it's part of our nature. Whether it be good or bad, made up or truth… that depends on the type of person the gossiper is." He paused.

"And if you're willing to listen or accept the rumors without finding out the truth for yourself, it's worse for you, not the person you're gossiping about."

"Kuro-min's right, I don't think he would do something bad to anyone unless they deserved it, but I don't understand, why they would be saying you had hurt someone?" Fay moved to rest his head underneath Kurogane's chin, a hand resting gently against his cheek. He had hoped he was causing Kurogane to be angry at him. The red eyed man didn't speak for a moment, still looking at the painted wall above him. Finally he sighed.

"Because I did..."

"Kuro-rin must have had a good reason then." Fay was a bit surprised by it, but he knew Kurogane wouldn't have intentionally hurt someone innocent. Fay moved to plant another kiss under Kurogane's chin. The other remained quiet, his jaw clenched. He wanted to tell the other about what had just caused those rumors, but the guilt was suffocating him into silence.

"Kuro-wan, what is it, did I say something wrong?" Fay moved to lean up against Kurogane to really look down at the man. He was worried when he saw the taller man's expression and began rubbing soothing circles on along the others jaw with his thumb.

Kurogane looked up at the blonde before shaking his head slightly.

"You did nothing." He said flatly, voice somewhat strained as he tried to push back the memory.

"Then forget I asked, I don't want Kuro-pipi to have to think about something painful. Let's just lay here like before." Fay cupped Kurogane's face with both hands before bringing his lips to meet the others. The black haired man removed his hand from behind his head to join it with the other on Fay's back, enjoying the kiss. He kind of felt relieved that the alien avoided the subject, but at the same time he felt worse that the other didn't get to know what type of person he was earlier in life. Fay smiled after breaking the kiss.

"Would Kuro-san like to know something about me?" Fay was relieved that Kurogane was willing to let the matter drop, but all the while he still felt guilty for bringing such a sensitive subject up in the first place. Kurogane looked at his lover with curiosity glowing dimly in his eyes. "...What would you want me to know?"

"That's up for Kuro-wankoro to decide, he can ask anything he wants." A playful smile erupted on his face as he gave light kisses from Kurogane's temple down to his chin. The other turned his head away slightly, in order to avoid lips so he could talk. He usually didn't like to talk about others' pasts; in fact, he couldn't give a damn about anyone else's except his. He went against his own feelings and decided to humor the blonde instead.

"Ok then.... what did you do on your planet? Work wise?"

"I didn't work, I went to the academy to study...though I didn't really know what I wanted to do, there were too many options and I just felt overwhelmed by it so I didn't choose anything specific to study for." He looked on sheepishly while Kurogane turned away from him.

"I see... kind of like me..." the other man said, watching the blonde.

"Did you pick anything in the end?"

"No, too many things happened and I just didn't care about it anymore, though I was leaning towards maybe owning my own business, like a little shop or something." He laughed as red eyes looked up at him.

"It wasn't that good of an idea." He rubbed the back of his head as he thought about how silly it was to be something so simple. Kurogane stared.

"How can you doing what you want to do be a bad idea?" He said slowly, a hand slinking up Fay's back to the other's shoulder blades.

"Well, when one goes to the academy they usually go on to have a big important job, not be a shop keeper." He smiled fondly towards Kurogane, happy to know that Kurogane supported him on the matter. The other snorted, thinking about his college.

"Not here. You can become whatever the hell you want, from a toyshop owner to an astronaut." He said simply, slightly glad that Fay was smiling down at him.

"Kuro-pon should be a toyshop owner, that way I could see him in an apron." Fay shook with laughter at the image of Kurogane selling stuffed animals to children all the while wearing a bright red apron. Kurogane shot a glare at the one atop him.

"No." He said bluntly.

"That faggy job is for someone like you." He snorted at the thought, imagining the same thing as Fay, but the alien as the store keeper with a blue apron.

"That would be nice, wouldn't it?" He stifled his laughter by kissing Kurogane again. The taller man kissed back, though a thought suddenly bubbled back into his mind. He let himself fall away from Fay, looking at the smaller. He ran a hand through the blonde hair slowly, allowing himself to treasure that moment as the thought became a question.

"What is it Kuro-shop?" Fay smiled lovingly down at the other man as Kurogane ran his hand through his hair. He leaned into the touch a bit, savoring the feeling.

"Do you ever plan to leave?" He said, his voice taking a tone that didn't sound like Kurogane. It seemed to sound a little hopeless, and red eyes displayed the same feeling. "I left with nowhere to really go." Fay looked away, a frown replacing his smile.

"You have no home to return to? No one looking?" The human asked, almost surprised at the thought of no one caring for the blonde. So many people liked him here, it was almost unbelievable.

"I had nothing back in Valeria to keep me anchored there and left, I don't have a home anymore to really go to." He sighed and stroked the side of Kurogane's cheek as he thought. Said man raised an eyebrow and pulled the other's face down so he could plant a kiss against Fay's lips.

"Aren't you living with me now?"

"Is Kuro-rin asking me to live with him permanently?" Fay smiled brightly as he kissed Kurogane again. The other blushed, obviously not meaning that. But when the topic was said, he blushed more when he realized the answer.

".....yes...."

"I don't know… Kuro-temper is rather grumpy, and he yells a lot, and swears..." Fay looked to be in thought a playful tone to his voice as he looked up towards the ceiling.

"…but he's also a great cook, and he's adorable...." Fay moved to look back down at Kurogane, a devious glint in his eyes, before finishing his sentence. Kurogane was tense for the first part, noticing that Fay wasn't exactly accepting, but when the alien stopped he glared.

"Who the hell is 'adorable' here?" He said vehemently.

"Kuro-rin didn't let me finish." Fay pouted flicking the other on the forehead.

"Kuro-min's also sweet, and handsome, but I suppose there is one very big deciding factor in all of this. Would Kuro-myu like to guess?" Fay leaned forward his face inches from Kurogane as he moved his hand to entangle it in the other's hair. The other raised an eyebrow again.

"Now you want me to interrupt you?" He scoffed, wrapping his fingers with Fay's absentmindedly.

"I don't know; what?" He asked, not trying to give it a lot of thought. He knew the answer, but he wanted Fay to say it.

"I love Kurogane. So I'll accept his offer." Fay smiled brightly as his face flushed at the confession. He had never felt so much for another person, and though at first he had been apprehensive about his feelings for the other, he knew he truly felt the same as Kurogane. Said other smiled slightly, closing the space between them with his lips. Fay smiled into the kiss, returning it with full force as his heart swelled with joy. Kurogane, once again thinking of something, continued the kiss for a few short moments before pulling away.

"What'll we tell Tomoyo? That you've decided to stay here even though you haven't finished 'studying abroad'?"

"I dropped out to stay with Kuro-kun." Fay smiled as he studied Kurogane. The other grunted.

"And here you are telling me not to quit..." Kurogane looked up again.

"...Are you ok with living on Earth?"

"Yes, it's not so different than Valeria, a lot warmer and nicer so I think I can adjust." Fay kissed the tip of Kurogane's nose sweetly. Kurogane sighed, pulling the other in a tight hug. He closed his eyes, both relieved and agitated that Fay would abandon his home for his own.

"Would Kuro-sama like to do something today, after all we're not being very productive." He laughed as he was pulled into an embrace. His hand moved to draw invisibly symbols against Kurogane's clothed chest. The other looked at the ceiling, thinking.

"I don't care. Do I bore you?" He asked amusedly, letting his grip loosen on the blonde in case the other wanted to sit back up.

"No, I just thought you might want to do something besides lay in bed all day even if it is nice." The blonde blushed at his own words.

"Tch. I don't really do anything..." He said, slightly annoyed with his own personal habits.

"...except go to town, study, work on robotics, and practice." He looked down at the blonde.

"Do you wanna do something?"

"Is Kuro-wankoro sure he wouldn't want to do something?" Fay craned his neck upwards to plant a kiss to Kurogane's ear. His face felt feverish as he thought of what he was trying to say. Kurogane moved his head to the side slightly with a low growl.

"Nn... Depends on what it is that you wanna do...." He said with a devious grin.

"Kuro-sama shouldn't beat around the bush." Fay laughed as the taller man growled. He gave another kiss to Kurogane's temple.

"Me?" The student asked skeptically, placing his hands on the other's hips.

"Who's been asking who about this 'something' business?"

"Would Kuro-san like to stay in bed?" Fay asked playfully, a shiver running down his spine as he felt large hands at his hips.

"I sure as hell ain't goin' anywhere." The other replied, smirking once more.

"Then maybe we can find something to do while we're here." Fay was flushed as he spoke, realizing how he was flirting with Kurogane. He offered the man a chaste kiss on his lips. The taller chuckled at the alien's childish shyness, kissing back possessively. He found it amusing that the other wanted to have another round, even after the fact that his first time was just the night before. Fay returned the kiss just as possessively, relishing Kurogane's touch as he lost himself to the other's kiss. The human removed one hand to place it on Fay's back, pushing their bodies closer as he found himself wanting more of the blonde.

Fay moved a hand between them to grasp the hem of Kurogane's shirt, silently asking the other to remove the article. The alien's other hand came to clamp down on Kurogane's shoulder as he sighed into the kiss. The dark haired man pulled away and obeyed the smaller, pulling his shirt off and tossing it to the floor. He smirked as he saw a blush spread across Fay's pale face, before bringing the smaller into an open mouth kiss. Fay felt himself growing warmer as he was pressed against Kurogane, his dark clothes not helping, as he felt a tongue slid past is lips.

The other forced his tongue into the smaller man's mouth, finding and claiming the other. He closed his eyes and gently squeezed the thin hip he was grasping. Fay squeaked in surprise as Kurogane gripped his hip. After his initial shock the blonde smiled into their kiss, savoring the other's taste.

"hnn..." The other grunted, mingling his tongue with the blonde's. If Fay was ok doing it again, he would not hold back. Fay disentangled himself from Kurogane to sit up on the other's waist, using both hands he removed his shirt, though his face brightened considerably as he tossed it to the floor. Kurogane didn't give him a chance to lay back down, for he sat up, attacking the already bruised neck with kisses. They weren't as harsh as before, and sort of felt pleasing.

"Kuro-rin, it tickles." Fay fidgeted in Kurogane's lap as the other held him in place to attack his neck with kisses. Kurogane smirked and replaced his kisses with a lick, from the collar bone to the pivot in his neck.

"Kuro-puppy's so cruel." Fay closed his eyes at the feeling as he clutched the others back. He squirmed at the tingling sensation as Kurogane's tongue left a warm trail of saliva against his skin.

"I can bite you too if you think that." The other grumbled in reply, pulling Fay closer as he tasted more of the other's flesh.

"I seem to recall Kuro-rin biting me last night." Fay teased as he buried his nose against the top of Kurogane's head.

"You're asking for it now." The student growled, running a hand along the other's back, remembering the markings on his own. Fay laughed at Kurogane's remark, hugging him closely as he smiled into his hair. The taller slid his hand back down the back slowly, feeling the curves of the other. He kissed the pale collar bone, before going back to the neck.

Fay kissed Kurogane's hair as he felt hands roaming across the top of his pants. He could feel himself getting aroused as Kurogane continued to hold him. The human, feeling like he wasn't going to get anything accomplished like this, grasped the blonde from the back of one of his thighs. He then, as he held him, laid him down on the bed, hovering atop him.

Fay let out an 'oof' as Kurogane flipped their positions. Startled at being moved, Fay grasped hold of Kurogane's forearms as he stared up at him. Kurogane smirked and claimed the other's lips once more, a little more forceful than before. Fay's face turned crimson as he moved his hands down to unbutton his pants, not meeting Kurogane's gaze. The other snaked down a hand and stopped him, red eyes glaring at the averted blue.

"Oi... what're you doing?"

"Kuro-pu?" Fay looked up questioningly up towards his lover, he didn't understand why Kurogane would stop him. After all he had thought stripping was to the point of what they were doing.

"You don't have to move so fast, idiot." Kurogane grunted, leaning down to kiss his lover softly.

"Kuro-chu's such a sweetie." Fay smiled gently as he moved his hands back up to their previous position clutching Kurogane's arms.

"Tch, say that again and I'll stop altogether." Said man growled angrily, biting higher on the neck where there was yet to be a bruise.

"Would Kuro-rin really stop?" He asked, not thinking he be able to handle Kurogane just up and leaving in the middle of things. He gripped the dark haired man's arms tightly. The taller man smirked and pulled away, almost like he was testing the other to believe he would. Fay reached to tug at a spike a Kurogane's hair as he glared half heartedly.

"Kuro-daddy shouldn't tease." The other smiled evilly down at Fay, feeling smug with himself, and returned his lips against the pale flesh.

"Don't tempt me then." Fay pouted as Kurogane returned to his previous touches. He sighed after a few moments knowing he shouldn't be too upset at Kurogane acting as if he were going to leave and relaxed as he moved to wrap his arms around his lover's neck. Kurogane placed his hand on the lithe man's cheek as he kissed him, balancing his weight with the other. He licked at the inside of Fay's mouth once more, tasting all he could. Fay hummed in appreciation as he leaned into the hand cupping his face. He moved his leg up, only to have it brush the inside of Kurogane's own leg as he moved. The dark haired man shuddered instantly, bending his knees to let Fay move where he wanted. He brought his lips down to the other's jaw line, planting kisses down it.

"Kuro-san, I think I might want to hurry up." Fay felt small jolts of pleasure race down his spine at each of Kurogane's kisses. Goosebumps littered his sensitive skin, loving the feel of Kurogane's lips against his throat. His shifted, panting as he noticed for the first time how constricting his shorts were beginning to feel. The other chuckled, showing that once again he really was related to Tomoyo.

"What happens if I don't?" He said, smirking against the skin, his hand moving slowly down his companion's chest and stomach.

"Then Kuro-sama's a tease and I might not want to do it with him anymore." Fay's eyes widened as the words slipped out and he turned his face abruptly to the side his cheeks ablaze. The taller pulled away, looking at Fay with an oh-please face.

"Really..." He grunted, his fingers dancing over the other's hidden part.

"I doubt you would." He leaned over the other, nipping on the alien's ear.

"Your body's telling me otherwise."

"Please, Kuro-chan..." Fay was tempted to say how it didn't look as if Kurogane was willing to pull away either, but let it drop as he felt fingers applying pressure to his covered arousal. The student grinned in self accomplishment before he let his hand grip the blue pant line.

"Alright." He murmured, planting a kiss on the other's cheek. Fay mewled as he felt Kurogane shift and move his hands to the waistline of his shorts. His knees bent outward as he parted his legs further to allow Kurogane better access. The taller man slid the fabric off his lover's hips and pulled them down, his lips still delicately placing kisses on the side of Fay's face. Once they were off, red eyes studied the blonde. Fay closed his eyes as his hand rested in a loose fist against his lips, his cheek pressed against the bed sheets as he felt Kurogane remove the last bit of clothing from him.

The human's hand ghosted over pale skin around the member, tracing up from knees to the inside of the blonde's thigh. The other groaned softly into Fay's ear, knowing he'd never get over how smooth and perfect the lithe man's skin was. He felt his body involuntarily twitch as Kurogane's hand moved over his skin. He was panting by the time Kurogane had moved his face to his ear.

"S-shouldn't Kuro-san be undressed too?"

"So needy." Kurogane growled, but he sat up slightly and went through the same process of undressing completely, tossing his articles of clothing to the ground before returning to the lanky man. Fay smiled up at Kurogane, reaching up to pull the other down on top of him.

"Kuro-san loves it." Kurogane grunted in agreement, kissing Fay once more. He returned his hand to slink it over the other's body, slowly and smoothly. It touched everything, chest, sides (the one with the burn didn't seem to be burnt anymore), hips, upper legs, inner thighs, and finally the length of the other. Shivers continued to send pleasant shocks down his spine as the taller man familiarized himself with the blonde's skin. Fay choked back a moan as he felt Kurogane's hand wrap around him.

"Aaahhh...Kuro-wan." Kurogane's eyes opened slightly, staring down at his lover. He began to move his hand up and down against Fay, his grip a little tighter than the first time. Fay pulled Kurogane close, his legs spreading wider on instinct as his lover's

hand began pumping his erection. Fay gave a sloppy kiss against Kurogane's cheek as he wrapped his arms tightly around the man's neck.

The student growled gently against the heated flesh on Fay's cheek, nuzzling it softly as his hand moved a little faster against the length. Fay moved to cup the back of Kurogane's head as the other's face moved against his cheek. He could feel just how hot he face was as Kurogane did so.

"Kuro-myu...stop..." He covered his mouth and arched a bit off the bed as the hand around his member increased its pace. Kurogane looked at Fay, slowing, but not stopping.

"What is it?"

"I don't want to finish...too soon." Fay said in between breaths. He moved to lean up, resting against his elbows as his muscles quivered at the continuing touch. Kurogane sat up with him, silently obeying as his hand removed itself. The taller man kissed Fay's neck gently over a bruise he had left from the previous night's activities. Fay shifted, as one arm supported his weight the other moved to wrap around Kurogane. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it quickly embarrassed to ask what was on his mind or at least not knowing how to say it. The red eyed man looked up and caught the other's hesitation.

"Hnn?" He grunted, removing his lips reluctantly. The alien cursed silently at having been caught and knowing Kurogane wouldn't let it rest. Fay was determined to ask.

"Does Kuro-sama have any...oil to use?" Fay fidgeted, highly embarrassed.

"To make things easier..." He refused to meet the other gaze as he finished talking, his arm still encircling the other's neck. The taller blinked and blushed as well, though not as much. He looked over to his bedside counter in thought.

"....Kind of...." He mumbled, pulling away from the blonde to open a drawer. It wasn't really oil, but more of a lotion. He guessed it would work; he just wouldn't be able to apply it to sunburns ever again. Fay leaned back against both forearms as he waited for Kurogane to return, he closed his legs, self conscious about being seen especially in the full light of the day. Though it didn't help him from stealing glances at Kurogane as the other moved. When the taller moved back, he blushed, not exactly knowing what to do with the lotion now that he had it. Sighing mentally he decided it better to go ahead and apply it where it was needed.

Fay leaned back against the sheets sighing as he spread his legs apart to allow Kurogane between them. He smiled as he saw the other blushing as he held the bottle in one hand. Said man opened said bottle and put some in his hand, setting the container on the desk before sighing mentally again. He leaned over the other, kissing the blonde before rubbing the lotion on himself. Having plenty left over, he pulled the blonde's leg up against his side and slowly let one of his covered fingers enter Fay.

Fay winced, still sore from last night, but forced himself to relax as Kurogane probed his entrance. His muscles complained a bit as he felt himself being stretched. He reached an arm up to cup Kurogane's cheek. The other entered a second when he felt the muscles relax, and removed them altogether when he felt them loosen around two. He positioned himself against Fay's entrance and looked at the blonde.

Fay smiled up at Kurogane as he tried to bring the other closer to him. Seeing Kurogane waiting for a signal, Fay moved to hook his leg awkwardly around the other's hip, urging him forward. Kurogane did so, entering the alien slowly and groaning softly against the other's neck as he buried his face against the pale skin. Shuddering as Kurogane moved into him, Fay noticed how much smoother it felt than before.

"Kuro-kun...it feels nice." His kissed the side of Kurogane's sweat dampened brow as he moved to wrap his other leg around the man.

"hnn... y-yeah... I know..." The other said, blushing deeply and continuing to thrust himself in until he was up to the hilt. He let out a rugged breath, shuddering as he paused.

Fay felt himself tremble as Kurogane moved and came to a rest inside him. With both hands on either side of Kurogane's face, the blonde lifted him so he could kiss the blushing man.

"Kuro-ruu really is cute when he blushes." Fay laughed gently as he brought their lips together. Kurogane kissed back, but only shortly.

"I can be rough with you, you know." He warned, daring the other to call him cute one more time.

"But it's true, Kuro-rinta adorable." He panted a bit before smiling at Kurogane.

"And besides Kuro-min wouldn't hurt me or anything." The blonde kissed the other, wrapping his arms around the others shoulders to bring him closer. The other flinched, having something jolt his memory.

"....You never know..." He muttered quietly, before affectionately kissing the blonde's neck, as if it was an apology.

"I know you would never mean to, so Kuro-rin shouldn't worry." He shifted under Kurogane, his body tensing at his back tried to complain. He turned his face towards Kurogane once more kissing him with more force. The other returned the kiss, thankful that someone actually would believe that. He felt the lithe man wiggle, so he started to move, removing himself almost completely and then entering again, enjoying the tightness of the other around him.

His breath hitched as Kurogane moved out only to thrust back into him. Fay littered Kurogane's dampened skin with slow kisses as the blonde tensed around him. The other groaned slightly, beginning a slow rhythm like the first time of ins and outs. He allowed Fay to kiss him over everywhere he could reach, not really thinking of the butterfly kisses that peppered him. Fay mewled, tightening his hold on Kurogane as his legs did the same around the other's neck.

"Kuro-myu... Kuro-pon... Kuro-chii..." Fay accentuated each thrust with a different nickname as he held Kurogane to him. The other growled, speeding up slightly. "Why...can't you...ever... call me... by my...fucking... name...idiot!?" Kurogane hissed between thrusts and panting, his mind slowly being overcome by primitive instincts and the sweet sounds of Fay during love-making. The alien released Kurogane's shoulders to dig his nails into the mattress, not wanting to leave more marks on his lover's skin. Noises escaped his throat at each of Kurogane's thrusts, as he listened to the other man's words and the sound of skin against skin. He bucked his hips up trying to meet Kurogane's thrusts as their pace was increased.

The tanned man grunted and fisted the sheets, becoming a little rougher when he felt the other force himself against the tan skin. He was a little surprised, to be honest, that Fay was taking to sex so well, especially if it was only his second time. Fay moved between them to grip his own straining erection, finding it a bit difficult as they were pressed together and moving at a now frantic pace. Kurogane felt this and he shifted his body a little, allowing the smaller to attend to his own needs whilst he continued to pound into the blonde relentlessly.

Fay knew he was getting close to finishing as he hand moved over himself between the sweat slicked bodies. His lungs burned as his chest heaved. The blonde's legs tightened painfully around Kurogane's waist as he arched off the bed.

"K-Kurogane!" White flashed behind his closed eyelids as he stiffened underneath his lover. He felt his muscles turn to jelly as he Kurogane still moved above him. It was only for a little while more, for the other finished off almost immediately after, pouring his seed into the blonde violently. He panted raggedly, his arms unable to hold him up as he collapsed on his companion.

Fay made a slight noise as Kurogane landed on top of him, his face heating as he felt Kurogane's essence inside him. He held his lover, gentle fingers moving through sweat soaked hair, kissing the tanned skin languidly and sweetly as he whispered endearments to Kurogane. The dark haired man sighed, catching his breath and pulling away from Fay. He looked down at the blonde with an aftermath glow about his red eyes. Leaning down, he kissed his lover softly. Fay still panted as his heart rate gradually slowed to normal. He glided his hands down Kurogane's shoulders and back up the taller man's neck to cup his face tenderly. Smiling lovingly as he did. The other blinked, the orgasmic scream from the other just hitting him.

"You....said my name...."

"So I did." Fay smiled looking up at Kurogane.

"Kuro-rinta must be very good to make me say his name." He smiled deviously as he raked his hand through dark hair. The other smirked back, leaning down to run his nose against the rosy cheek.

"Guess so, considering how stubborn you are."

"I get it from being around Kuro-min." Fay laughed lightly as he felt Kurogane's nose brush against his still heated cheek.

"Tch." The other grunted. He pulled away from Fay, exiting the blonde at the same time, before sitting up on the bed. He shivered, his mind still swimming in ecstasy.

"Damn blonde..." Fay moaned as he felt Kurogane pull out of him, leaving a wet trail down his lower regions. His body sang from being claimed and sat up, moving to wrap his arms around Kurogane. The other leaned against Fay, his arm wrapping around his lower back.

"Oi... we should clean up..." He said softly.

"Kuro-san will have to carry me to the shower; I'm too tired to move." He chuckled as he held Kurogane. The student rolled his eyes.

"You lazy ass." He grunted, before standing. Though he turned around and picked up his lover bridal style, carrying him to the bathroom.

"I could have sworn I wasn't being lazy a moment ago...maybe it was my imagination?" Fay laughed as he kissed Kurogane's cheek as his lover carried him out of the bedroom.

Kurogane sighed and closed the bathroom door behind him.

"Shut up." He commanded, setting Fay on the side of the shower where there was a built in seat. He then turned on the water, letting it warm before standing in it. He turned to Fay and held out his hand.

"C'mere."

"Of course Daddy." Fay swayed a bit, his legs still not wanting to work right, as he stood and used Kurogane for support. He nearly purred at the relaxing feel of the warm water running down his body. The other pulled Fay against him so they could share the water. He let it run off his head, washing away the sex and sweat.

"Would you quit calling me that? I'm no 'daddy'."

"I think Kuro-wan would make a good daddy regardless if he has kids or not." Fay pressed himself against Kurogane, sighing as the water soothed his muscles.

"I'm not good with kids." He said simply, turning his head in disregard.

"And I don't wanna adopt any."

"I never said anything about adopting, and Kuro-rin would be good with kids, I know it." Fay kissed the taller man's collarbone as they stood under the shower spray. The other looked down, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you implying?"

"Kuro-san's so suspicious all the time." He said nonchalantly as he moved to reach for a bottle of shower gel.

"Well if you'd answer me for once, I wouldn't have to be." He said peevishly back, growling lowly at the body rubbing against his. Gods, how many times must he screw the blonde before he was satisfied!?

"Kuro-sama wouldn't want little Kuro's then?" Fay heard the other growling, causing him to smile as he opened the bottle and poured a small amount out and onto his open palm.

"No. More of me would be a problem, dontcha think?" He reached over and took his own soap.

"More social outcasts in this world won't make it better." He paused.

"And what the fuck?! Are you saying you can get pregnant?!"

"Yes, is that uncommon here?" The alien winced at Kurogane's yelling so close to his ears. Kurogane blushed, and placed his face in his hand with gritted teeth.

"Holy shit."

"Kuro-chan?" Fay looked up worriedly as he gripped Kurogane's arm. The other dropped his hand, looking at Fay.

"You're able to change all your body parts then? How the hell do you tell who's a guy and who's a girl over on your planet?" He asked, uncapping his bottle.

"What? It's nothing like that." Fay shook his head negatively.

"The male whose going to carry the baby forms a orb of energy and absorbs it into his body to make a womb, then they...you know..." Fay paused to blush.

"If he's pregnant then at different intervals the other father will give him DNA in some way, usually by blood or uhm...sex until the baby's born."

"What do you mean different intervals?" Kurogane asked. This alien's race was so messed up.

"Different stages of development. It comes from a lot of the female population being

barren I suppose." Fay looked to be in thought, biology wasn't really his expertise, especially in matters like these. The other rubbed his head slightly, sighing. His boyfriend could get pregnant. This was definitely classified as hermaphrodite on Earth, but since he was from a different world he could only call it fucked up.

"But then Kuro-wankoro's from a different planet so I'm not sure if it would work or if it would work too well." Fay lathered himself as he thought on it. He smiled at smelling the body wash Tomoyo had gotten him.

"So, you want kids." The other said bluntly, following the actions of his lover with his own soap, only not exactly savoring his soap's smell.

"The thought has crossed my mind before, but I'm not sure if I would be a good parent." Fay replaced the bottle only to pick up another to wash his hair. Kurogane raised his eyebrow, thinking to himself. He hadn't really known the blonde for that long, so he couldn't really judge his parenting skills. He was nice enough to the children he had met in town. Fay closed his eyes and craned his neck upwards as he allowed the water to rinse away the shampoo from his hair.

"I dunno, Blondie... you might make a good parent." The other said finally, wiping off suds with a washcloth.

"Thank you." Fay said quietly as he ran his fingers though his hair, getting the last of the shampoo out. Kurogane watched him rinse, silently pleased as the water dripped off his body. He made himself look away, not wanting to screw the blonde again after just having finished.

"Besides I could never ask Kuro-min to do something like that with me, from your reaction men don't typically do that here?" Fay opened his eyes and moved to grab a matching bottle of conditioner.

"No... Men usually don't... the ones who have the... material, for carrying children have something go wrong in their genes to make them unable to carry children." he said, looking back to the other. Fay smiled softly as he applied conditioner to his hair, working the substance in before washing it away under the water. Kurogane growled lowly again, making himself look away. He would have to have himself neutered or something; that stupid blonde was just too damn good-looking! He moved passed Fay, opening the shower door and getting out. He took a towel and began to dry off as the other finished off in the shower. Fay hummed softly as he finished, turning the shower off his twisted his hair a bit to wring out extra water. His stepped put to see Kurogane drying himself.

"Kuro-rin where are the towels? I can never find them." The other stood straight and pointed to a cabinet above the hamper. He looked around for a moment, then wrapped the towel around his waist and walked out wordlessly. Fay was about to say something before Kurogane practically ran out. With his eyes downcast Fay walked over to the cabinet, taking out a towel. He had hoped Kurogane wouldn't have been so upset over the idea of children, as the blonde dried himself and wrapped the towel around his waist, he ran a hand through his hair.

Fay stepped outside the bathroom the sudden temperature change making him chill as he stepped into the bedroom. His eyes widened at seeing Kurogane without his own towel and blushed as he realized the other was slightly aroused, he immediately looked up and away. Kurogane bend down in the closet and got a pair of pants and boxers, seeing as the others were dirty. He pulled on the clothing and looked over to Fay.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked nonchalantly, seeing the blush.

"Nothing I just thought Kuro-min was angry with me earlier." Fay winced at being snapped at. Kurogane sighed, pulling out a shirt.

"I'm not mad... that childbirth thing just caught me off guard..."

"Then why did Kuro-rin leave so quickly if he wasn't upset?" Fay moved to stand beside Kurogane, he frown set on his face. The other's jaw locked, unable to come up with a good way to avoid using blunt words.

"..." It wasn't working. He sighed, tossing the blonde a pair of pants.

"Just get it through that thick blonde head of yours that I'm not angry and that it's not your fault." Fay had a good guess as to why Kurogane had left, but didn't know how to say it as he took the offered pants. Though instead of slipping them on he held them and continued looking at Kurogane with a determined look on his blushing face. The other felt blue eyes staring at him and it made him slightly uncomfortable.

"What?" he asked curtly, trying his hardest to look no where but the other's face.

"I...I think I know why Kuro-rin left and if we're..." Fay stopped to think of the word Kurogane had used.

"…dating then he should be honest about it especially if he expects the same from me." He gripped the pants in his hand a little more tightly. Kurogane stared at the blonde, blushing slightly. He growled low in his throat, taking a step closer to Fay and pulling him up against his body. He placed his nose against the pale neck as he kissed the collar bone.

"Why do you have to be so goddamn sexy?"

"I don't know about that, but Kuro-rin is pretty handsome." Fay smiled as he held the back of Kurogane's head.

"Nn... stop that. You're fuck-worthy, more so than the people here." The other grumbled against the smooth skin.

"Kuro-san's such a flatterer, but you shouldn't have just left all of the sudden...it makes me worry." Fay turned to bury his nose in the dark hair as he rubbed soothing circles onto Kurogane's neck.

The student rolled his eyes, though he was still blushing. "Not my fault." He said simply, planting another kiss on the smaller man's neck. He then straightened up, looking down at Fay.

"What is it Kuro-chan?" The blonde looked up curious as the other abruptly moved.

"...we're left with nothing to do again..." He said slowly, looking at the clock to see it was only three hours since they began fooling around. Jesus, that was two hours faster than the first night!

"When I walked in on Kuro-min," Fay blushed as he thought back to seeing Kurogane in the buff, even if they had not long before finished having sex.

"He seemed to have an idea of what he wanted to do." He couldn't believe how forward he was sounding; he thought Kurogane's language was beginning to rub off on him. The other's expression went rapidly from shock to smug, his hands slinking down to grab Fay's wrists.

"You really are a kinky bastard."

"I don't think I am, but Kuro-myu does bring out strange things from me." Fay smiled up at Kurogane, trying not to blush even more so from the other's implications. He had felt that as lovers Kurogane shouldn't have kept something so simple from him, but he suppose it made the man more enduring.

The taller grunted in reply, backing the other to the wall as he kissed him heatedly. Goddamn this blonde man! Goddamn! Fay grunted as his back hit the wall with a soft thud as Kurogane kissed him. His hands moved to wrap around the other man's neck as the kiss deepened. The human pulled the lithe man closer, or rather brought his body to the other's. He sighed against the pale lips, allowing his still bare chest to flatten against the fully naked body.

"Ah, Kuro-min..." The alien gasped as he was released from the kiss, he stared back at Kurogane as the other shifted, bringing their hips closer together. The dark haired man smirked and pushed dully against the other, wanting to hear more of the delicious moans from his lover.

Startled by the friction caused by Kurogane's movements Fay threw his head back against the wall. The blonde winced from the impact but hissed through his clenched teeth as Kurogane continued to rub against him. The tanned man's grin grew slightly; though the sound of the blonde's head hitting the wall made him regret doing it. He leaned down and placed his lips against a still non-wounded area of the alien's neck, kissing it and nipping lightly. He kissed black spikes affectionately as he groaned at his lover's lips on his skin.

"Ah, I think if Kuro-po still wants to continue we should move." It wasn't too serious, but Fay was unwilling to repeat banging his head against the wall. The other pulled away somewhat to see his lover and he shrugged; lifting the blonde up so either leg was on his sides. He carried the lithe man like this until he got to the bed, sitting down so Fay was in his lap.

"Much better, know I don't have to worry about getting a concussion." Fay laughed lightly, his hands roaming over Kurogane's arms as he sat on the other man's lap. Deftly the hands moved to the waistline of the other's jeans blushing as he looked up and made eye contact. The taller raised an eyebrow but said nothing in reply, watching his partner with curious amusement. When the blonde looked him in the eye, he leaned back on the bed against his palms.

"Have at it." He said simply, looking down at hesitant but nimble fingers. Cheeks blazed at the words as Fay looked down. His confidence hanging by a thread, as he didn't really know where to begin, Fay moved thin fingers to undo Kurogane's pants. He felt faint from his heart beating so rapidly as he caught sight of the noticeable bulge that met his eyes.

Kurogane felt his grin return when he saw the other's embarrassment, thinking it cute that he was still so shy even after they had made love twice before. He decided to spare his lover from some humiliation and pulled him into a kiss, a hand going down to help the poor alien out with his britches.

Fay hummed in appreciation as he was drawn into a kiss. Moments later they parted, the taller man having unzipped himself as they had kissed. Fay timidly wrapped his hand around Kurogane's arousal. The other shivered, his body arching closer to the hand that held him instinctively. A low growl of approval rumbled out from his throat as red eyes closed, enjoying the jolt of pleasure Fay had given him.

Hearing Kurogane's approval, Fay began moving his hand up and down the heated flesh, as the while averting his gaze from his lover's. His mind raced, not believing he was actually touching Kurogane like this and he had to try to calm himself as his grip tightened. The human felt his skin starting to perspire, waves of sensation making him want more. He shifted his leg some, making the blonde lay on him slightly whilst still pleasuring the member. Fay moved forward as Kurogane moved back, his hand still moving around the other's erection. Fay grew a little braver as he felt eyes on him and moved his hand a little faster.

"Nnn...y-you...." The human stuttered, unable to keep his mind on one thing for long.

"D-dammit..." He raised one arm, wrapping it around the blonde as he softly panted in the other's ear. Fay closed his eyes as he felt warm puffs of air hit his ear, his skin tingled as his hand continued to move roughly against the other. Fay wiped sweat from his brow with his other hand, his own hips gently rocking against Kurogane. As he continued pumping the other's arousal, he could tell the other was nearly spent as he felt a wetness beginning to cover his hand.

"O-oi!" Kurogane called out, his hand shooting out to stop Fay from finishing him.

"N-not yet, dumbass!" He blurted out, blushing deeper from both being touched in that way by the other and by having stopped Fay. The blonde opened his eyes to stare questioningly at Kurogane, his hand still moving. The other's breath hitched, seeming as if he was too late to stop the blonde from finish him off as the wetness increased dramatically. Kurogane groaned loudly, his top half tumbling to the bed.

One hand came to rest across his eyes as his breath came out harshly, to hide embarrassment and to keep him from seeing double of everything. Fay was surprised as Kurogane fell back against the rumpled sheets as he came. The blonde looked down to see his hand currently covered in his lover's essence as well as on his stomach. He blushed furiously as he removed his hand from the organ, noticing the taller man was currently covering his face.

Said man didn't remove his hand, still trying to catch his breath. That damn blonde! He couldn't believe he had just sat there and let it happen, taking it like an obedient dog. He was almost disgusted with himself, and would have been if it was a previous lover, but this was Fay, and even the slightest things like kisses made his flesh heat up.

"Is Kuro-min alright?" Fay asked as he hovered over the taller man, keeping his dirtied hand out to the side so as not to make even more of a mess. The other removed his hand slightly to look at the one straddling him, showing that his face was a vibrant red.

"...Yeah...." He said slowly, blushing increasing as he looked at the smaller. Fay moved forward to place a gentle kiss on the other's forehead. Kurogane sighed, removing his hand so the other could do so. He was still so embarrassed, but he decided it was not as bad as it felt like. This was his lover after all, he could do mostly anything around or with Fay and wouldn't be as mortified as if he was with anyone else. He sighed again, placing a hand on the blonde's back.

"Happy now?"

"Is Kuro-tan?" Fay lifted himself to sit on top of the other's lap. His hand still off to the side as he smiled down at Kurogane. The other's face turned deeper red, if possible, as the other mounted him. He looked away.

"Physically." His pride was shot now. Poor ego.

"Then why are you blushing so much?" Fay placed a finger under his chin in contemplation.

"I don't blush!" Sputtered the other, obviously not telling the truth. He grumbled, placing his hands on the other's thighs.

"Why do you ask so many damn questions, Blondie?!"

"Because I like to know things about Kuro-san." Fay had to prevent himself from gazing down at the intimate contact, as large hands gripped his thighs.

"You know in time, moron." He said angrily, one hand subconsciously rubbing the pale skin in sexual interest.

"Kuro-sama must have a lot...of stamina if he wants to do more still." Fay felt his thigh muscles quiver at the languid caresses and averted his eyes.

"Nnn." The other hummed, slightly surprised in the both of them. Surprised at Fay for mentioning it and at himself for actually agreeing. He smirked and lifted one hand to grasp the other's arm, laying the pale one down atop him.

"And what if I do?"

"I don't have a problem with it." Fay ran his fingers across the others throat in a gentle manner as he smiled mischievously at Kurogane. The smirk grew devious and the taller man kissed his lover heatedly, the hand on the thigh sliding up some to the crook of the pale hip.

"Good." Fay grinned appreciatively into the kiss, wiping his hand on the towel still wrapped around him as he felt Kurogane's hand move to his hip. The human slipped his tongue in between the pale lips, claiming again what was already his as his hand undid what was holding the towel in place, exposing his lover.

Fay felt himself shiver as his towel was removed and he was left bare atop Kurogane. The dark haired man tossed the towel out of the way and allowed his hand to pause, enjoying the kiss and feeling his erection grow once more. He removed his lips from the blonde's and trailed kisses across the thin jaw line.

"...Kuro-san." Fay laughed as Kurogane left a trail of kisses along his jaw. Though as he felt Kurogane becoming aroused again, the blonde felt himself blush as a moan escaped past his thin lips. The taller man's eyes looked at the blonde, seeing the pleasurable expression upon pale features. He shuddered slightly when the moan reached his ears, his hand moving to touch the other's member.

The blonde's eyes grew wide as he felt a hand wrap around his growing erection as shuddered as the warm hand started to move. Fay's breath hitched and he moved forward, placing both his hands on Kurogane's chest to keep his balance. The tanned man smirked and moved a little faster quicker than before; giving the other a mock treatment like Fay had done him. He cast a sidelong glance to the material they had used earlier before returning his vision to the one upon him.

Fay felt his blush spread to cover his face as he closed his eyes and bent his head forward as Kurogane's hand sped up. Fingers sprawled over tanned skin, the blonde's nails dug into the other man's chest, leaving faint marks in their wake. Kurogane growled lightly at the nails, but at least they weren't on the claw marks on his back. He used his other hand to wrap around Fay's leg, pulling him closer to the bed and to his body. Wave after wave of pleasure washed over Fay as his lover's hand moved over his arousal. As he panted, Fay's arms gave way and he supported himself on his forearms as his body continued to shake.

The other's grin grew when he felt the blonde start to shake, but before he could get close to release, Kurogane removed his hand, retreating it to the pale hip once again. Fay groaned a complaint as Kurogane removed his hand. It took some strength to be able to lift his head and look Kurogane in the eye questioningly. The other stared down at the lithe man, but he simply smirked. He then cast his eyes once again to the bottle on the counter, gesturing for the smaller to retrieve it.

Getting the hint, Fay lifted himself off of Kurogane to grab hold of the bottle. Once he had secured said bottle he sat back down on Kurogane and handed the bottle over to his lover a grin set on his face as he leaned forward, one hand placed on the other's chest to steady him.

Kurogane repeated the same procedure as before, only tossing the closed bottle away to where the towel was. He lubricated himself and then inserted a finger into Fay's entrance, using the other hand to pull the blonde down so he could kiss him. The alien returned the offered kiss with full force, bringing his hands up to the back of the taller man's head in turn bringing Kurogane's lips closer to his own. Fay willed himself to relax as a finger probed the sensitive skin down below.

The human exited his finger and returned it with another, scissoring the smaller man. He allowed the other to strengthen their kiss as he readied the blonde for entrance. Fay made small noises as he was prepared and kissed Kurogane all the more heatedly as his hips shifted to move back against the fingers.

Taking that as the blonde was ready; he removed his fingers and guided himself to Fay's opening, entering slowly as to not cause the alien harm. Fay sighed as he felt Kurogane slide into him and arched his back as he was filled. Moving to lean forward against his hands Fay breathed deeply to adjust to the intrusion.

Kurogane stared at the alien's sexual beauty, enraptured by it. He felt himself blush, but it only made him want to do this more. He allowed the other to get used to him being inside and stroked one hand along the pale side in a soothing way. Fay removed a hand from Kurogane's chest to lace his fingers with the hand that was currently moving against his side. He smiled lovingly and hesitantly moved himself a few inches off Kurogane only to come back down just as slowly.

The other growled in approval as Fay moved against him, resisting the urge to buck harshly against the tight and warm being around him. He held the pale appendage loosely, allowing both of the hands to drop to his tan chest. Moments passed and Fay was glad for the hand holding his own, his smile never leaving as he moved experimentally onto Kurogane's erection. His breath hitched and his hand tightened its grip on the larger one as he felt a spike of pleasure jolt his system as his prostate was brushed.

The human moved his other hand to the smaller hip, assisting the blonde in their love making. He felt himself grin when he noticed the pale hand was squeezing his. He held it tighter, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. Fay gasped and he made to move faster, impaling himself as Kurogane aided him.

"Kuro-min..." Fay's hand slid lower, coming to rest against Kurogane's stomach as his back arched and his eyes closed. The other grunted, unable to hold back as he bucked into the other's body. He too closed his eyes, waves of pleasure hitting both of them relentlessly as they gradually sped up. Fay couldn't help the sounds leaving his lips as Kurogane added his own thrusting to his own. His head swam at the sound of his lover's hips snapping upwards to meet him. He knew they were both close as his body began to tense.

Kurogane growled lowly, his hand roughly gripping the pale hip as he felt the walls around him begin to tighten. He leaned his head back against the bed, the ability to think of anything else but Fay and release slowly becoming impossible.

"Ooh, Kuro-myu." Fay said sharply as he felt the hand on his hip tighten, it would probably leave a bruise, but the blonde could have cared less at the moment. He moved his other hand that was still laced with Kurogane's and lifted it to his straining member as hot breath washed over sweat dampened skin. The other obliged to the silent demand and removed his hand from Fay's to wrap it once more around the length. He matched his pumping with the thrusts, mind clouded with Fay's mewlings.

"God... Dammit..."

"Aahhh, Kuro-!" The rest of the nickname fell silent as Fay's eyes became wide as he climaxed. His body tensing around Kurogane as his lover's hand covered him and continued to move inside him. The other's lips parted slightly, a loud groan escaping them as he quickly followed Fay's release, teeming the blonde with his seed.

Fay's hand grasped for purchase as it sat atop Kurogane's stomach, while his eyes fluttered shut at the feeling of Kurogane releasing inside him. He moved his unoccupied hand to lace his fingers back with Kurogane's as he tried to regain his senses. The human allowed his panting to slow, his body shivering slightly at the third climax in one day. He was physically spent now, but he couldn't give a rat's ass about that. He held Fay's hand once again while the other removed itself from the wet spot on the blonde's length.

Panting still, Fay lifted his hips to pull off of his lover's spent organ. Keeping their hands still entwined the blonde moved to lay against the cool sheets beside Kurogane, thankful for the soothing temperature as he stared up at the ceiling. He tightened his hold on the other man's hand as his legs stretched languidly on the bed.

Kurogane watched Fay lay next to him, slinking an arm around the blonde's neck whilst the other held onto pale fingers against his abdomen. He leaned his cheek against the top of the mop of hair, sighing in aftermath of their intercourse. Fay sighed as his heart rate was beginning to slow down to normal; he turned his head towards Kurogane as a small smile graced his lips.

"I love you." The other blinked, taken off guard by the sudden statement, but he smirked and leaned forward so their lips grazed together.

"Yeah, love you too..." Fay smiled into the kiss and laughed gently as they broke apart, thinking how cute Kurogane could be sometimes when he was unaware of it. Said man sighed and looked back at the ceiling, the lucid feeling of adrenaline running through his veins beginning to wear off was making his mind blurry. He closed his eyes in content, knowing they still had a little of the day left.

"What does Kuro-rin want to do now?" Fay chuckled as he noticed the look on the other's face. He tightened his grip on Kurogane's hand to snap the other out of his daze. Said other glanced over to Fay, blinking slowly before sitting up.

"Eh. I don't care. I have to do some work on something in the garage." He said blandly, remembering that he still had that to do. Fay sat up, moving himself from Kurogane's arm, as he turned to look at his lover.

"Then we should get up, it's not very productive to lie in bed all day." He moved to lean backwards and gave Kurogane a quick kiss. The taller man kissed back before standing, grabbing the damp towel he had thrown to the side to wipe of their excess love making.

"You've taken 'lay in bed' to a new level." He grumbled, finishing cleaning of his member and stomach before zipping up the pants he still had on. Fay chuckled grabbing the towel and wiping himself as well.

"Kuro-min's the one who wanted to continue." He moved across the bed to reach the closet and his clothes inside. He could feel his body protesting at moving but knew he'd be healed enough by tomorrow to where it wouldn't be bothersome. Slipping on a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt Fay stood waiting for Kurogane. The other rolled his eyes, even though he knew it to be true, and pulled on a muscle shirt. Said shirt had stained grime on it.

"I'm going to the garage. You do as you please." he said simply, reaching into a box inside the closet, pulling out a metal tool case.

"Can't I come with Kuro-pin?" Fay sat back down on the bed as he watched Kurogane, his arms folded against his chest. The other turned, looking at his companion. He raised an eyebrow and snorted.

"I don't care. Up to you." He then walked toward the door, placing a pair of work gloves in his back pocket. Fay stood then, smiling contently as he followed Kurogane out of the room and out of the house as they headed towards the garage.

The place Kurogane was talking about was smaller than his home, but bigger than a normal garage. It had two doors with large dark windows and was a very dirty white. Kurogane walked to the door and set down the tool case. He reached down and pulled on the door handle, lifting it up with a grunt. Inside was illuminated by the sun, and Fay could see two cars that were being worked on, and something of a human figure sitting in the back.

"I didn't know Kuro-ruu had all of this." Fay looked moved towards the cars, looking inside them as he passed, admiring them. He then turned to the humanoid shape further back.

"What's this?" He looked over his shoulder at Kurogane as he pointed at the object. Kurogane let out a strangled grunt, obviously forgetting that it was there, but knowing it was too late to hide it from the curious blonde, he sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"T-that's...." He folded his arms.

"That's Chii...." Fay studied the thing closer before realization hit in, the blonde quickly backed up from whatever it was, knocking over a box and falling backwards as he did, eyes wide with a sudden fear. The other went to Fay swiftly and knelt down, grabbing the alien's arm.

"Oi! What's wrong with you?!"

"W-what is that, why does it look like that?!" Fay scrambled to scoot himself back, trying to pry himself away from Kurogane's grip as he continued to stare wide eyed at it. The other's vice like handle on the pale arm didn't move or budge, only gripped tighter when he felt the blonde try to move away. Kurogane felt his facial features curve into a scowl.

"That is an android. I had a dream about someone a year ago and that's based off that person." His voice was even, though it was slightly worrying as to why Fay was reacting this way.

"Can't you cover it up or move it somewhere else?" Fay gripped the front of Kurogane's shirt as he pleaded, not taking his eyes off the android. His mind raced as memories came to him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" The other spat, his eyes staring at Fay with worry and anger for the outlander's reaction.

"Why is that bothering you?"

"It looks like her..." Fay pressed himself against Kurogane as he finally turned his gaze away from the android. Kurogane felt automatically curious as to who this 'her' was, but didn't push it, seeing as Fay was acting like a frightened rabbit against his chest. He sighed, and picked up the smaller man, going to the android to lift up its cover. Shielding it from both of their visions, he then walked to a workbench and set down his lover.

The alien buried his face in the other man's chest as he was picked up and the thing was covered. Fay knew he was shaking as Kurogane set him down. He was thankful for Kurogane's kindness. The taller man sat next to Fay, frowning.

"Oi...." He began gently, wrapping an arm around the thin back.

"What was that all about?"

"You said you had a dream of someone who looks like that?" Fay looked down as his clenched hands. Kurogane sighed, hearing the subject change slightly.

"Yeah, so?"

"The person that thing is modeled after...it resembles my mother. The hair's a bit longer and darker, but it's her..." Fay made sure not to look in the direction of where Chii lay covered. The human's eyes widened in realization, looking over to the covered android. He blinked, then looked down at Fay.

"...Your... mother?"

"Her name was Chise..." Fay remembered his mother and her antics; after all he had inherited them from her. The alien leaned against Kurogane's shoulder as images of his mother came back to him. The other continued to frown, before he looked over to the android.

"... That thing isn't complete..." He said slowly, thinking of something that would help.

"I can change the body of it if it wouldn't make you freak out again."

"N-no, it's too much trouble. I was just startled by it...I haven't seen a picture of my mother in a very long time and to see that was just a shock." Fay looked up at Kurogane, not wanting the other man to go through any trouble because of him, Fay glanced over at the covered figure, he would have to forget about it, after all it was just wires and metal. The taller man grumbled, pulling away slightly to see Fay's face better.

"Oi, that thing was going to be helping me around the house, so you'd see a lot of it. If you freak out like that every time you see it I wouldn't want it looking like that."

"Maybe change its hair or something, it's not an exact replica so it won't bother me once I get used to it." A small smile graced the blonde's lips as he looked up at Kurogane and gave him a little kiss. The human kissed back and then looked to the android. He pondered for a moment before standing. He then picked up a pair of scissors and cut the long hair up to right below her mechanical ears. He then took out the brown eyes and changed the color, making them a deep blue before putting them back in.

"Thank you, Kuro-san, it's a lot better now." Fay smiled as he remained seated on the bench. He cheeks tinted a rosy pink thinking of how sweet Kurogane was. The other shrugged and bent down, messing with the exposed wiring on the robot's stomach.

"Nothin big. We'll just have to change its name. Chlorine Hair Ignition Intelligence won't fit now." He then closed the small case against the stomach, a button replacing the human naval. He stood, looking at the naked doll.

"I'll have to find a new way to get its cells to work..."

"Kuro-rin shouldn't go to so much trouble for me." Fay stood making his way to stand near Kurogane as the other worked.

"Tch, you're name and trouble walk hand in hand." Kurogane complained, rolling his eyes. He then looked at a stick of uranium. He glanced between that and the droid and smirked, having an idea. He opened the skull, fiddling with a few red and blue wires before placing the stick of metal in place of what looked like a vial of chlorine. Once finished he closed the skull and took a step back, hands on his hips.

"Youth Under Uranium Ignition. Yuui."

"Kuro-myu's so smart!" Fay laughed as he hugged Kurogane from behind, wrapping his arms around the taller man's waist. The human couldn't help but smirk at how happy he had made his lover, placing one hand on Fay's. He looked over his shoulder to the blonde.

"Oi, I'm not supposed to have her in the first place." He looked back to the robot before pressing the literal belly button.

"We can't have anyone find out about her creation similarly to your past."

"She's some kind of secret too?" Fay leaned to the side to look over the newly named android in curiosity.

"Well.... yeah... I'm not supposed to work on any A.I. outside of my dad's workplace..." Kurogane said sheepishly, though it came off as strangled embarrassment. He lifted up Yuui's chin, looking at her face. Her eyes opened slowly at the contact, them being a deeper and more eerie blue than Fay's eyes.

"You and I are the only ones who know about it."

"Kuro-san stole from his father's work? Kuro-pyon really is a delinquent." Fay rested his forehead against Kurogane's back as he smiled, thinking of how his lover was sharing something like this with him. The other chuckled.

"You don't know the half of it." He muttered to himself, pulling Fay off of him.

"Oi, watch this." He brought the alien around and knelt them both in front of the sitting android.

"Oi. Chii. Your administrator Kurogane has changed your name to Yuui." the android straightened up, placing her hands in her lap in a very lucid matter. When she smiled, it seemed so human.

"Hello Kurogane. Chii has changed her name to Yuui. Transaction verification please." Kurogane looked over to Fay, a smug smile on his face. Fay sat patiently, curious as to what was happening, seeing as how the closest he had ever seen to such a thing were the mechanical song birds the upper-class kept in their homes. Kurogane returned his vision to the android.

"Confirmed." He said simply. The doll smiled wider and closed her eyes in a cute fashion.

"Yuui. Good afternoon Kurogane. Yuui thinks the name you have given Yuui is cute. Does it stand for anything?" The man leaned back on his hands.

"Yeah, Youth Under Uranium Ignition." The doll placed a hand in front of her mouth.

"How cute!" Kurogane looked over to Fay.

"Oi, Yuui. This is Fay." The doll brought her attention to the other, her eyes still very empty and void of life.

"Fay..." She closed her eyes.

"Good afternoon Fay! Nice to meet you!"

"Ah, hello Yuui...it's nice to meet you too." Fay was still a bit standoffish when it came to the android, but with seeing how it truly wasn't like his long gone mother he supposed he should at least give it a chance. The girl smiled and then looked to Kurogane.

"Has Yuui's walking program been uploaded yet, Master?" the other flinched.

"Ah... don't call me that." Kurogane said gruffly, standing. The doll looked saddened.

"Kurogane?" Said man went behind the doll and opened up her back.

"Ignore it. Looks like the program was fully downloaded when you were in Hibernation."

The girl's smile returned.

"How exciting!" Fay watched in amazement at Kurogane working, he would have never guessed Kurogane was working at this high a level in robotics. Though he did allow himself to smile as the other man was referred to as 'master'. Whilst Kurogane worked on the android's back, her attention fell upon Fay.

"Fay. Is Fay Kurogane's 'friend' too?" The taller looked up over her shoulder at Fay, then to her.

"Your intelligence needs to be modified." Yuui tilted her head.

"Didn't you say Yuui was your only friend?" Kurogane paused again.

"That guy's my...boyfriend, Yuui. There's a difference between those two things." Yuui blinked, looking at the blonde again.

"Is this true, Fay?"

"Y-yes, there's a big difference, Yuui." Fay blushed at Yuui's question as he looked back to Kurogane. The girl smiled at the alien's voice.

"You have a very pretty boyfriend, Kurogane." She said, her robotic naivety breathtakingly cute. She tilted her head to look over her shoulder.

"Are you almost done, Kurogane? Yuui's very excited about walking." The other rolled his eyes, standing.

"You can sit here a little longer if you continue whining." Fay looked away from Kurogane to gaze at Yuui as she complimented him. He cupped his chin as he contemplated Kurogane's interactions with Yuui; he almost started laughing when he thought about their conversation earlier in the day about children. It seemed Kurogane wasn't giving himself enough credit when it came to the subject. The android lifted one of her hands experimentally and individually moved her fingers, making sure that the metal in them hadn't rusted over time. Kurogane closed her back and sighed.

"There. Done." Yuui smiled wider and immediately tried to stand, but Kurogane placed his hands on her shoulders and stopped her.

"Oi. Don't try to right away or you'll only succeed in failing."

"I thought Kuro-min said he wasn't good with children? Though he seems to be doing well with Yuui." Fay laughed as he sat in front of the two. Kurogane flustered and squawked indignantly.

"S-shut up, you! She has the intelligence of a teenager!" He blurted out, blushing deeper by the second. Yuui just tilted her head.

"Yuui is Kurogane's child? But Kurogane hasn't had intercourse to have Yuui." Again, deeper blush. Fay doubled over as he laughed at Kurogane and even more so at Yuui's comment. Wiping a tear from his eye Fay smiled up at the girl.

"I don't think Kuro-min had Yuui."

"Damn straight I didn't, you fag!" Kurogane spat at his lover. Yuui gave Fay a confused look, placing a hand in front of her face.

"But you said I was Kurogane's child." She looked up to the man.

"Am I Fay's child then?"

"While I can have children I'm afraid I didn't have Yuui either." Fay smiled, ignoring Kurogane as he spoke to the android. Yuui frowned.

"If Fay didn't have Yuui... and if Kurogane didn't have Yuui... how was Yuui made?" Kurogane sighed and opened the back of her head.

"Looks like your memory is lacking a little. You already asked this, remember?" The doll blinked and looked at Fay with a frown.

"No..." A light buzzing sound was heard and Kurogane's hand shot back. "Shit!"

Fay was startled at Kurogane's exclamation and quickly stood to see what was wrong.

"Are you alright?" The taller man held his hand, a burn on the index finger clearly visible. "Dammit, Yuui! Your wiring caught me again!" The girl laughed.

"That's only because Kurogane doesn't want to turn Yuui off."

"Kuro-rinta." Worriedly Fay took the burned appendage and kissed it, before he let go and gazed up at his boyfriend. Kurogane blushed before looking away.

"She does that all the time, don't worry about it." Yuui turned her body slightly, the mechanics hardly causing any sound in her artificial muscles.

"Why did Fay kiss Kurogane's wound?"

"Uhm, it's what people who are close do to each other do when someone's hurt." Fay smiled sheepishly at Yuui as she looked at him with wide eyes.

The girl blinked slowly before looking at Kurogane.

"Do you kiss each other on wounds?" She asked to affirm the logic. Kurogane contemplated this for a moment.

"Some do." he placed a hand on her head.

"It's believed kisses are like a medicine to some minor wounds." She smiled up at her creator.

"Like magic?"

"Yes, like magic." Fay chuckled at the girl's innocence, forgetting for a moment how she was actually just a machine. The android closed her eyes happily, a moment in pride for learning for herself. She then gave a very Kurogane-determined look.

"Ok! Yuui would like to learn how to walk now!" Kurogane growled and turned to her.

"I said wait a moment, ok?! The information hasn't been fully processed yet!"

"Kuro-daddy has a temper doesn't he Yuui?" Fay smiled down at the girl. Yuui looked over to Fay, momentarily confused by the nickname.

"Kuro-daddy?" She smiled and gazed at Kurogane.

"Do boyfriends give each other cute names too?" She asked excitedly. Kurogane sputtered.

"The hell they do!! That idiot just saw it fit to call me something stupid and didn't let it die!" Yuui giggled.

"Yuui thinks it's cute..."

"I do too." Fay smiled at Yuui before turning to frown up at Kurogane.

"Kuro-san doesn't like the petnames I give him?"

"No! When did I say I did, you moron!?" Kurogane barked, but Yuui grabbed the taller man's arm gently, making him look down at her, and she smiled.

"Kurogane... Yuui is happy. If Kurogane is Yuui's father, then Fay is-"

"No." Kurogane said simply.

"I'm not your dad, Yuui. just your creator." The girl tilted her head again.

"Then... Yuui has no relation to Fay?" she said sadly.

"But... Yuui likes Fay..."

"Yuui doesn't have to be related to me to be close...Yuui can be my friend." Even if Fay was still a little weary at the androids appearance he gave it no thought as she looked at him. Her smile returned tenfold.

"Yuui would like that." She blinked, turning her head to look at the mirror on the desk.

"Why does Yuui look so much like Fay then?"

"Y-you'll have to ask Kuro-min that one." Fay's smile slipped and fell from his face as he took a step back from Yuui. The android turn to look at Kurogane, who glanced at Fay. He sighed and rolled his eyes, kneeling in front of Yuui.

"You're not supposed to exist." He started, making the doll frown.

"I wanted to continue working on you, so I brought you back to my house and continued to make you look human. I didn't want to be found out and go to jail, you remember me telling you about that place don't you?" She nodded.

"So I designed you after someone." He looked over to Fay.

"You were made to appear like his twin." He said, hoping that would ease the other's pains. Yuui's face lit up.

"Yuui's supposed to be Fay's twin?!"

"If that's what Kuro-rinta says." He smiled at the girl's excitement as he stood beside Kurogane, silently thanking the man for the idea. The android squealed like a 3-year-old, clapping her hands.

"Now Fay and Yuui don't have to be just friends!" She exclaimed happily. Kurogane sighed and stood, offering the supposed twin a hand. She looked up confused.

"Do you want to learn how to walk or not?" He asked, making the robot smile wider. Fay stepped to the side allowing the other two room. Yuui glanced down before standing on her legs. She wobbled and fell forward, landing in Kurogane's arms. The taller man grunted and flinched, for Yuui was heavier than a normal person. He sighed and looked down.

"Take it slower moron." She smiled sheepishly up to her creator, before trying once again, slower like Kurogane had instructed.

"Yuui's doing a good job." Fay smiled as he crossed he arms and watched the girl taking baby steps. The girl looked over to Fay and smiled back in determination. She pushed against Kurogane's chest to steady herself, looking at the blonde again.

"Oi... Are you thinking of what I think you're thinking of?" She smiled at Kurogane sweetly.

"Yes." He sighed and took her hand, stepping back so she would be able to walk on her own, but be able to be caught if she fell. She straightened her feet slowly, before facing Fay.

Fay was surprised when he realized Yuui was trying to walk towards him, but he quickly recovered and smiled encouragingly towards her as her legs became accustomed to moving. She spread her arms out slightly, one hand holding Kurogane's unsteadily, and began to walk to Fay. She bit her lip when a foot was lifted uncertainly, but she slowly replaced it further ahead of her. She looked at Kurogane for help. He smirked in an amused way.

"Lean your weight on that foot now." She did so, and found herself smiling happily.

"Yuui's doing a good job, just a few more steps." Fay didn't know if he should voice how much this reminded him of a toddler's first steps and what that could possibly imply so the blonde just continued to smile. The girl giggled and tried to close the distance faster, repeating her earlier actions. Kurogane slowly let go of her hand, and she didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were locked on Fay, and she became more assure of herself. Finally she reached the blonde and wrapped her arms around his neck when she leaned forward.

"Ah!" She squeaked happily.

"Yuui did it! Did you see Yuui? Yuui did it!!" The blonde reciprocated the hug, noticing how her skin wasn't soft as he had originally thought.

"Yuui's a quick learner." Fay smiled as the girl chattered happily. It was then that Fay was reminded of children and what he must have been like as a baby learning to walk for his own parents. Kurogane folded his arms, pride swelling in his chest at what he had created. He wondered if he and Fay were to ever have children if this would be how they would learn. He slapped himself mentally for the thought and walked over to Yuui.

"Oi, you're going to have to have a lot more practice than that to be able to call it second nature." She looked at who was talking and smiled.

"Yuui will walk, Kurogane! Yuui will walk!"

"I still think Kuro-min's had some experience with children before." Fay smiled as Yuui proclaimed her goal.

"He doesn't have any running around does he?" Fay teased, even if he was curious about Kurogane's past lovers as the other man probably was. Kurogane growled.

"Like hell I have children!" He spat, and Yuui then clung to him, giggling to herself in her own accomplishment, oblivious to what the others were talking about. Kurogane then thought about any relatives younger than him.

"It could've been Souma and Araterasu..." He thought aloud.

"Kuro-pon would make a good daddy then if he's had experience. Don't you think so Yuui?" Fay continued his teasing as Yuui took a few more steps.

"Yuui thinks Kurogane would be a good daddy!" She announced happily, leaving it 2 to 1. Kurogane growled playfully, picking up the android around her waist and placing her under one arm, which made her squeal happily.

"Don't take his side, brat!" She laughed happily, swinging her legs. Fay stood amused watching Kurogane carry Yuui. His arms crossed and resting against his stomach he couldn't help but imagine Kurogane carrying around kids. Even though he knew something like that would probably be impossible, Fay could help himself from imagining. He stifled a chuckle as Yuui began swinging her arms and legs wildly as she laughed. The taller man set her down where she was before, and knelt in front of her.

"Oi, focus." he commanded, and her laughter was cut short. She gave him a blank stare, reminding them both she was not human.

"Yes, Master Kurogane?" She said automatically, making Kurogane growl in agitation.

"Not your master remember? Anyway, you're going to overheat if you have too much excitement." The droid's smile fell.

"Kurogane is still not finished?" The other frowned too.

"Yeah, I still need to get you a fan so your circuitry doesn't fry."

"Kuro-min's so caring~" Fay said over Kurogane's shoulder as he watched the taller man move Yuui back to her original place. The other shot an evil glare over his shoulder before looking at Yuui. The droid smiled sleepily.

"Kurogane, is Yuui's battery not good either?" The raven haired man stood, looking at the cars.

"Your battery still isn't sufficient eh? Dammit." He said lightly, running a hand through his spikes.

"So your memory, your battery, and your cooling systems need work still..."

"I'm sure Kuro-tan will fix them in no time." He spoke reassuringly to the girl who seemed to be drained of energy. Yuui smiled wider, hearing Fay's voice.

"Yuui is sure he will..." She said groggily, before bowing her head like before and placing her hands on either side of her body.

"Kurogane... permission to go to Hibernation?" Kurogane placed a hand on her head and ruffled her shortened hair.

"Yeah, permission granted." she smiled in affection, before closing her eyes and turning off once more.

"Yuui's very different than what I had expected," Fay walked to stand beside Kurogane, his arms uncrossing so he could grasp his lover's arm.

"and Kuro-min is different around her as well." Kurogane sighed, removing his hand from the droid's head to place it on his hip.

"She still needs work." He looked over to Fay.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Like I said before; Kuro-san is gentle, especially when it comes to kids." Fay smiled before leaning up to press a kiss against the other man's cheek. The taller man growled but didn't comment back, looking down at his creation. He sighed, and picked her up.

"I don't think I like her sitting here." He said nonchalantly, looking around before walking over to a longer stool, one against the back where there were no windows. Fay watched as Kurogane lifted the hibernating Yuui and placed her on the stool out to the way of any trespasser's line of sight.

"Now that Kuro-myu's done, what would he like to do now?" The human stood straight and blanketed up the robot, sighing as he did so. Kurogane turned and walked over to his lover.

"I don't know." Casting a glance over to the clock on the sidewall, he placed his hands on his hips.

"It's been an hour; the sun will be setting soon. We can go eat I guess."

"Is Kuro-min cooking or am I?" Fay grabbed hold of Kurogane's hand as he tried to pull his lover to his house. Kurogane obeyed what the other was physically commanding, only pausing to grab his toolbox and shutting and locking the garage door.

"Tch, I don't care."

"So Kuro-chan did like the food I made the other day." Fay looked back for a moment to smile at Kurogane before he opened the house's front door. The dark haired man blushed lightly, but looked away as if he didn't.

"I never said that. I just don't feel like cooking, that's all!"

"I won't tease Kuro-puu if he admits to it." The blonde said in a sing-song voice as he dragged Kurogane into the kitchen.

"There's nothing to admit!" Kurogane sputtered, blushing a little deeper. He allowed himself to be dragged, stopping to close and lock the back door.

"Now, Kuro-min, sit down while I make us something." Fay released his hold on Kurogane to rummage through the kitchen for something to prepare, finding a few things the blonde began to work, cutting and chopping their intended meal. Absentmindedly he wondered if Kurogane had an apron somewhere but soon dismissed the thought at thinking of Kurogane wearing an apron to cook with. He laughed at the thought and dumped the food into a large pan, stirring it as he added water to the mixture once it got hot enough.

"Just what the hell are you laughing at?" Kurogane asked gruffly, folding his arms after taking a seat at the kitchen table. He watched the other work diligently, somewhat amused that he was living up to the cook alias he was given.

"Kuro-rin in an apron." Fay glanced over his shoulder before returning to the food. The other gave him an incredulous look before snorting.

"You're an idiot." He said simply, looking over to the cabinet. He thought to himself for a moment, wondering if his kitchen had always been this bland. Fay moved to the side to retrieve two plates from the cabinet above him. Setting them down, he turned off the stove and poured the pan's contents into the plates, before depositing the now empty cookware into the sink. Retrieving forks, Fay gathered the plates sitting one in front of Kurogane and the other in front of himself as he sat down.

"I hope Kuro-min likes stir fry even if the food from here I used to make it with looks different than what I'm used to." The other raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, unfolding his arms as he took a fork. He looked down at it in curiosity, lifting a piece of it cautiously. Deciding it fit to be eaten, he took a bite chewing and swallowing. He blinked, and saw it ok to continue eating.

"So does Kuro-min like it?" Fay waited expectantly for his lover to give him an answer as he ate. The human paused in his consumption, shrugging.

"It's not terrible." he said simply, going back to eating.

"Wah, Kuro-grump doesn't like to give out normal compliments does he?" Fay propped his chin up against his hand as he stared at Kurogane. The red eyes removed themselves from his meal and he swallowed.

"If I compliment you all the time you wouldn't take me seriously when I actually meant it."

"I suppose that's true, but Kuro-san compliments me in his own way." Fay laughed before returning to finishing the rest of his meal. The other rolled his eyes and ate wordlessly; enjoying the comfortable silence they held between them. He looked up to the clock and sighed.

"Today went by slowly." He said nonchalantly, getting up to put his plate in the sink.

"It wasn't so slow." Fay followed suit, thinking back to what they had done for most of the day. He leaned his back against the sink as Kurogane placed his own plate in the sink.

"Says you." Kurogane grumbled and looked at the small pile of dishes that had started to grow with time.

"Kuro-wan was counting down the hours all day then?" Fay smiled teasingly, trying to keep himself from blushing. The human, however, blushed a little.

"N-not really." He turned on his heel and sighed, walking toward the living room. Fay looked over to the dishes Kurogane had been looking at moments before and to the retreating form of his lover, sighing Fay moved from the counter to stand in front of the sink inspecting everything. Seeing as how it was like the shower Fay quickly caught on and using the dish soap he found next to the sink faucet began washing the dishes. Kurogane paused in his trek to the couch when he heard the faucet running. He turned and poked his head in the kitchen's doorway.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Dishes." The alien looked over his shoulder at Kurogane before turning back around, his arms up to his elbows submerged in water as he cleaned. The other walked in, feeling awkward at having someone else do the chores around the house.

"Tch. I didn't say you had to do those, idiot."

"No, but I wanted to. Don't I live here to?" Fay didn't look back at Kurogane as he rinsed off a plate and set it to the side to drain. The taller man paused for a moment, seeing logic in what the blonde said. He shrugged, turning back to the living room.

"Do what you like then." Several minutes later Fay wiped his bangs away from his forehead with a soapy hand. It was about ten minutes later when he smiled as he finished drying the last dish and putting it away. With everything done Fay turned around and headed towards the living room in search of Kurogane. Said man was scribbling something down on a piece of paper quickly, his other hand holding his place in a rather large book. He gnawed on the eraser for a moment, looking back to the book, before scribbling once again. His feet were up against the coffee table, and another book was open and rest on his knees. He looked up at Fay when he came in briefly before returning to writing.

Fay stretched his arms over his head before moving to sit beside Kurogane on the couch, not wanting to disrupt the other as he worked. A few minutes passed, and Kurogane closed the book, sighing as he held the pencil between his teeth when he set the book on the coffee table among the others there. He closed his notebook as well, having completed taking notes. Setting his school supplies on the table, he leaned into the couch.

"Is Kuro-wankoro finished already?" Fay folded his legs under him as he leaned towards Kurogane.

"Not finished, just done for the day." He looked over to his lover.

"I don't feel like writing a report tonight."

"Then what does Kuro-min feel like doing?" Fay rested against his boyfriend's shoulder his gaze fixed on nothing in particular. The other paused, thinking of nothing specific.

"I don't care. I ain't got anything else to do today."

"Kuro-rinta should entertain me then. What do people here usually do for fun?" Fay slipped his arms around Kurogane's own arm as he closed his eyes.

"Why the hell should I entertain you?" Kurogane snorted, though he didn't shrug the other off. He sighed, looking away.

"It's too late to go and do anything in town."

"Does Kuro-san have projections then that we could watch?" Fay looked up to meet Kurogane's eyes. The other raised an eyebrow.

"Projecti-" He mentally slapped himself for being so stupid.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on." he stood, walking to a door Fay never realized was there before. Fay followed close behind curious as to what could be behind the mystery door. Kurogane opened it and turned on the light, showing Fay a small but pleasant room. It had much of the same furniture as the living room, a couch, a few chairs, but a large black box was sitting on the opposite wall, a screen plastered along its length that reflected the human and the alien.

"Does Kuro-san use this room often?" Fay walked forward, inspecting everything, his hands moving over the sides of the box against the wall. The other shrugged.

"Not really. My parents use it a lot whenever they come over." He walked forward, sitting on the darkly colored couch and he picked up the little rectangle lying on the coffee table.

"Oi, Blondie, c'mere." Fay stopped his looking around and walked towards Kurogane, sitting beside him on the couch. The blonde pulled his legs up to lay them out on the cushion as he leaned against Kurogane. The taller man watched Fay as he got comfortable and looked at the box.

"That thing is called a television, or tv. People watch...projections on it." He said simply, clicking the on button. The tv flickered and on came a soap opera broadcast. Kurogane scrunched up his nose.

"What the hell were my parents watching?"

"I've never seen them like this before." Fay watched as the people on the tv were arguing about something or other as they sat in a hospital.

"Kuro-sama's parents watch a lot of this?" The other rolled his eyes.

"Hell if I know. I leave them alone when they come in here." He said with a shudder, sorely reminded of a time he walked in without knocking. He never forgot to knock now.

"Kuro-min doesn't watch things with his parents then?" Fay moved to wrap his arm around Kurogane's as he had done in the living room. The other chuckled in spite of himself.

"No, gods no. The things they watch-" He gestured to the opera, where a woman was sobbing overdramatically.

"-don't interest me."

"What does Kuro-rinta like to watch?" Fay looked at the woman who was obviously fake crying and back towards Kurogane, uninterested in the drama. The other shrugged, flicking the channel. The woman turned into a cheetah stalking a bird.

"I don't really watch this crap. The only time I really watch something is if its a movie or if Tomoyo drags me in here."

"What films do you have?" Fay watched as the large cat began running after the bird only to have it escape as it flew away. Kurogane looked down at the blonde before pulling away to stand. He went to the counter under the tv and opened the doors.

"Here, see for yourself." He said lightly, waving at the rows of DVDs. Fay's eyes widened in joy as he moved over to the tv stand. His fingers traced over the case spines, reading title after title.

"Is there anything in particular Kuro-wan wants to see?" Fay looked and smiled at Kurogane. The taller man shrugged, placing his hand on the wall to lean on it.

"I don't care which one, I've seen them all." Blue eyes skimmed over the covers, until a brightly covered case caught his attention. Pulling it out he saw it to be an animated movie and held it up triumphantly for Kurogane to see. The human looked at it for a moment, then had a double take to actually see what it was. He slapped his hand against his face, rubbing his temples.

"Did you HAVE to pick a kid's movie?!" He said exasperatedly.

"Is there something wrong with it?" Fay lowered the movie and frowned, setting it aside he began skimming over the other movies.

"I didn't say we couldn't watch it, it's just that movie was made for kids." Kurogane said, rolling his eyes as he returned to the couch. He slung one arm over the back and placed one leg on the coffee table, staring at the blonde's hunched over form. Fay smiled as he jumped up and walked over to Kurogane, movie in hand.

"Here Kuro-wanwan!" He raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want me to do with it?" He said, before nodding his head to the DVD player.

"Press that green button and wait for the thing to come out, place the DVD on it and push it back in. I'll do the rest." Doing as instructed Fay watched in amusement as he put the disk in. He smiled and returned to the couch, resuming his former position against Kurogane. The screen that had a lion munching on a carcass now turned blue, having received the disk. Kurogane manipulated the screen with his thumb on the remote, selecting the big white letters 'play movie'. Fay watched as the screen changed, still amazed at this world's technology. Kurogane looked over to Fay.

"You didn't have anything like this on your world?" He asked suddenly, ignoring the screen as it turned black to begin the movie.

"They were holograms that appeared on a large cylinder, you press buttons on the light it emits." Fay turned his gaze away from the screen to look at Kurogane as the other spoke. The dark skinned man blinked slowly, trying to imagine what the blonde had said. He turned his attention back to the tv, sighing when he saw the forest appear. Fay stared wide eyed as the movie progressed and the lead character began singing as she moved through the town. He smiled at how charming the movie was and the characters, never having seen such a thing before.

Kurogane leaned against the tall armrest of the couch, smiling slightly at Fay's childish curiosity. He halfheartedly listened to the girl sing, not caring about the movie at all. Another song followed soon after to whom Fay could only think of as the antagonist, seeing as how he was trying to force the girl to be with him. Kurogane snorted at that character, seeing as that man was like so many people in the town he usually went to. He looked over to Fay again, staring at the blue eyes that danced about the screen.

Fay was startled a bit as the scene changed to where the girl's father found the cursed castle and was imprisoned by the beast and the girl left to find him. The human in the room raised an eyebrow as the other jumped slightly in his seat.

"Scared?" He asked with a humorous smirk.

"Kuro-chan's being silly." Fay brought his fingers up to rest against his lips as the girl was chased inside the palace and as she tried to free her father, but the beast caught her. The human rolled his eyes and looked at the tv, amused slightly as said beast stepped into the light. The girl always seemed to overreact to him. If it was him, he would've attacked and killed the thing. The alien's curiosity peeked as the beast took the girl in place of her father, but found himself smiling when the furniture sang and welcomed her to the castle.

Kurogane let his head fall back against the couch. He had always left at this point to get a popcorn refill when he was forced to watch it with Tomoyo. He didn't think doing so now would keep the blonde happy. Instead, he simply listened to the clock yell at the candle holder.

Fay glanced up at Kurogane to see the other apparently bored before he returned his gaze back to the tv where the scorned suitor from earlier was currently being cheered up. He was surprised however as the girl's father burst through the doors and the townspeople threw him out and into the street. The taller man accidentally let out a chuckle to this, staring at the plotting man who was now dancing with the town idiot. Man this movie was stupid.

"Kuro-kun likes the movie?" Fay shifted to look at Kurogane, not paying attention to the movie in front of him. The human snorted, looking away.

"Not really. Are you going to watch it or not?" He asked, noticing the beast was back on the screen. Fay frowned and refocused his attention to the movie, surprised when the girl ran away from the castle only to be chased by animals. He was relieved when the beast rescued her and when they returned she thanked him. Kurogane clicked his tongue, not liking the sentimental moments. For all he cared the girl could've been eaten by wolves. Then again, the beast did love her, and if something like that were to happen to Fay... he placed a hand on his face. What the hell was he thinking?!

"Ooh.." Fay sat up a little as the girl and beast went to a ball, the golden walls and high ceiling reminded him of the halls back on Valeria and he smiled faintly as the two danced on the screen. The little angels dancing on the painted ceiling was very odd, but not very surprising to the alien. The dark haired man sitting next to him, felt slightly repulsed by it though.

The scene ended as the girl left to see her father. Fay kept his gaze fixed on the tv as the man from before raised a mob to take her father away, though he was surprised that the girl would endanger the beast by showing the villagers that he was real. The blonde contemplated it and wondered if he would have been able to do the same. Kurogane moved his foot slightly on the coffee table, staring at the ward of people calling them both crazy. Was it really crazy to think on your own? He sighed; well, this was placed back in the 1800s, so it didn't surprise him.

Fay caught himself laughing when the furniture attacked the villagers and when the girl tried to escape back in the village. When the obvious bad guy snuck into the beast's room, the main character just sat there and took an arrow to the back. Kurogane felt brain cells shrink, unable to comprehend sitting there and taking it like he was. He would've ripped the man's face off by now.

Fay was surprised at the ensuing fight and the beast's reluctance to finish off the man. He winced as the beast was stabbed just as he saw the girl again, though he was happy that the suitor had fallen to his death. Again, the taller chuckled, somewhat pleased at seeing such a vile man finally get what he deserved. Though this was another part that he had usually gone to get popcorn. Stupid classic movies with their sappy endings. As the transformed beast and girl danced Fay smiled as the screen darkened and the movie ended. Lifting himself from Kurogane Fay turned to look at his lover.

"Thank you for watching this with me Kuro-pon, I know you didn't like it." Fay planted a soft kiss against the other's cheek as he thought back to the character's kiss and the romantic ending.

"Nnn." The dark haired man replied, clicking buttons on the remote to turn off the tv and DVD player. He stood, stretching slightly before looking to the clock in the living room. He sighed, placing his hands in his pockets.

"We should get to bed." Fay stood and stretched his muscles sore from the day's activities and was looking forward to sleeping.

"Sounds like a good idea." Kurogane led the way out, closing the door behind him and turning off lights on his way. He paused when he entered; groaning as he looked at what their daily activities had left the bedroom.

"Kuro-san?" Fay peeked over Kurogane as the other man had stopped in the bedroom doorway.

"Screw this! I'm not changing the sheets again!" The human snapped, turning on his heel and walking passed Fay, began toward the living room.

"What are you doing?" Fay quickly stepped out the way as Kurogane stormed back to the living room. He followed after him worried. Kurogane flopped down on the couch, growling.

"I'm sleeping here. Join me or not, that's your choice, but I'll be damned if I have to pull out another pair of sheets just to change them again!" Fay turned on his heel to go back to the bedroom, where he pulled out a blanket from where he had seen Kurogane do it the other day. Unfolding it he carried it to the living room. Settling himself partially on top of Kurogane, the blonde draped the blanket over them.

Kurogane placed one hand behind his head, supporting it so he could look at the one atop him. Reaching up, he turned off the lamp light that was hovering overtop their heads before draping that hand against Fay's back.

"Good night Kuro-min." Fay yawned as he placed a hand against Kurogane's chest.

"Nnn." The other grunted, pulling Fay to his lips for a kiss.

"Night." Fay sighed into the kiss. As they parted the alien closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	6. You'd run right passed me

**Mirika-rin:** Ima stop putting the stupid disclaimers, because we ALL know CLAMP owns Kurogane and Fay and every other CLAMP character we name in here. Anyway, this is a stairstep in the fic, as you will read and find out. Please forgive me for doing a shitty job at Kurogane's later reactions at the end, I did not mean to be such a scum ;__; -bows- this chapter may be shorter than previous or following ones, but its certainly important.

**Ashine-chan: **Here's where we introduce two of my favorite characters, though they need much more love. There's also some angst and fluff at the end, that will get better in the next chapter. Though its the turning point of the fic, things will start to get more angsty. ^_^

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Fay was awoken to the sound of water running and abruptly being stopped. He didn't feel the strong and sturdy man under him, nor could he hear a heartbeat against his head. He opened his eyes, wondering how Kurogane hadn't woken him when he moved. Running a hand through his hair he blonde sat up on the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Kurogane walked in then, a towel hanging around one of his shoulders and only wearing jeans that just happened to be left unbuttoned.

"Oi, you're awake." He said simple, regarding the bedhead, or rather, couchhead, with a small smirk.

"Kuro-min's up bright and early." Fay felt his cheeks redden as he saw Kurogane. The other blinked, looking at the clock.

"Guess so." he placed his hands in his pockets.

"Do you plan to sleep in all day or are you going to get your lazy ass up?" He said blandly, turning to walk into the kitchen for breakfast.

"Kuro-tan's still grumpy it seems." Fay lifted the cover off of him and moved sluggishly to the kitchen where he sat down into the nearest seat and rested his head against his crossed arms on the table. The taller man grabbed an apple from the cabinet and looked over his shoulder.

"Oi, if you're going to do that go back to the couch." He then turned all the way around, leaning against the counter with his elbows.

"I'm still tired from yesterday." Fay mumbled as he opened his eyes and looked at Kurogane.

"Nothing's stopping you from sleeping more." the human replied, raising an eyebrow. Honestly, if you're tired, sleep. He saw that as perfect logic. Fay leaned up in his chair, resting his chin against his upturned palm as he smiled at Kurogane.

"I think a shower might wake me up." Fay stood from his chair and stretched as he made his way out of the kitchen.

"Alright." Kurogane sighed, finishing off the apple and tossing it into the trash bin. He chuckled to himself when Fay left, finding it somewhat flattering that the other would force himself to wake up just to spend a little time with him.

Fay sighed as he closed the door to the bathroom and began stripping. Mechanically the blonde washed and cleaned himself, the warm water waking him up further as the minutes passed. Stepping out the blonde dried off, wrapping a towel around his waist as he threw his dirtied clothes into the hamper. Fay felt refreshed and awake now, especially as he stepped out of the bathroom and into the cooler bedroom. He heard Kurogane grunt in the other room, then a loud metal bang as something was hit.

"God dammit, why do I suddenly have so many things to wash?!" Kurogane complained to himself, making it obvious that he was doing the laundry. Fay chuckled as he sat down in front of the closet to search through his things, his could feel his body aching a bit from stiffness, but ignored it. Kurogane then came into the bedroom, grumbling slightly to himself as he set down the hamper back to where it was originally. He had fixed his pants up and put on a shirt when Fay was in the shower, concealing his body from blue eyes.

"Hello, Kuro-san." Fay smiled up at his lover as he stopped looking through his clothes.

"Yo." He said simply back, folding his arms before leaning against the doorway.

"How long does it take you to pick something out to wear?"

"I still haven't went through everything." The blonde smiled sheepishly as he rummaged through said items. Finally deciding on a white button up shirt with a pair of dark pants Fay stood, blushing a bit as Kurogane continued to look at him. The other still stared for a moment, seeing the blush spread across his partner's face. He raised his eyebrows and chuckled at the other's embarrassment before turning on his heel, taking the hint. He left the bedroom, allowing Fay to change in privacy.

Fay quickly dressed as he fought down his blush and was buttoning his shirt as he made his way into the living room. Kurogane was just zipping up his backpack when Fay entered, tossing it onto his shoulder. He grunted in acknowledgement of the other's presence, picking up his keys off the table. Fay walked towards the front door still buttoning his shirt as he passed Kurogane. The human watched as the other fiddled with the buttons, sighing as he noticed the nimble fingers weren't getting anywhere.

"Here, let me help." He grumbled, reaching down in front of the blonde to do the work Fay couldn't seem to do.

"Thank you, Kuro-san." Fay gave a quick kiss to the others lips as his shirt was finally buttoned. He bent forward grabbing his shoes and slipping them on as he smiled at Kurogane. The dark haired man placed a hand in his pocket as the other opened the front door. He led the way out, closing the door when they were both outside, and continued the way down to his motorcycle. With the now familiar routine Fay waited for his helmet as he straightened on his shirt, worrying over the sleeves, before he decided to leave them unbuttoned.

Kurogane was about to open his bike's compartment when something pale in his backyard caught his attention. He squawked indignantly and dropped his backpack, racing to the object.

"Yuui?! What the fuck!?" Fay was startled as Kurogane ran to retrieve the somehow activated android. The tanned man fell to his knees, lifting the robot's head into his lap.

"Oi! Oi! Yuui! System restore! Listen to me dammit!" He commanded to the droid, who merely looked off into the distance. He checked her over, not seeing any sort of device used to steal her or manipulate her, and having no other choice he sighed and hoisted her up in his arms, looking over to Fay.

"Come on." Fay walked quickly over to Kurogane, worried about how Yuui could have possibly wandered out of the garage. The taller man kicked the garage door when they got there, and it opened to about his waist. He bent over and went inside, setting his robot down on the counter. The human wasted no time in prying open her skull.

"...She didn't have a meltdown, didn't have a short circuit..." he muttered to himself. closing the head, he flipped her over, opening her back. There was wires all tangled there, and Kurogane sighed.

"Nothing's wrong with her..."

"Could she have started up on her own?" Fay looked on as Kurogane examined the android. The bigger man shook his head, placing his hands on his hips.

"She only initiates with verbal command..." He closed the doll's back and sat her back up, kneeling in front of her. He pressed the button on her stomach, which was glowing orange, and the robot shook.

"Oi. Yuui. Are you awake?" The android stared blankly at Kurogane, not responding.

"Her power supply is drained?" Fay suggested as he looked down at the girl. The mechanic growled and stood, walking over to a thick wire lying by a generator. He picked it up and knelt down once again, pressing the 'belly button' twice. It opened slowly, showing a plug in. He attached the cord there, and Fay could see three green bars illuminate behind her stomach's shielding.

"Oi. Yuui. Override safety drill." The girl twitched and sat up straight, though she was not acting like the Yuui they'd seen before.

"System override complete. Reboot, User Kurogane?" Fay stood still amazed at Kurogane working, though his gaze turned to Yuui as the other man tried to figure out what was wrong with her. The human placed a hand on the girl's forehead. She didn't move for a second, then she pulled back.

"Thermal patterns confirmed. Reboot terminated. Returning to System Youth Under Uranium Ignition." She paused for a second, then her dull blue eyes slowly lit up. She looked around, and smiled.

"Good afternoon, Kurogane. Good afternoon, Fay." Kurogane growled.

"This is morning, dumbass."

"Good morning Yuui." Fay smiled relieved as the girl finally spoke. The girl continued to smile back at the other blonde in the room for a moment, before turning to Kurogane with a confused look.

"Why is it morning, Kurogane? Kurogane said Yuui would only turn on at night so no one would steal Yuui." The man grimaced.

"So you don't have any recognition as to why you were outside?" The robot twitched.

"I..." She bowed her head.

"I had a dream..." Kurogane jerked visibly, almost falling back.

"What?!"

"I didn't think she would be able to do that." Fay leaned forward to look at the girl more closely.

"She's not. Androids don't have the brain complexity to create dreams." Kurogane said, making Yuui frown deeper.

"But it's true. Yuui dreamed that someone from very far away w as calling Yuui." She bowed her head.

"Yuui didn't mean to frighten or make Kurogane and Fay angry." The human sighed, unable to have those feelings toward such innocence, but something made him curious.

"Yuui... who was calling you?" She smiled.

"Yuui doesn't know. Shall Yuui play recording of Yuui's dream?"

"If Yuui would." Fay said gently as the girl seemed to brighten at the request. The blonde stood beside Kurogane curious as to how Yuui could have dreamed. He kept his theories to himself as he stood waiting. The doll sat up straighter and opened her eyes wide. Kurogane sat down on the ground a little ways away from the girl. She clicked once, before opening her mouth, but instead of her voice, it was static.

".......................................f.........Fa................peat.....................repeat.................." She twitched slightly, though she continued it.

"..........Flow................hear....................repeat....... flow.....................can you......................Sector....................repeat....................2312.............." Fay stared wide eyed as Yuui relayed the message.

"It wasn't a dream, but a transmission. Can she trace where it came from?" Fay looked over to Kurogane worriedly. Fay wondered to the number, it was familiar, but he couldn't be one hundred percent sure. The scrambled words were also made him curious but the number still stood out to him. The other shook his head.

"I don't know. She's never received anything like this. Yuui. Trace message received." He commanded. The girl stopped playing the static, tilting her head to the side as her logic was replayed.

"Message received at 4:51 am Friday July 3, 2310. Message from..... Unknown at 4:40 am Friday July 3, 2306." Kurogane blinked.

"Four years ago?"

"She just received a message from four years ago. Kuro-rin when was Yuui made?" The wheels in Fay's mind turned as he processed this information trying to make sense of it.

"Last year is when I started working on her." He replied, folding his arms.

"Yuui. Which direction was the message from?" The girl looked at her creator.

"0 degrees north." her hand slowly raised, index finger pointing, to the ceiling. Kurogane eyes widened and then looked at Fay.

"An Extra-Terrestrial message?!" She nodded. "Affirmative."

"There are numerous planets Yuui could have received that message from, but it couldn't be a coincidence could it?" Fay stared worriedly at the girl; he had a sinking suspicion it was from somewhere he had never wanted to see again. The girl twitched again, before leaning forward.

"Receiving message from.... Unknown at 9:36 am Friday July 3, 2306." Kurogane leaned forward.

"Another one?" The girl didn't move for a moment before she opened her mouth.

"...................Fa.................... come in.................. repeat, 23..........."

"You don't think...that it could possibly be..." Fay left the question unsaid as he stared shockingly at Yuui. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Yuui twitched again violently, sparks flying from the back of her head as she uttered the last word of the transmission.

"...............................Fay....................." A bright light and a pop came from her skull and her eyes fell black, her body shivering and collapsing into Kurogane's lap. The human caught her and sat still, wide eyed at the droid. He slowly brought his vision to his lover, unable to formulate something to say.

"Is there any way to stop her from receiving those?" Fay stood solemnly as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He frowned at hearing his name through the transmission not knowing what to do. Kurogane sat still for a moment, before opening the back of her head. Out came a puff of black smoke and more sparks.

"Looks like she won't be doing a lot of things for now..." Kurogane said somberly, looking at the damage done to his droid.

"...She'll need a lot of repair...."

"It's my fault she's like that...I'm sorry." Fay turned away from Kurogane as he felt a sickening feeling wash over him. He had been contacted, but the voice wasn't recognizable to him. He shook at the thought of possibly having to leave.

"No, it's not..." Kurogane said, standing with his broken robot in his arms. He set her down on the bench, where her body lulled lifelessly.

"Unfortunately, she's able to do some fucked up things when her circuitry's fried, so I can't leave her unguarded." He said, looking over to Fay.

"And I still have school to go to."

"What are you going to do then?" Fay shifted and looked over his shoulder to Kurogane.

"I'm going to ask you to stay with her." The human said simply, covering up his robot up to her shoulders.

"I'd be back a lot sooner, since one of my classes is over with for the summer."

"Alright, I can stay here. Is there anything specific I need to do?" Fay turned to face Kurogane as looked up worriedly. The other shook his head, walking up to his boyfriend and looping an arm around him.

"No, just make sure she doesn't go sleepwalking again." He said, planting a kiss on the blonde mop of hair. "Will you be ok with staying here? I'm not going to find her mutilated when I come back, am I?" Fay laughed as he placed his hands against Kurogane's chest.

"No...I'll be good, just hurry back." Fay didn't want to think of being alone, so he washed away the thoughts and leaned up to kiss his lover. Kurogane kissed back, keeping the blonde in his embrace for a few more seconds before pulling away. He headed back to his motorcycle and put on his helmet, looking back only when he was on the bike. He then drove off down the street, leaving a dusty trail in his wake. Fay sighed as he watched Kurogane disappear into the distance. The blonde took another glance at Yuui and covered her before heading outside.

Once he was sure the door was locked he went back inside the house and stood in the middle of the living room, not knowing what to do. The kitchen was quiet and stagnant, everything being organized and clean. The living room, however, still had random pieces of Fay's new furniture lying about. Kurogane's studying materials were strewn about the coffee table, and the blanket was haphazardly thrown across the length of the couch.

Fay looked around and set about cleaning up the house. Folding the blanket, Fay set it on the couch as he stacked Kurogane's books on the coffee table. Once finished Fay moved to the bedroom, stripping the bed of its soiled sheets and dumping them into the laundry room. There were new sheets folded in a cabinet, and some blankets were in the drawer next to them. After some digging, he found good pillow cases too. The laundry room was also organized, though there were some mechanical parts lying about here and there and muddy boots sat by the back door.

Fay wiped sweat from his forehead and looked up to the clock, seeing that not too much time had passed since he began. After redoing the bedding, organizing the clothing in the closet (finally), and placing his furniture about the house to where he thought they would belong, he was left with thirty minutes of free-time he didn't have anything to do with. He sat down on the couch fidgeting as he pondered what he could do to pass the time and wondered if Kurogane had eaten while he was at school.

Suddenly the blonde heard a metallic clinking. It was faint, but it was there. Fay curious walked outside to see what had caused the noise, hoping it wasn't Yuui again. Big surprise, he could see Yuui moving about the garage through the dusty window of the garage door. Startled the blonde ran inside the see Yuui walking on her own in a daze.

"Yuui stop." The girl paused, turning around to look at Fay. Her eyes were like the blue Fay had seen when she first turned on in his presence. She gave him a smile, before it fell to a frown.

"Fay.... Yuui.... has a glitch.... An emotion Kurogane didn't program...." She held up what was making the tinking noise, showing it was a small metal doll. It was robotically tapping its hands together, creating a small clink.

"Yuui doesn't like this emotion..."

"What emotion is it Yuui?" Fay walked slowly towards not knowing what to expect. Coming closer, he could see trails of her eye coloring seeping from the large eyeballs.

"Kurogane described it. Playing recording...." She opened her mouth, and out came Kurogane's voice. It was a little younger, and it sounded like Fay had never heard it.

"....When you feel like you don't have anything to turn to... have no one to care for.... have nothing to protect.... like you can't control your eyes from creating liquids that fall down your face... you feel a pain here..." she lifted her hand to her chest, as if mimicking someone.

".... you feel like you've let someone down and don't know how they'll react..." Yuui wiped her face, still talking.

"... like something's coming after you..."

"Oh Yuui, it's okay, Kuro-san will be back home soon." Fay gathered the android in his arms to try and comfort her, even though he wasn't sure he could. He frowned as he thought back to the recording, the sinking feeling he had earlier reappearing with full force. The android sobbed mechanically against Fay, confused as to why she was feeling this way.

"...B-but.... Yuui has never had a dream... w-what happens if it happens again? Kurogane called this emotion 'afraid'.... does Yuui have afraid?" She babbled on, leaning against her alias twin.

"I'm sure Kuro-rin can stop you from having dreams, Yuui just needs to rest and not think about it alright?" Fay smoothed the girl's short hair as she held him.

"B-but Fay.... Yuui has afraid for who was calling... they're not nice people..." She said, shuddering slightly as her power started to fail her.

"Why did they want Fay? Why did they...." She asked, her voice trailing off into silence as her conscious was shut off. Her belly button turned from green to a blinking orange, showing she was on standby. Fay lifted the android and set her back in her original spot, covering her once more. He clenched his hands into fists to keep them from shaking. The alien turned and walked out of the garage, closing the door behind him.

"Fay-san? What are you doing out here?" Came a voice from behind him. Fay jumped as he heard someone say his name. His eyes wide he turned to see who it was. Tomoyo blinked, her hands in front of her.

"We stopped by to see if you were home... but... why are you out here, Fay-san?"

"I've been cleaning, Kuro-san left me here so I've been occupying myself." Fay smiled sheepishly as he looked at Tomoyo. The girl looked behind him and raised a thin eyebrow.

"You were cleaning the garage?" She shook her head and took Fay's lanky arm.

"Come, they're waiting inside!"

"Whose waiting?" Fay questioned as he was dragged towards the house, having to scramble so he didn't fall flat on his face. Tomoyo smiled widely.

"Kurogane-kun's parents, of course! They said they would be visiting today didn't they?!" she cheered happily, going into the kitchen. She stopped abruptly and looked him up and down.

"My, that's just not acceptable attire." She poked her head into the living room.

"Hang on, you two, we're having wardrobe difficulties." A deep rumble came from said room.

"Ah. Hurry up! I want to meet this person my son has chosen!" Fay looked on in shock; he had completely forgotten Kurogane's parents visiting. Tomoyo laughed and pulled him forward. She shoved him into the bedroom quickly so the parents didn't see Fay and vice versa. She quickly skimmed through the closet and flung out clothing.

"Here! Quickly change! I can't keep them waiting forever!" She said giddily, running out of the room. He stood in shock momentarily before blushing and quickly changing clothes. Once finished he timidly poked his head out of the room to find Tomoyo.

Said girl was sitting in front of Kurogane. Wait, that wasn't Kurogane; there was a sharp pony tail sticking out from behind his head. He also had a tattoo of a dragon trailing down his arm. He smiled warmly and looked to a very beautiful woman. She had long black hair that, even though it was put into a bun, was trailing down the couch and to the floor. She also smiled, and looked at the door. The woman gasped, seeing Fay, and this caught the man's attention. Tomoyo stood, bowing slightly for Fay.

"This is Fay-san." Fay blushed and followed Tomoyo's lead not knowing how he should greet them.

"H-hello, it's nice to meet the two of you." He stammered and blushed further. It seemed from the pictures he had seen before that his lover's parents had changed at all. The man stood immediately, stomping over to Fay in a very Kurogane manner. He grabbed the blonde's arms and glared at him with all too familiar red eyes. Tomoyo and the woman were silent as the man inspected Fay. The blonde stared with wide eyes as Kurogane's father grabbed him and look him over. He let a nervous smile break out on to his face as the man continued to glare. Suddenly a smile took over the rough lips, and Fay was embraced.

"Very nice to meet you too!" He pulled back abruptly, a confused look on his face.

"I was told your name was Yuui though, and that..." He looked down at Fay's chest.

"...you were a girl..."

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but it seems a lot of people make that mistake." Fay laughed nervously as he was still held in the other man's hands. The man's brow furrowed.

"But that doesn't make your name Yuui. Have I met the wrong person? Are you not my boy's lover?"

"Yes, I'm dating Kuro-tan. Was he the one who told you my name?" Fay's mind raced wondering who would have said something like that. The other flinched, and laughed loudly to hide embarrassment.

"Well... the police officers that came here inspecting the crash were actually part of my squad." He pulled his hands away from Fay to rub the back of his own head.

"I asked them to check up on my son since the crash was so close to his house. They gave me the information about you."

"Crash? The police told us it was an earthquake." Fay reeled at the older man's words, hoping Kurogane would hurry home to help with explaining things.

"I don't know why Kuro-rin would give them a fake name though..." Fay frowned as he tried to recall what Kurogane had told the police. The tall man jerked again, realizing he had said too much, and laughed again.

"Well... that's because you weren't supposed to know it was a crash...." He grinned to his wife.

"Looks like this guy's clever! He can get anything out of me!" She shook her head.

"That's just you, love."

"It wasn't anything serious was it?" Fay looked on worriedly hoping he wouldn't be questioned anymore on the subject. Kurogane's father was about to reply, when a sudden bang echoed throughout the room. Everyone cast their eyes to the front door, seeing Kurogane had opened the door rather roughly, his backpack slung to the floor.

"What the hell are you two doing in my home!?" He spat. Kurogane's mother smiled warmly at her son as Tomoyo held back a laugh as she pointed towards Kurogane's father who was currently still holding Fay.

"Hello, Kuro-san." Fay smiled and waved feebly to his boyfriend. The mimic of Kurogane smiled ruggedly and ran to his son, tackling him out the door and onto the porch.

"AH!? DAD!!! GET THE FUCK OFF!"

"THAT'S NO WAY TO TALK AROUND YOUR MOTHER, YOUOU!" Their roughhousing could be heard ending with a thwack.

"Ow! Who does that to their father?!"

"SERVES YOU DAMN RIGHT OLD MAN!" Fay smiled sheepishly as the two scuffled around the front door before Kurogane ended it.

"Now, boys, is that anyway to behave in front of Fay-san and Tomoyo-chan?" Kurogane's mother brought a hand to her lips to stifle her laughter. Kurogane pointed to Tomoyo from outside.

"IT'S HER FAULT!" He barked, making the man holding his head laugh.

"You haven't changed at all." Kurogane looked angrily down to his father, standing and folding his arms.

"Neither have you." The other man stood, dusting himself off. Standing side by side they looked like twins, but Kurogane's father proved himself to be the only person Fay ever saw taller than his lover. Fay didn't know what to do or say as he watched Kurogane interacting with his family. He smiled as he watched Kurogane's temper flare once again at Tomoyo. Kurogane was whacked against the back of his head by his father.

"That's for not calling!" He said simply as the other dark haired man grumbled and rubbed his head. The eldest in the room closed the door and took his seat back on the couch with his wife.

"So! What's with this 'boyfriend' business, you two?" He asked Fay and Kurogane, making the taller cringe.

"Eh..."

"Maybe Kuro-min could answer that better than me?" Fay smiled and blushed as he looked over to Kurogane, trying to find something to say. Kurogane sat down in a chair opposite of his parents.

"You two answer a question first. What the hell are you doing back in the state?" He folded his hands in his lap.

"I thought you said you would be too busy to come visit this year." Kurogane's father smiled gently, before looking at Fay.

"Have a seat, child. I'm Toriho, by the way. My wife here is Tsumebe."

"ANSWER the question Dad!" Fay did as told and listened intently to both his lover and his parents as Tomoyo smiled at him reassuringly from where she sat. The one named Toriho sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"You know the work I'm in, Youou. The...'earthquake' was a crash, and I was put on the investigation team for it." He folded his arms.

"And you were living so close to it I had to check it out. I sent men here first then I decided to come." Kurogane sighed.

"Why do you keep calling me that? I told you, Kurogane. Why is everyone having trouble with my name?!"

"Kuro-san's name is Youou?" Fay blinked in surprise as he looked to Kurogane's parents for confirmation. He was curious as to why Kurogane would change his name of all things.

"It's his first name." The woman, Tsumebe, said with a smile. Kurogane's father folded his arms and frowned.

"He wants to be called Kurogane now since he's living on his own. It's a tradition in our home; you change your middle and first name around when you move out. But you're still our boy, Youou!"

"I'm living on my own! Grandpa's the one who made the freaking tradition! I'm just following it!" Fay laughed as Kurogane yelled, he felt himself growing comfortable around the other's parents as they talked to their son. Though he had to be careful with what he said around them, seeing as how Toriho knew about the crash. Said man smiled at Kurogane and raised an eyebrow.

"So... Yuui is actually Fay?" the short haired man flinched slightly before sighing.

"Yuui... is Fay's twin." He said slowly. Tomoyo blinked.

"Fay-san has a twin?" Kurogane gave her an are-you-for-real-come-on look.

"Yeah, she's out of town. Those dickweeds came by when this idiot was shopping and Yuui was home." Toriho blinked.

"So... that isn't your lover?"

"He IS. I just came up with a story to get them out of my house!" Kurogane snapped, obviously peeved.

"Kuro-wan always has a temper." Fay said, blushing at the memory and because of the other man's words. The blonde though was beginning to get nervous as Kurogane tried to make up a believable story as he went, hoping that the other wouldn't get his stories confused.

"So... Yuui is Fay's twin, who's out of town... yet you say she was your girlfriend." Toriho contemplated.

"But it's actually Fay who is your BOYfriend that you had sex with?" Kurogane's face turned red.

"....." The long haired man smirked in content.

"Good. I was about to say if you were dating Fay and had sex with Yuui-"

"YOU'RE A SICK OLD MAN!" Fay laughed sheepishly and blushed at Kurogane's parents knowing they had had sex.

"Now, love, you're causing Fay-san to become embarrassed." Fay smiled towards the woman, silently thanking her.

"Besides what Youou does with his lover is personal." She laughed gently as her son's lover blushed. Kurogane gritted his teeth, folding his arms in a huff. Toriho smiled wider, leaning against his wife.

"You're right, I'm sorry Fay-chan. I just had to make sure my son wasn't being a two-timer." Kurogane shot a glare to his father.

"You couldn't have possibly come just to check up on me if you're still here." He hissed through clenched teeth.

"Ah, it's perfectly alright, Kuro-kun may have a temper, but he wouldn't cheat." Fay smiled towards Toriho after Kurogane questioned him. The man smiled back before looking to his son. He blinked before gasping.

"Ah yes! That's right! We also came here to give you a charm!" He said happily, digging through a black bag that was sitting on the coffee table. Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"What the hell would I do with a charm?" Fay instantly felt nauseated when the bag was open.

"It's for protection, boy!" His stomach flipped as the bag opened, but he ignored it, not wanting anyone to notice as the charm was given to Kurogane. The ever sharp eyes of his lover caught the blonde's wavering attitude, seeing that Fay was suddenly ill from the metal.

"Protection? From what?" He asked, looking at the bag. He couldn't help but see a red flag when he noticed that this was his father's work bag. He looked at the charm.

"....Aliens?" He scoffed and shoved it back in his dad's hands.

"Come on, get real. That crash wasn't caused by aliens." He stood suddenly.

"Come on, idiot, you shouldn't take being homesick lightly." He ordered, grabbing the pale arm of his companion. Tomoyo gave Kurogane a worried look.

"Is Fay-san missing Italy?" The taller man shrugged.

"He's been off and on with this crap, one minute he'll be annoying the next he'll be too sick to move. Oi, get up, moron, you're going to bed."

"Kuro-min is such a sweetie when he worries, but I'll be okay. I just need something to drink." The blonde stood as Kurogane held his arm. He turned to look at the other man's parents smiling apologetically.

"Would the two of you like something as well?" The taller man sighed and let go of Fay's arm. Toriho raised an eyebrow at the transaction, but smiled, willing down his suspicions.

"I'll have soda." The mother smiled too.

"Juice." Tomoyo giggled at Kurogane's kindness toward Fay.

"The same as Tsumebe-san, please." The tall man standing rolled his eyes and ushered Fay into the kitchen. He closed the door and looked at Fay.

"Oi, you alright?"

"Just a little nauseous Kuro-san, but I'm starting to feel better." Fay smiled and leaned up to give Kurogane a kiss on the cheek. The blonde turned to the cabinets to gather glasses for everyone. The other stopped him, his arm shooting out to touch the side of Fay's head.

"Your...." he began shortly, his fingers smoothing across the once again long ears. Fay was startled at as his lover traced his now normal ears. Quickly his finger tips glowed and he ran them back over his ears transforming them once again to look human.

"I don't understand..." Fay was nervous about being caught now.

"We'll try to figure something out later." He was thankful for leaving when he had, he could only imagine what would have happened if Kurogane's family had seen.

"For now I suggest you follow what I said and go to bed. That way we won't risk anything else." Kurogane replied softly, keeping his voice low so the others wouldn't hear him.

"I doubt my dad will want me to just give back the charm..." They both nearly jumped out of their skin when a soft knock came to the door before it opened.

"Fay-san, are you alright?" It was Tsumebe.

"Ah, yes sorry for worrying everyone, I get nauseous sometimes." Fay smiled towards the woman before quickly going to the fridge to pour her drink along with the others. The priestess walked into the kitchen, giving her son a worried glance before touching Fay's arm gently.

"Are you sure? Do you want to call this visit early? We'll be in town for the week, so we can meet up again when you're better prepared." Kurogane sighed and took the jug of juice from the alien, pouring the liquid into the cups silently.

"Please, don't leave on my account." Fay smiled gently at the woman, he felt guilty for causing her to worry over him. She frowned but straightened, looking at Kurogane for confirmation. He shrugged, knowing that Fay was stubborn. She sighed and returned her vision to the blonde with a smile.

"You're truly wonderful, Fay-san. You're kind, beautiful, and most importantly you keep my son's heart warm." She bowed her head slightly.

"I'm glad to have finally met you, dear one." Kurogane blushed.

"Mom..."

"Please, the pleasure's mine!" Fay practically stumbled over the words as he blushed furiously.

"I would never have thought Kuro-chan had such nice parents." She giggled, patting Kurogane's shoulder lightly.

"With the way he behaves most of the time, one would think in such ways." The taller man simply glared at the mother, who giggled more before she left. He sighed and looked to the ceiling.

"Honestly..."

"What is it Kuro-rinta?" Fay smiled as Tsumebe left them, only to look up at his lover once she was out of the kitchen. Kurogane set the jug of juice back and smirked, planting a kiss on Fay's forehead.

"I'm never going to get rid of you now." He took two of the glasses and then walked out to the living room. Fay paused in the kitchen, his fingers tentatively placed on the spot Kurogane kissed. He smiled brightly at the words, before following Kurogane. Said man had returned to his seat, having the charm tucked away safely back in his father's bag by request. Toriho was sipping on the soda when Fay came in.

"Hello, Fay-chan! Feeling better now?"

"Yes, thank you." Fay smiled and took his seat. Tomoyo smiled from her spot in a chair, taking her drink from Fay with a small thank you. She looked over to the parents.

"How is business, by the way?"

"Busy as usual, the children are all wonderful." Tsumebe smiled as she thought back to the children that had visited her last.

"Yeah, busy. Top Secret jobs are never easy." Her husband said with a smile, though he looked over to Kurogane and folded his arms.

"I wish I could say our GRANDchildren were wonderful too." Kurogane sputtered on his drink. The blonde looked over worriedly as Kurogane nearly choked on his drink. Fay smiled nervously towards Kurogane's parents at what his lover's father was suggesting.

"D-Dammit Dad!" The short haired man coughed out, setting down his liquid.

"Will you let that die?!" The other man smiled happily, arms still crossed.

"No. I was serious when I said I wanted grandchildren." He looked at Fay with a poopy face.

"But it seems I won't get any..." The expressions on Toriho were amusing; since he looked exactly like Kurogane, it was like Kurogane was making those faces. Fay blushed and averted his gaze, thinking on the earlier conversations they had had about kids. Though he had to admit seeing Kurogane flustered was amusing. The younger dark haired man grumbled to himself.

"It's not like we couldn't adopt." Kurogane's father stood, sparkles in his eyes.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" He roared in an overzealous voice. His son sank somewhat in his chair.

"U-uh..."

"DID YOU HEAR THAT, TSUMEBE?!" He boomed, pouncing on his son. Kurogane cussed vibrantly as the chair fell backwards.

" DAD! GET THE FUCK OFF!" Fay watched as Kurogane's father pinned his struggling son down in the fallen chair.

"Will Kuro-wan be alright?" Both women smiled as they watched. Kurogane growled, having his arms locked down.

"DAD!!"

"Is it true that you want Fay-chan to be with you to even have children?!" Kurogane flushed at the question, glancing over to Fay before sighing. It looked like he was giving up, so Toriho loosened his grip. His son smirked evilly and flipped him off, switching the situation 180 degrees. Toriho squawked indignantly in surprise, then he laughed.

"Kuro-sama shouldn't be too rough with his father." The blonde said as he blushed at Toriho's words. He wondered if Kurogane statement earlier was true and the man had actually thought of raising a family with him. Kurogane belted out a laugh in victory, having successfully pinned his father down without any means of escape. Toriho struggled slightly, before kicking his feet.

"No fair!" His son rolled his eyes and got up off his father.

"Honestly, dad, you're more of a child than I was at 5." The longer haired man sat up on the ground, pouting.

"So? Just means I'll live longer than you, grumpy." His son shot him a glare that could kill.

"Kuro-grump does act like an old man sometimes." Tomoyo stifled her laughter at the blonde's remark as Tsumebe nodded.

"O-oi! Don't take his side!" Kurogane barked, blushing slightly. Toriho grinned from his spot on the floor.

"Looks like you're outvoted." He laughed, watching his son pick up his chair and slumping in it, he crossed his arms angrily. The father stood, dusting himself off, before going over to kneel in front of Fay.

"You. Has my son talked to you about adopting all?"

"Dad stop that!"

"Kids...have been mentioned before..." Fay trailed off as he blushed at the older man. His blush intensified as Kurogane's father invaded his personal space.

"REALLY?!" The taller man almost squealed ecstatically, turning toward Kurogane. Said man hid his face in his hand and Toriho looked back at Fay with a huge grin. It fell shortly after though, replaced with a confused look.

"Wait, how long have you two been together?"

"It wasn't a really serious discussion." It seemed that the damage had already been done as he tried to get Toriho's attention back onto the previous question. He sighed in defeat as the older man looked at him.

"It's not been very long at all." The man's eyes narrowed and an eyebrow was raised.

"How... long?" He asked, looking over to Kurogane. When he saw that his son was avoiding his gaze at all costs he turned to Tomoyo, who smiled sheepishly.

"Since... Tuesday, I think....?" Toriho paused for a moment, then stood abruptly and turned to his son.

"WHAT?! NOT EVEN A WEEK AND YOU TWO ARE HAVING INTERCOURSE?!" Kurogane sank further in his chair.

"..." Fay's voice caught in his throat and he winced as Kurogane slumped into his seat from his father's exclamation. Kurogane stared up at his dad, who was fuming.

"IT WAS BAD ENOUGH WITH CLAUDINA!" He shouted, mentioning a previous girlfriend's name.

"BUT NOT EVEN A WEEK!? THAT'S CLASSIFIED AS A DELINQUENT!"

"DAMN STRAIGHT!" Kurogane retaliated, standing up in a rage. His fists were clenched and his eyes were fixed.

"I'D BE A DELINQUENT FOR THAT IDIOT ANYDAY!" He shouted, ignoring the blush that took over his face. Tomoyo smiled in a devious way, looking to Tsumebe.

"Oh my, things certainly are getting heated, aren't they?"

"Like father like son." The older woman laughed as she watched her husband and son yell at each other, glancing across the room she noticed the blonde blushing as he stared at Kurogane. Her smiled brightened, knowing what that look on the other's face was. Fay stared and flushed scarlet at Kurogane's words, despite being called an idiot. Though he would have to ask Kurogane about this Claudina once they were alone and his lover had calmed down. Toriho was taken aback by Kurogane's words, blinking twice in surprise. Kurogane continued to glare.

"And if you have a problem with how fast or how long my relationship with him lasts then you can get the fuck out." He said vehemently, staring holes into his dad's eyes. The other man flinched, not being used to having Kurogane talk to him that way on a serious note. He smiled suddenly and he sighed, sitting down. Tomoyo sat up in her chair.

"Now that that's taken care of, who wants to talk about Kurogane when he was little?"

"TOMOYO!!"

"Tomoyo didn't tell me much the other day." Fay smiled thankful for the subject change. The girl smiled wider, looking to her cousin.

"Please sit down, Kurogane-kun. I want you to listen to my stories to keep the facts straight." The other man growled, but obliged, not wanting to leave his father and Fay alone, in case more of the relationship topics came about.

"Kuro-min didn't say much about his childhood, so please share anything you can think of." Fay turned to smile at Kurogane before turning back to the girl. Tomoyo smiled back and looked at Tsumebe.

"Anything in particular that I should tell? Relationships, past times, schooling?"

"A little bit of everything if Tomoyo wouldn't mind." Fay chuckled knowing Kurogane was probably ready to start yelling again. Tomoyo laughed.

"Alright! Let's start with schooling!" Tsumebe smiled.

"My boy was the smartest one there." Toriho snorted, folding his arms.

"He would've been a lot smarter if he didn't snap at every teacher he had." Kurogane smirked.

"Who's fault was that?" The father sat up in his chair, hearing a challenge. "It was yours if I remember correctly." Kurogane cocked an eyebrow.

"It was the teacher's for not teaching things so I learned." Tomoyo sighed, seeing another fight coming.

"Kuro-san does seem like a good student when we go to school." Fay said cheerfully as he looked at the two men glaring at one another. Toriho smiled triumphantly, placing his hands on his hips.

"That's because I got on him in high school." Kurogane growled and narrowed his eyes.

"You stopped paying attention to me in the 9th grade, old man." Toriho pouted, standing.

"I could never stop paying attention to my little Youou!"

"I SAID STOP THAT!"

"Ah, so childish. You should've gotten on him about manners too, Toriho-san."

"YOU BE QUIET TOMOYO!"

"Kuro-temper could probably use some manners." The alien nodded in faux seriousness to the girl.

"What about relationships and Kuro-pipi's pastimes?" Fay leaned forward awaiting more stories of a Kurogane he had never known. Tomoyo paused.

"Are you really curious about that? You don't mind me saying who they were?" Kurogane blushed lightly.

"Don't you dare."

"Kuro-kun's no fun." Fay pouted as Kurogane blushed.

"Whoop, sorry Kurogane-kun, but now that you said I can't I HAVE to." Tomoyo smiled evilly, watching as the color became more intense on Kurogane's face.

"His past times were soccer, chess, beating up school boys, and poetry."

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

"You wouldn't be shouting if it wasn't. Now, he's had several girlfriends in the past; Claudina, Kishiim, she was a year older than he was, Primela, that one didn't last long... oh who else?" Kurogane groaned and leaned back in his seat, covering his eyes with his hands again as they named off his ex's. Tomoyo looked at his mother for help.

"Can you think of any?"

"There was that nice girl...oh what was her name..." The older woman smiled as she thought back to her son's girlfriends.

"It was Sayaka, though I heard she had married recently." Fay blinked in surprise; he had had no idea that Kurogane would have dated so many women. From the other man's temper he would have thought the opposite. Tomoyo smiled.

"Oh yes, she was quite the sweetheart. I think Kurogane-kun's temper scared her off." She giggled.

"Oh, don't forget Ashine-chan and Miriki-chan. Miriki-chan was too much for him." She laughed loudly, finding it ironic. Toriho smirked.

"Ashine-chan would've made a fine wife."

"Oi, those two were plotting against me, forget about them!"

"Oh Youou, having a threesome isn't that bad."

"Toriho-san!"

"Looks like Kuro-san had a lot of girlfriends." Fay smiled as the women listed all of Kurogane's past lovers.

"Oh he has, Fay-san." Tomoyo giggled.

"I remember once when we walked in on him and on of them..." She giggled more as Kurogane growled.

"You'll remember to knock next time won't you, little prick?" Toriho swatted his son against the head.

"Be polite to Tomoyo-chan!"

"Ow! DAD!" Kurogane stood, to rival his father.

" STOP HITTING ME DAMMIT!" Fay smiled sheepishly, a little put off at having to think about Kurogane in such an intimate situation with someone other than himself.

"You said earlier that Kuro-chan used to fight? I can imagine he was a handful." Tsumebe nodded.

"Quite that." She looked at the conversation's topic.

"He usually came home with either a bloody nose or bloody knuckles. Eventually we had to have him home schooled so he wouldn't break anymore students' bones." Kurogane didn't hear that piece of the conversation, for he was currently grappling with his father across from the coffee table.

"Kuro-kun must have been very stubborn as well if he got into so many fights." The blonde laughed at the thought of a smaller version of Kurogane came home glaring. Tomoyo and Tsumebe both giggled, envisioning the same thing.

"Yes, very stubborn." The mother said, though she was cut off from her next sentence as the boys in the house fell onto the coffee table, Kurogane holding his father in a chokehold.

"I SAID STOP IT WITH THAT NAME, DAD!"

"Oi! Oi! Leggo!" Amongst their quarreling, Kurogane's father knocked over the bag holding the charm, splaying the contents out at Fay's feet. Knowing what was about to happen Fay stood quickly from his chair.

"I've forgotten something, if you'll excuse me." He said quickly before running to the bathroom, not paying attention to the worried stares he received as he closed the door behind him and locked it. As he approached the mirror he noticed his ears hadn't changed back yet, so to calm himself he turned the sink faucet on, splashing cool water on his face. Turning the water off Fay looked up to see his ears had once again reverted back to normal. Sighing, he changed them back once again and wiped his face on the back of his sleeve. He heard a sharp knock on the door and Fay soon realized it was Kurogane.

"Oi, you ok?" He turned back to face the living room.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP IN THERE! I AM NOT!" Fay timidly unlocked the door to allow Kurogane inside, a frown set on his face as his hands shook a bit. Kurogane closed the door behind him and locked it, making sure they would have no intrusions like in the kitchen. He came close to Fay, looking at the other.

"You're paler than normal." He remarked lowly, placing a hand on the alien's forehead. Fay closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. Kurogane would have to check the charm later to see what it really was if it was having such a strong impact on him and even canceling out such a minor spell. The taller man led Fay to sit on the toilet lid, and he knelt down in front of him.

"Oi, I'm telling them to go home, alright?" He said solemnly, not wanting this to happen for a third time.

"Alright." Fay nodded before leaning forward to plant a kiss on the other's forehead. Kurogane received the kiss, standing and opening the door. He walked into the living room, where Fay could hear them talking.

"Oh, is Fay-san alright?"

"He was trying to stay well for you guys so you would stay."

"That's so sweet, but he should've just said he was feeling bad so we could allow him to rest."

"Ah, that's a shame, we'll be back later in the week then, just to say hi again!"

"Yes, that sounds pleasant!"

"Oi, knock next time. Or at least wait until I get home."

"Yes sir." Tomoyo giggled. Fay then heard the door open.

"Tell Fay-san that it was nice to meet such a caring child." A small peck on the skin was heard as Tsumebe kissed Kurogane's cheek.

"I'm so happy you found him You- I mean, Kurogane..." she giggled and exited.

"Bye son!"

"See you soon, Kurogane-kun!"

"Yeah , yeah, bye." He sighed and closed the front door. Shuffling was heard and soon Kurogane was standing in the bathroom again.

"Feeling any better?"

"A little... do you know what that charm your father gave you is made from?" Fay asked as he leaned forward his elbows resting against his thighs as he held up his chin with his hands. Kurogane shook his head.

"Not a clue. My dad works on Space related things, so he's... more or less encountered E.T. life before..." He sat on the side of the tub, placing a hand on Fay's back for comfort.

"I'd have to admit I really hope he didn't become suspicious..."

"Yes, I was worried about that too." The blonde looked down to the tiled floor as he tried to get over his unease.

"Kuro-rin, what time is it?" Fay was thankful for the soothing feel of Kurogane's hand against his back.

"It's not that late... maybe 6. Why?" Kurogane asked, a little surprised by the sudden change of topic.

"Would Kuro-run like to go to bed?" Fay had learned a lot today and felt drained and as his stomach churned. He didn't think he'd be able to ease his nausea as soon as he had before. Kurogane sighed, standing. He hooked his hands around Fay's back and his knees, lifting him up bridal style and walking him into the bedroom.

"You're a moron." he said simply.

"I still have things to do, so I can't go to bed so early in the day. I'll join you in 3 hours or so." He explained, setting the blonde on the folded sheets.

"I should feel better soon." Fay frowned as he was placed on the bed, he stood up to gather a loose fitting shirt and shorts to slip into, not wanting to sleep in the confining clothes Tomoyo had picked out for him. He stripped slowly not wanting to upset his stomach with quick movements as he redressed and moved under the covers to lie on his chest on the bed. Kurogane humored the blonde by turning away when he redressed, not feeling like sex was the best answer to the alien's sickness. The dark haired man placed a hand on the blonde tresses with a sigh.

"Get some sleep. I'll be back in later." He heard the rumbling voice of his lover say. Fay closed his eyes as he heard Kurogane leave, he had wished the other had at least stayed a little while longer, but knew he was being selfish. He clutched the sheets in his hand as he sighed and tried to sleep. Kurogane looked at Fay from the doorway, turning off the light to help the other get some rest. Only half registering the light being flicked out, Fay brought the blanket further up his shoulders as he drifted off to sleep.

Kurogane grimaced, thinking about the daily events. Yuui was acting up, and now this. He sighed, shaking his head when he remembered his robot. Another thing to do on the long list. He closed the door and walked to the back door, opening it. In truth, it was actually 7:32 pm. He sighed, closing the door and walking to the garage in a sullen manner. When he opened the door, he entered and closed it behind him.

"Oi Yuui." Said android's eyes opened slowly, her head moving up to face Kurogane. He sat down beside her, looking her over.

"That search I told you to do earlier, how's it coming?" He asked. When he had arrived home, he went into the back and checked up on Yuui. He had asked her to pinpoint the location of just who was contacting Fay. That was before he saw Tomoyo through the kitchen window.

"Location is unknown...Yuui is unable to determine signal transmission's location due to vast distance..." She pointed up, signaling the direction of the source.

"Dammit." The human said sharply, looking down. He thought for a moment.

"So they're still on their planet... at least they aren't physically looking for him..." He looked over to the doll again.

"Any more transmissions?"

"Transmission received." Her eyes widened as her mouthed opened to play the transmission.

"...erching......................Valer.............Fay........return home.......ura.....over..." The signal faded and static was all that remained. Yuui's eye's returned to normal.

"Would master wish for Yuui to replay message?"

"No..." He said pensively, leaning back. So they wanted him to return home. Why? He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He would have to bring this to Fay's attention later.

"Did you pick up this message because it was directly sent to Earth or was it floating around in Space?"

"Transmission signal is wide broadcast...destination is unknown." Yuui replied mechanically.

"Alright." He smirked, placing a hand on Yuui's head.

"Thanks, Yuui. Your wires held out for the day. You can sleep now." He said, a painful jolt in his heart reminding him that this was something he didn't want to do. He stood, staring at the doll.

"Shut Down Process. Memory Save and Hard drive Copy."

"Processing request...memory transfer completed...hard drive copying...complete..." Yuui's eyes darkened as the words left her lips. Kurogane placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Goodnight Yuui. You've done a good job." He said with a pained smile, it hardly being there. He knew her circuitry wouldn't last for anymore than it had, and that her brain wires were expensive to replace. The earlier transmission had put her mostly out of commission. It was better for Yuui this way. The doll smiled a soft smile as the last of her memory was erased and placed on a chip.

"Good... night...Kuro..." She uttered slowly before her head fell forward. Kurogane's jaw clenched tightly, unable to saw anything. He laid her lifeless body down on the bench, removing the wiring from her stomach that had been placed there to keep her running. He pressed her hairline and her skull opened. A microchip came out, and Kurogane took it. He held it tightly in a fist, bringing it to his chest.

He sighed, closing the doll's head before blanketing her up entirely; unable to look at her again until he knew he could fix her. He closed the garage door, and began what felt like the longest trek he had ever had back to silently mourn next to his lover, knowing he couldn't tell Fay so soon that Yuui was gone.

Fay woke as he felt the bed shift beside him, with bleary eyes he turned towards the disturbance, his eyes half lidded as he remained on his stomach. Kurogane didn't turn to Fay, silently bowing his head as he sighed heavily. He then took off his shirt, tossing it across the room in a tired fashion before lifting the covers.

"Is everything okay?" Fay lifted himself up to rest on his forearms, worried when Kurogane didn't turn to face him.

"Y-yeah...." Kurogane said softly, both not wanting to worry the blonde too much and to keep himself from breaking. He lay down next to Fay, pulling the lithe man close to him, protectively and full of need. He needed something, someone, to be his anchor at this moment. Now awake Fay looked up towards Kurogane, moving his hands cup his lover's face as he leaned forward to kiss him, hoping he could help with whatever was troubling the man.

Fay felt a small drop of liquid trail against his finger that touched the tanned cheek, and the taller man kissed him back. Red eyes continued to stay open, staring at Fay in a lost way. His arms wrapped tighter around the blonde, pressing their bodies closer together as he broke the kiss to rest his head against the other's shoulder. Fay was surprised as he felt something damp meet his touch. His mind reeled at the thought of Kurogane crying.

"Kuro-san...I love you very much." He whispered softly trying to comfort the taller man as he rested against his shoulder. Fay ran his fingers through his lover's hair kissing the top of the other man's head reassuringly.

"She.... she.... looked... just like you...." He heard the other whisper. Kurogane closed his eyes tightly. Yuui was like a child, he'd admit it, but the fact that he had made her look so much like Fay... and since she was just lying there, basically dead... he felt his heart crack a little more.

"Kuro-chu what's wrong?" Fay stroked at tan cheek softly as he whispered gently to his lover. He didn't know who this girl was Kurogane was talking about but to have him like this...she must have been important to him. The other sighed, trying to calm himself. He couldn't give the blonde a straight answer like this.

"..." he opened his mouth to say her name, but nothing came out. The thought of saying her name now was unusually painful. Gods, why the hell did he feel this way?!

"...the android..." He choked out.

"I... I had to ...shut her down..."

"You mean Yuui's be shut down permanently?" Fay soothed his lover by rubbing soothing circles on his neck. He felt pained at her loss and knew, as her creator, Kurogane must feel an even greater loss. The human didn't reply, he just simply held his lover tighter, unable to take his eyes off the wall behind Fay. He had managed to stop the flow of useless tears, but was now sinking into regret. He planted a kiss on Fay's shoulder, silently thanking him for being there.

Fay smiled softly and placed a hand under Kurogane's face so their eyes could meet. The other blushed slightly, looking away. He couldn't believe he let the other see him like this. Besides the normal expression of a scowl, there were red rings around the eyelids of his lover, and small stain trails down his carved face.

"Yuui would be happy to know you miss her." Fay continued to smile softly as he kissed Kurogane. The taller man's eyes widened in surprise, hearing the gentle words followed by a kiss. He closed his eyes and kissed back, knowing that the blonde's words were right. Breaking their kiss Fay moved to place light kisses on his lover's tan cheeks then moving on to his brow, and then the tip of his nose, only to plant yet another kiss against Kurogane's lips. He had hoped he was comforting his lover as his stomach twisted as seeing him like this.

Kurogane kept his eyes closed and allowed Fay to kiss over his face, only to capture dark lips once again. He sighed into the kiss, feeling just as exhausted as the blonde had earlier. He pulled away from Fay and kissed the shorter man's forehead.

"Let's get some sleep. We'll think of what to do tomorrow." He said, mind going back to the last transmission received.

"That sounds nice." Fay sighed as he was held. Moving around the blonde shifted until his face rested against Kurogane's collarbone. Kissing the skin in front of him one last time Fay closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Kurogane listened to Fay as he got comfortable, smirking softly as the last kiss was planted and the smaller started to fall asleep. The dark haired man stared into the darkness for a little while after, thinking of his creation. He decided it best to get some sleep then, closing his eyes and drifting off into a dreamless slumber.


	7. So we ran hand in hand

**Mirika-rin:** hyuu~! sorry for the long wait for this chapter. Mirika was lazy and didn't think to edit it for a while XD;; I'm sure I'll be shanked for that later 7_7 lol this is definitely the beginning of the second arc. *_* I will not cry, I will not cry...

**Ashine-chan:** . A _very_ lemony chapter...where things start to get even more angsty. Hopefully everyone won't be too upset with all the angst or thinking Fai was being too OOC ^^;; But, there _is_ good news in the chapter as well.

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Fay stirred awake, the morning sun illuminating the bedroom as he adjusted to the light. Looking up he saw Kurogane still asleep and smiled, as he had never been awake before his lover. Feeling much better than he had the previous day, Fay removed himself from Kurogane, careful not to make too much of a disturbance he slipped out of bed and to the kitchen.

Once there the blonde poured himself a glass of water and began looking for something he could possibly cook for Kurogane after all that had happened yesterday. Smiling he brought out eggs and bread, and managed to find a pan. The alien then got to work preparing breakfast. He hummed lightly as he worked and once finished, he set the food onto plates and precariously, with his own glass and another filled with juice, returned to the bedroom. Kurogane was upright in bed, rubbing the back of his head to undo the bedhead damage caused. He sighed and let his hand fall, opening his eyes to see his lover.

"Oi."

"Good morning Kuro-san." Fay smiled as he balanced everything in his arms before setting their plates and glasses on the nightstand.

"Here Kuro-rin, I'm not sure what you call it here, but it's toast strata." He handed his lover a plate before grabbing his own and taking a seat beside Kurogane. The taller man raised an eyebrow. The last time he had someone do this for him was when he still lived with his parents and he was barely making it through an illness. He looked down at the food offered him before turning to Fay and planting a kiss on the other's cheek as a thank you. He then began to eat slowly, obviously having just woken up.

"Did I wake Kuro-kun?" Fay chuckled at the kiss as he began to eat.

"I tried to be quiet."

"Nnn, your absence rather than your clatter woke me." The human replied softly, taking a swig of his juice. He seemed to have completely shaken off last night's events, for he was now acting like the regular Kurogane. Fay blushed and smiled around his fork at Kurogane's words, thinking it sweet that the taller man couldn't sleep without him lying beside him. The dark haired man leaned against the bed frame, eating silently. He still needed to allow Fay to hear the transmission from Yuui... He sighed, remembering vividly of what had happened to his creation.

Finished Fay leaned over Kurogane and sat his plate back atop the nightstand. The blonde moved back to lie down beside his lover sighing as he soaked up the sun coming in through the bedroom window. Kurogane also finished, though not as thoroughly as Fay due to losing his appetite with the thought of Yuui, and set his dish atop the blonde's. He returned to his sitting position, trying to make sense out of the choppy fragments of Fay's unexplained past.

Fay moved to drape an arm across Kurogane's lap as he smiled and nuzzled his lover's side. It seemed that sleeping so much had made him energetic as this morning. Fay stopped to look up at the taller man curious as to he looked contemplative.

"What is it Kuro-chan?" Said man glanced down at Fay, before he placed a hand on the pale man's back.

"There's... one more transmission that you haven't heard..." He said somberly, running his hand slowly across the other's covered skin.

"What was it?" Fay looked up worriedly as he wrapped his arm around Kurogane's waist. The other's jaw clenched, but he looked away blankly.

"It was telling you to go home. I have it set in my computer if you want to hear it." Fay shook his head as he looked down towards the sheets.

"I don't have a home there anymore, there's nothing or no one there I have any attachments to..." Fay held onto Kurogane, not wanting to think about the transmission.

"The way the message played... it was telling me otherwise." He looked back down to Fay.

"Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Everyone I cared about died along time ago...I thought there might have been someone, but it was a lie." Fay pursed his lips as his brow furrowed at the painful memories. Kurogane could see that the past was harmful for Fay, but he couldn't get his mind off the urgent voice in the transmission.

"And this someone was?"

"...Ashura." Fay whispered the name as he rested his forehead against Kurogane's side. The human blinked, hearing the name. He paused for a moment, before prying Fay's arms off of him. He lifted the blonde into his lap and wrapped his strong arms around the smaller body.

"Kuro-min?" Fay planted his hand on Kurogane's shoulders as he sat on the man's lap. He was still apprehensive over the entire conversation as he locked eyes with Kurogane.

"You have me now, and I ain't going anywhere." His lover said sternly, kissing Fay's cheek gently. Fay moved forward wrapping his arms loosely around Kurogane's neck, his face inches away from the others as he smiled.

"Thank you." The blonde closed the gap between them to kiss Kurogane's lips, happy for the reassurance. Kurogane smirked against Fay's lips, adding his two cents to the liplock as he tightened his hold around the lithe man's back. Fay made a small noise in the back of his throat as he was pulled closer. In return, he tightened his own grip around his lover's shoulders.

Kurogane pulled away from the kiss, a rugged breath leaving his mouth as he stared at his boyfriend. He smirked, returning his lips to the other's in a more passionate way. Fay moved his legs forward, his knees bent on either side of Kurogane's hips. He returned his lover's enthusiasm with an equally passionate kiss. Kurogane growled in approval, licking the pale lips pressed against his own. He slid one hand along Fay's shirt ending, thumb and index finger gliding under it as he touched soft skin. Shivers ran down Fay's spine as a w arm hand ran over his skin. He practically purred at the feeling as he tried to press himself closer to Kurogane.

"Oi..." The dark haired man grunted against the other's lips, taking a chaste kiss in between words.

"You really... wanna do this... again?" He rumbled, hand gliding up under the alien's shirt.

"Doesn't Kuro-myu?" Fay panted as he met Kurogane's gaze with half lidded eyes. He cheeks became a rosy hue as he processed the question. The taller man smirked wider.

"Just makin sure." He said. truth be told, he didn't know if he cared if Fay wanted it or not. He told himself he would care, but something primitive in the back of his mind said otherwise. It almost made him afraid. He grunted, removing his lips from Fay's so he could trace kisses down the long neck.

"Kuro-wan is so considerate." Fay bit his lip to suppress his laughter. His hand moving to fiddle with dark spikes of hair as Kurogane left a trail of kisses against his neck.

"Nnnn... you'd be surprised what you get away with..." The tanned man muttered against Fay's skin, noticing his lovebites from two days ago were nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, Kuro-rin lets me by with things?" Fay ducked his head forward to press his lips to his lover's hair as he relished the feelings of Kurogane's lips against his skin. The taller man chuckled, biting the collar bone of his partner as affirmation. He let the hand under Fay's shirt travel up slightly; touching around the smaller's ribs.

"...Kuro-kun shouldn't tease." The alien couldn't help himself from smiling at hearing Kurogane chuckle. Fingers deftly moved down towards the taller man's shoulder tracing patterns into the skin only to finally come to rest at the back of his lover's neck.

"How am I teasing you?" Kurogane asked, pulling away slightly to look up at Fay. His hand's motion stopped, resting against Fay's chest as if he were to lift him up.

"It tickles when you kiss my neck." The alien blushed darkly as he looked embarrassed at Kurogane. The student raised an eyebrow.

"It... tickles?" he asked slowly, obviously skeptical. He simply chuckled and brought his lips down against the collar bone, his hand grazing across the other's nipple.

"Kuro-wan's trying to get me to laugh now." Fay tensed as he felt fingers brushing against his nipple. He bit back a laugh as lips pressed against sensitive skin. The blonde covered his mouth with his hand as he fought against Kurogane's teasing touches. The tanned man growled again and removed his hands altogether, placing his rough hands on Fay's chest. He then shoved the other harshly, pushing the pale one onto his back with a light fluff before crawling over him.

Fay let out an undignified yelp as he was pushed back. His arms flawed for a second before he slammed into the bed. He stared wide eyed at his lover, confused by the sudden position change. Kurogane's smirk curved wickedly as a hand raced up Fay's shirt, pulling off the thin fabric and letting it fall. He dipped his head down, trailing his tongue over the smaller man's chest.

"Aaahhh...Kuro-rin..." Fay arched at the touch, his stomach quivering at the wet trail left by Kurogane's tongue. His hands moved to hold his lover's head. The taller man circled one of the perk nipples with said tongue, enjoying the taste of his lover's flesh. He closed his mouth around it, sucking lightly and gently nipping at the sensitive skin there. Fay moaned, burying his hands in his lover's hair, and tugging at the dark locks as electricity shot through his body.

Kurogane smirked against the wet skin, teasing that one between his teeth a little longer before moving to the other, giving it the same pleasure whilst his hand came up to toy with the one abandoned. The alien tossed his head back and forth against the sheets as his lover teased him. Gripping Kurogane's hair with one hand, Fay brought his other up to cover his lips, not wanting to be too loud as Kurogane pleasured him.

The red eyes looked up to see Fay hiding his voice, and once again Kurogane smirked evilly. He removed his hand and mouth from the other's nipples, the hand smoothing down the body in front of him to stop at the pantline whilst the tongue ran a trail down to the blonde's naval. Fay's eyes shut tightly as he felt Kurogane's tongue leave a trail down his chest to stop at his stomach. His breath hitched, his hand still trying to keep noises from escaping and the blonde spread his legs a bit wider to allow Kurogane room.

Kurogane sat up slightly, hands hooking in pants to pull them down off his lover's hips. He smirked wider, seeing his partner was aroused and then leaned down, licking from the belly button down to the base of Fay's member. Fay's hand released its grip on Kurogane's hair to bring it up to his mouth to muffle the scream erupting form his lips as the taller man licked him down there, his back arching off the mattress as well. The alien's blushed furiously at the intimate touch, having never experienced such a thing before.

Kurogane couldn't suppress a chuckle, hearing the muffled cry. He didn't stop, running his tongue along the length once, before trailing it back down. It was odd; even this part of Fay was delicious. Blue eyes shot open as the lithe man felt Kurogane's movements against his erection. The blonde feebly tried to raise his head to look at Kurogane but his head feel backwards at the tongue leaving hot trails down his length. Fingers lay apart across pale lips as Fay struggled to breath in between moaning what sounded like his lover's name.

Hearing such things, Kurogane shivered slightly. He licked once more along Fay's length before engulfing it fully without much effort. His first thought was; this is fucking weird, but after a moment of actually experiencing it, he decided it was something he could continue each time.

"K-kuro-!" Fay gasped as Kurogane practically swallowed him. His mind reeled at the wet heat surrounding his member, his hands shooting down to entangle themselves in his boyfriend's hair. The blonde was delirious from the feeling and wondered briefly if this is what it felt like for Kurogane when they made love. Said boyfriend grinned slightly, pulling the length out of his mouth for a moment before pushing it back in; somewhat liking it combined with Fay's hands on the back of his head. He moved one hand up to hook behind the pale knee, bringing his lover's leg up slightly.

Fay's thigh muscles quivered and the blonde had to keep himself from bucking as his hands roamed over his lover's scalp appreciatively. Slowly, he could feel everything fading out around except for the feeling of Kurogane tasting and touching him. The hot tongue of the other swiped over the tip, and a soft rumble of a growl vibrated against the length. The mouth moved up and down slowly against Fay, and red eyes closed as his lover filled his senses. The lithe man's body shook with tremors as Kurogane took in his length.

Fay could feel he was close, much faster than he normally was due to the newness of the situation. Fay shivered as he could just see the top of his boyfriend's head bob up and down below him. Feeling the tightness of the member in his mouth, Kurogane removed himself from Fay, bringing one hand up to wipe his mouth of excess saliva. He smirked, seeing that the blonde had become like putty and completely melted to his whim.

Hands freed from Kurogane's hair as the other lifted off of him. He let a dissapointed groan leave his lips as Kurogane removed himself from his arousal. With lust darkened eyes Fay looked up towards Kurogane as he tried to breathe as his body shuddered from the denied climax.

"Kuro-sama..." The other returned to hover above Fay, grin ever present. He undid his pants with one hand and steadied himself with another. Pulling the blonde's pants off all the way, he then ran two fingers against the still wet arousal, coating them in saliva before touching the alien's entrance. Eyes nearly shut all close as Fay felt fingers brush against his erection. Instinctively he spread his legs wide in anticipation, taking deep breaths to calm himself as he stared up at Kurogane.

The taller man stared back down before planting a kiss against Fay's lips as his finger entered the blonde. He grunted slightly, feeling his own need twitch at the smaller man's presence. Fay sighed pleasantly at the intrusion and brought his arms around Kurogane to bring the man to another kiss. The taller kissed back, his arm bending slightly so he could lean down to do so. Seeing Fay was not bothered by his limb as much as he was before, he entered the second one shortly after, and removed them completely, knowing that they both wanted to just get on with it.

The skinny man moaned into their kiss as he felt a second finger enter him and leave soon after. Knowing what was coming, the blonde relaxed as best he could, his body too excited to relax fully as he waited for Kurogane. The other thrust slowly into the shorter man, grunting quietly while doing so. He felt the muscles around him spasm as they were forced to relax, some fighting Fay's will. Kurogane leaned down and kissed his lover's brow, pausing as he felt the walls around him tense.

The blonde's eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head as he felt Kurogane push into him. His hands moved to Kurogane's shoulders trying to find purchase on the slippery skin as his lover buried himself within Fay. Kurogane closed his eyes tightly, routinely getting used to Fay's body. He sighed roughly, one elbow bending so he could run his nose down the side of his lover's sweaty face affectionately. He planted a soft kiss on the pale cheek, waiting for the other's muscles to loosen around him.

Lovingly, Fay brushed his hand against Kurogane's jaw as they both waited. He didn't think he could ever grow used with the feeling of Kurogane inside him and the thought was exhilarating. Closing his eyes as he relished the feel of Kurogane's affectionate touches Fay smiled.

"Kurogane, I love you." His tone was gentle as his body relaxed. A smile erupted from his lips at the thought of Kurogane's reaction. The other sighed, red looking into blue.

"I love you too..." He said without hesitation, voice gruff and laced with lust. He moved his mouth to ghost over Fay's, a soft kiss being held for a moment before the taller started to move within the finally relaxed muscles.

"Just don't call me that."

"I-I thought you wanted me to call you by your name?" Fay brought his legs up to brush against Kurogane's sides as the taller man began to tentatively move.

"Nn... I can change my mind, can't I?" He said gruffly, blushing slightly.

"...You sound weird saying it..." He bowed his head to rest it in the crook of Fay's neck, bending his elbows on either side of the blonde head.

"Ohhh...then does that mean I ...can call you...what I want?" Fay said in between thrusts. He smiled deviously as he held the back of Kurogane's head gently. The other growled, nipping Fay's ear roughly.

"Shut up... when we're... fucking, idiot..." Kurogane ordered, avoiding the question at that moment. The other hissed at being bitten as the sensation sent pleasure through his body.

"But I thought..... aaahhh....Kuro-chan liked it when I talked.....while we were...fucking." Fay slipped a leg over Kurogane's hips to bring the man closer to him as they rocked against the bed. The other grunted, his hand holding Fay's hip as he moved inside the blonde.

"There's a... difference between noise... and talking..." the human retaliated, leaning back slightly to get better leverage.

"Kuro-chan's...the one being....ooh... talkative." Fay panted as Kurogane set an even pace, his chest heaving as he felt sweat trickle down his chest and cool his heated skin.

"I said...nn... shut the...fuck up... dammit!..." Kurogane commanded, leaning his head back slightly in order to try and breathe better. He groaned slightly, using the hand on Fay's hip to pull the other closer to him, wanting to create more friction. Fay bit his lip as Kurogane pulled him closer. Fay wrapped his remaining leg around his lover and pulled Kurogane closer, causing the man to thrust deeper into him as their bodies came together.

"Mmm… Kuro-myu faster please..." Fay wanted to grab hold of Kurogane and kiss him, but couldn't reach in his current position as he tried to grind himself against his boyfriend. The other obliged, picking up the pace gradually. Kurogane gripped the sheets tightly in one hand whilst clutching Fay's hip tighter with the other. He shoved himself deeper into the blonde, searching for that spot. He slightly arched his back, eyes opening to stare at his lover in front of him.

It took a few thrusts but Fay soon found himself arching off the bed, his mouth opening wide in a silent scream as Kurogane hit his prostate. His body tensed around the member buried inside him as the alien's body shuddered. A sharp cry answered his lover's movements as Fay locked eyes with Kurogane. The other listened hungrily to the plea, growling lowly in response through clenched teeth. He continued his pace, becoming a little rougher against the same spot with each thrust. His mind was slowly losing focus on anything other than the pale face in front of him practically begging him for more.

Fay bucked his hips upward as Kurogane moved harder against him. Slowly he could feel muscles tightening with the promise of finishing as his own arousal brushed against Kurogane's stomach. One thin hand moved to grab Kurogane's hand that had been clenching the sheets as the other moved to wipe sweat dampened bangs from his eyes. Kurogane's eyes darted over to the hand holding his before they fell back on the alien's face. He grunted lowly, bowing his head slightly as he felt his muscles tighten inside the pale man's body. His hand's fingers slowly laced with Fay's holding it tightly as they both came dangerously close together.

"Kuro-tan, I...I think I'm close..." Fay mewled as Kurogane continued to pound into him. Fay felt himself concentrating on his lover's erection brushing deep inside him as his body clenched around Kurogane. The taller man grunted, pulling the other closer to him.

"Nn.... I am too..." Kurogane growled, mind never wandering from the walls holding him tightly as he entered and exited his lover. Blue eyes shut tightly as his breath hitched at Kurogane's admittance. His hand gripping Kurogane's tightly as his body tensed and he came. A drawn out moan left him as he felt his seed spilling against his and Kurogane's torso. His body held the taller man in a vice like grip as Fay came down from his climax.

The other groaned loudly, unable to hold out against the other's retracting muscles as he too came, pouring relentlessly into his lover. His body quivered, and the dark haired man lowered himself as gently as he could onto Fay, trying not to hurt him with collapsing like before. His hand still clasped with the pale one, he squeezed gently, an aftermath way of saying he enjoyed it.

With his legs still hooked around his lover's hips and hand still entwined with Kurogane's, Fay kissed the taller man languidly as he enjoyed the after effects of the love making. The other lucidly kissed back, ecstasy blissfully clouding his mind. He sighed in content, realizing slowly that this time was their most sensational yet. He pulled away from the kiss to lay his head against Fay's neck, contemplating the reason for that.

Fay breathed deeply trying to fill his lungs with much needed air as Kurogane rested against him. Slender fingers traced through the other man's dark hair before running fingertips against the shell of his ear lovingly. Fay closed his eyes as he relaxed while he and Kurogane were still intimately connected.

The other stared into the pale skin in thought, trying to come down from his sexual high. He tried to pull away slowly, but his body jerked in disagreement. He sighed, deciding it better to just lay there for the moment. He removed his hand from Fay's hip and moved it to wrap around the smaller frame's side. Fay felt the taller man trying to move, but was relieved when he came to rest against him once more. The alien smiled as he felt a large hand move to his side and hummed in contentment.

Kurogane closed his eyes, enjoying the comfortable silence and connection that they shared. He felt like he might fall asleep though, just sitting here on and inside his lover. He was about to suggest moving when the other's earring caught his eye. He lifted up his hand from Fay's side to touch it.

"Oi... Your earring is back on..."

"Strange, it hasn't done it before...maybe it's because of the charm your father gave you?" Fay's mind drifted to the earring and how it could have possibly been able to show through his illusion. His mind was still clouding with their previous activities so it was hard to really contemplate what it meant.

"Nnnn... I told dad to take the charm with him..." Kurogane said, raising an eyebrow.

"Could it be from all the messages you've been receiving?" He asked, though he didn't really want to think about Fay leaving him. Losing someone as precious as Fay would surely break him.

"Hmm, I'm not entirely sure. The earring was given to me by a friend so I don't know if it has any properties that would be affected by the transmissions." Fay sighed and placed a hand over Kurogane's. The other frowned, though he took Fay's hand in his.

"Is it possible to get message s from it?"

"You can see if you'd like..." Fay trailed off, not wanting there to be any kind of chance of whoever it was searching for him to find him. Kurogane grunted, finally moving to untangle himself from his lover. He pulled away sluggishly, shuddering when his length left the sticky cavern that was Fay. He sat up on the bed, looking over to his companion. His cheeks flushed at the empty feeling left as Kurogane moved out of him. Propping himself up on his forearms Fay looked to Kurogane questioningly. The taller man reached over, touching the red bulb that belonged to the earring. He ran his thumb across the skin that it was connected to.

"...Who gave it to you? Anyone who could contact you separately without anyone knowing? Or is it that Ashura guy?"

"I would never keep anything that man gave me." Fay glared at the thought.

"But, the first option may be a possibility." Kurogane once again didn't push the Ashura subject, but simply detached the earring from its owner. He held it in his hand for a moment before standing. He pulled on a pair of random pants and, with earring in hand, motioned for Fay to do the same and to follow him. Forgetting about the mess, Fay moved to dress, his legs a little shaky after just having sex, but determined he followed Kurogane.

The taller man didn't move far, going to another room Fay never noticed was there and he opened the brown door. He flicked it on, showing the alien that this was his office. Three computers sat about the room, one was on, and another was half a skeleton with its guts hanging out over the side of the table. Along the big table against the wall was what looked like a small version of Yuui, but with pink hair and mostly not finished. Kurogane sat in the black chair amongst this all, setting down the earring next to what looked to be Yuui's chip.

"Kuro-san should really take me on a tour of the house sometime." Fay stepped inside thinking he'd have to explore once he wasn't swaying so much.

"Maybe later." The student mumbled, his fingers moving quickly over the keyboard. He looked over his shoulder, sighing for a moment before standing. He turned the chair to Fay, placing a hand on his hip.

"Sit." Fay moved to the offered chair, sitting tentatively down as he watched Kurogane. The mechanic turned Fay back around to make him face the computer. He reached over his lover and continued typing. The computer flashed suddenly, a picture of a teenager with curly black hair and dull purple eyes appeared.

"Good morning, Kurogane." It said mechanically.

"Oi. Kamui. Do a search on what I typed in." Kurogane answered, standing straight again. The computer blinked and paused.

"Searching." Fay stared at the screen as Kurogane typed away, he was curious as to what his lover did in here as his eyes scanned the parts scattered about, not to mention the small robot to his other side. Kamui, the computer, clicked. He looked to Kurogane.

"Search complete. Results.... one." Kurogane sighed.

"Ok, transfer to Subaru." Kamui suddenly raised an eyebrow.

"Will this cause him to crash again?" Kurogane growled, clicking Kamui on the nose, the face twitched and the teenager winced.

"Don't make me take you apart again. Now transfer the goddamn information." Fay laughed as Kurogane growled at the A.I. on the screen. But as Kamui spoke the blonde's curiosity was peeked at having a result. Kamui sighed mechanically, looking over to the other intact computer, which suddenly flashed white. On that screen appeared the same face, but the hair was straight and his eyes were green. He smiled sweetly.

"Good morning, Kurogane. Transfer complete. Search results for metal received successfully." A picture of the charm Toriho gave them last night popped up below Subaru's face.

"Made in a top secret laboratory in East Asia and Southern Japan, this unnamed metal is believed to ward of Extra Terrestrial spells, curses, and many other illnesses and diseases spread by E.T. material. Used since 735 A.D. when the first meteor crashed on Japan, this metal has been used to protect many families, though the culture has died out to a dwindling 0.02% of Japan." Kurogane sighed.

"That .02 just happens to be my dad."

"So it was a warding?" Fay craned his head up to look at Kurogane for confirmation. The human nodded, clicking on the picture to enlarge it. It had ancient runes carved and faded on it.

"My dad is obsessed with trinkets like this. Ever since he received a transmission from around the belt of Orion, he's been constantly collecting these things." Subaru poked his head out from behind the picture.

"Danger, Kurogane. Someone else happens to be in your room. System Lock Down and Hide?" Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"Override. This person is 6125 species unknown. Add this information into your hard drive; this person is an administrator." Subaru and Kamui paused for a moment, before Subaru looked up with a smile.

"6125, Fay, nice to meet you."

"Hello Subaru and Kamui." Fay smiled at both before turning back to Kurogane.

"6125? And you're making me an administrator?" Fay was about to tease the man, but knew what Kurogane was doing now was more important.

"6,1, and 25 are the letters in the alphabet that spells your name. This is my own little way of identifying things. And yes, you're an administrator. That way Kamui's security system won't try to blow up my house again." He grumbled, before picking up the chip that belonged to Yuui.

"Oi, Kamui. I'm going to give you the memory and hard drive from... from my android." Kamui nodded, not questioning why. Kurogane opened the computer and plugged in the small chip into the body.

"Kuro-min's so cool sometimes." Fay clapped his hands, hoping he had gotten the expression right.

"Are you going to track the transmissions signal location?" Fay asked as Kurogane uploaded the chip into the computer. The student sighed, straightening up.

"Unfortunately it's not as easy as it would seem. Both Kamui and Subaru risk the chance of suffering the same meltdown as Y...Yuui. Subaru might not be reparable, but Kamui is an older model, made for withstanding such things." Subaru gave a sad smile.

"I'm a copy of Kamui, so if I crash I'll be able to be remade. Kurogane's done that twice already." Said man grunted and the older computer bleeped.

"Transfer complete. Play transmissions?" Fay sat up in his seat, only a little uncomfortable as he did. He dreaded the possibility of being found, not wanting to think what would happen to the life he's started here or to Kurogane. Said man nodded. Kamui vanished from the screen and in his place three recordings. The first two Fay had heard before. The last one was the one Yuui had played last, telling Fay that he was to return home. Subaru gave Kurogane a worried look.

"Oh dear, Fay is not from Earth? Should he go home?" Kurogane turned to the younger one.

"That's the problem. He doesn't want to." Kamui yawned, making the recordings vanish.

"Then don't go home." The mechanic growled.

"Will you complicate things for once, you brat?!"

"I don't have a home there anymore, as I've told Kuro-san before." The last recording had scared him a bit, he knew there was nothing important for him to go back to, but it seemed as if someone thought otherwise.

"Does Fay know why they want him back home?" Kamui asked in a bored manner. Kurogane thought for a moment, then looked to the blonde for an answer. Subaru looked to Kurogane, waiting for an order.

"I left quickly...there's no reason for anyone to want me back I had no family or close friends there, no one to miss me." Fay pondered the question, thinking of why someone was trying to call him back.

"I wonder... did Fay suffer from any amnesia when he crashed?" Subaru brought up slowly, looking over to the human. Said man shrugged.

"Not a clue. Didn't you say you were headed somewhere though? Other than Earth? You hadn't expected to crash here." Kurogane reminded, typing some other things into Kamui. The computer shook his head.

"Saving Yuui's information on here would erase vital information for my programming. The chip will become obsolete or I will be erased.

"Dammit."

"I wasn't heading anywhere in particular, just away... though I hadn't realized I had crashed until I woke up in Kuro-rinta's house." The alien hadn't really thought back to the crash in awhile. He had remembered blinking and map screens going blank, but that had been all.

"So Fay remembers everything?" Subaru asked before looking over to Kurogane. Said man turned away from Kamui and went to the wreck of the third computer, sitting it upright. He put the wiring back into the frame and adjusted some things quickly, connecting wires here and there. He clicked a button and leaned against the counter as he waited for it to upload.

"I'm not sure how I crashed... but that could have been any number of things." Fay turned his gaze from Subaru to Kurogane as the other waited.

"Oi, Kamui, what about the metal in the earring? Which constellation is it from?"

The small computer fell silent, also looking at the human. Kamui binged, his pixels shivering slightly.

"The closest I can come to pinpointing the star or planet that the earring is from is The Farthest Star in the Phoenix Constellation." Kurogane nodded, thinking for a bit.

"That's far out there... you weren't kidding when you said light-years..." He said nonchalantly, looking at Fay.

"I don't have a reason to lie to Kuro-wan." Fay smiled as he watched his lover.

"Is there anything else you're looking for?" Kurogane sighed, staring back.

"...We're going to have to try and make contact with the person who gave you that earring." He said solemnly, knowing Fay would like the answer.

"Why would you want to do that?" Fay turned away from Kurogane at the other's words.

"I refuse to go back and I don't want someone looking for me here."

"I didn't say that we would take you back, idiot." Kurogane said simply, folding his arms. "If we want to stop receiving transmissions we need to have someone tell the people looking for you that it's a lost cause." He frowned.

"And the only trustworthy person you seem to have from your planet is the person who gave you that earring."

"You'll have to give her something in return for it." Fay looked down at his lap, not wanting to think of what could possibly happen. Kurogane raised an eyebrow to what the blonde said.

"...To keep you a secret? I'd give mostly anything." He muttered, too quietly for the computers to hear. It made Fay smile and he turned to look up at Kurogane.

"I'm not really sure if you'll be able to contact her though, the signals received from there were poor." The mechanic thought for a moment before walking back over to Kamui.

"The signals receiving were weak." He began, typing like lightning against the black keyboard. The boy vanished once again from the screen, and a box appeared. Inside the box appeared a radar signal, only the stars were on it.

"But if we send one out, it might be stronger. And with the added help of your earring, the metals would attract to one another."

"Kuro-rinta never ceases to amaze." The blonde smiled feeling proud of his lover as he solved the transmission problem. The dark haired man smirked, looking down to his lover who was still in his chair. He then looked to the screen, awaiting any sort of signal back.

"How long do you expect it to take Kuro-myu?" Fay leaned back in his chair; his hips still a little sore from earlier as he adjusted in his seat.

"Nn... Can never say. It could take minutes, could take days." he looked at the screen again.

"But the transmissions Yuui received were only separate from our time by four years and a couple minutes. Maybe the four years distance isn't really there... maybe that's the distance between our planets... or maybe that's our different times colliding."

"It didn't take me four years to travel here. I would guess we're dealing with specific relativity." Fay smirked as his eyes looked back to the screen. Kurogane sighed, folding his arms.

"How long did it take you to get here?"

"A few days...couldn't have been longer than a week." Fay thought back to it, but then at the time he hadn't been bothered with knowing how long he had been traveling, just with how far away his was traveling.

"Hnn... Kamui, send an alarm to my cell phone when we receive contact." He ordered, standing up straight. Kamui appeared back on the screen.

"Yes sir." Kurogane then looked at Subaru.

"You. Do more research on the metal, I want a counter metal that is more powerful and can cancel out the effects of dad's charm ." The younger computer nodded.

"Yes sir." The dark haired man then turned to Fay.

"Lunch?"

"Yes." Fay smiled and stood still a bit wobbly, he blushed and straightened himself smiling sheepishly at his lover. Kurogane rolled his eyes and scooped up his companion in one arm, walking out after turning the lights off in the computer room.

"We shouldn't have done it again if it would cause you to be this sore..." The tanned man grumbled irritably as he walked to the kitchen.

"I'm just not used to walking so soon afterwards and I'm not that sore." Fay smiled up at his lover as he was carried into the kitchen.

"Tch. Right." Kurogane replied languidly, kissing his companion's head gently as they entered the food room. He set Fay down on a chair gently before looking at his fridge. "What do you want to eat?"

"It doesn't matter; whatever you feel like is fine with me." Fay said as he rested his chin against his hand.

"And it sounds like Kuro-chu doesn't believe me."

"I didn't say I didn't believe you, idiot." The other commented, opening the fridge to look inside.

"Nn... I'm not that hungry though..." He looked back over to Fay, thinking of something to eat.

"Kuro-san was the one to suggest lunch." Fay smiled as Kurogane rummaged through the fridge and finally turned to look back at him.

"You're the one who agreed." The human grunted, pulling out a small container that sat hidden in the back. There was a picture of rolls on the side.

"I guess we'll eat these."

"I'm not really all that hungry and Kuro-san said he wasn't either." Fay sat back in the chair as he watched Kurogane pull out a box.

"It's not good to go for a long time without eating anything, hungry or not." Kurogane said simply, opening up the container and dumping out the small rolls onto a plate. He pressed the button on the box that heated Fay's first meal and placed the rolls inside.

"Yes, Daddy." Fay smiled as his lover reminded of a worried father. He had to bit back a laugh at the thought of Kurogane acting like his own father or even Toriho. Kurogane shot him a glare over his shoulder and closed the small door, pressing a button. It started up, and Kurogane turned to lean against the counter as he waited.

"...What will happen if you ever are found?" he brought up somberly.

"I probably won't be able to leave again." Fay looked solemnly at the table as he thought about returning.

"So...I'd never see you again..." Kurogane concluded darkly, heartstrings being pulled at the assumption.

"Unless Kuro-pon has an advanced ship I don't know about, then no....we'd never see each other again." Fay felt his stomach churn at the thought of never being with Kurogane again. Said man frowned deeper, lowering his gaze to the floor.

"Then we better not let you get caught..." Fay smiled and nodded in agreement, happy that Kurogane cared so much for him. The microwave rang once and the human opened it, allowing the wheat smell to waft through the room. He set the plate down on the table and took his seat across from Fay.

"What's this?" Fay asked as he poked the food as steam poured off it.

"Eggrolls." Kurogane mumbled, picking one up and taking a bite out of it. Taking a bite, Fay found it good, though he would admit not as great as the food he had eaten before. They ate in silence, both contemplating the results of being found out and/or talking to the person who had given Fay the earring. Kurogane leaned back in his chair, one arm over the back, as his memory was brought to what Kamui said about the location of Fay's planet.

"Who knew..." He murmured to himself.

"Who knew what Kuro-pyon?" The blonde asked questioningly as he finished of the last of his meal. Kurogane shook his head, standing with the plate. He rinsed it off in the sink and set it to the side to let the air dry it. Placing his hands in his pockets, he walked to the kitchen's door.

"I'm going to clean up the bed..."

"Kuro-san shouldn't keep secrets if he expects me not to." Fay didn't turn to watch Kurogane as he made his way to the door.

"Nn... not really a secret." Kurogane replied, walking over to the back of Fay's chair and planting a kiss on the mop of hair.

"Just a thought."

"Then Kuro-tan can't share it?" Fay felt himself smile against his will at the gesture. The other sighed.

"So nosy." He chuckled, walking to the door again.

"Who knew that the person I was looking for was from so far away?" He said as he left. Fay blushed, not moving as he repeated Kurogane's words in his head. He turned, but Kurogane had since left. Allowing himself a small smile the blonde stood, taking his own plate to the sink to wash it. Leaving it with Kurogane's the blonde left to find his lover. Said man was grumbling angrily at the fact that he had to change the sheets AGAIN because of something being horny. He looked up to see Fay and spread the new sheet down on the bed.

"Oi, you ok walking now?"

"Yes, why?" Fay stood in the doorway as he watched Kurogane curse over the dirtied sheets. Maybe he should suggest another place if his lover didn't want to do laundry so often. The blonde smiled at the thought. Kurogane shrugged.

"Just wondering. I don't want to have to carry around your lazy ass all the time." He mumbled, tucking the fitted sheet into the mattress.

"And here I thought Kuro-san was going to take me out for a romantic evening." Fay laughed as he walked over to his lover, helping tuck in the sheets. Said lover cocked an eyebrow.

"What gave you that thought?" He said bluntly, standing up straight to examine the work and to check what was next.

"Kuro-san asked if I could walk, the other day he told me I should stay home from school because of the same thing. I had assumed you were asking if I was able to walk for long periods of time." He blushed, not meaning for the other to take him seriously. The dark haired man stared at him for a moment before snorting, grabbing the loose sheet and splaying it on top. He then moved to grab the pillows.

"Right." Fay looked at Kurogane confused as he made the rest of the bed. The raven haired man finished with the bed, and the student looked at the refilled hamper with a sigh.

"...Maybe we should find a different place to do it..." He muttered, rubbing the back of his head. He wasn't going to change the sheets everyday.

"What does Kuro-wankoro have in mind?" Fay asked as Kurogane stood in thought. The blonde could feel heat rising to his cheeks, still not used to the idea that they were having sex. The other shrugged, picking up strewn clothes across the floor.

"I don't know, someplace where it's easier to clean up..." Fay took a seat on the bed, crossing his legs in contemplation. Though the idea that he was thinking of places caused him to blush even more.

"Wouldn't anyplace make a mess?" Kurogane dumped the articles of random fabric into the bin, seeing it was refilling easily.

"With you, yes."

"Then maybe we shouldn't do it so often?" The alien suggested seeing how frustrated Kurogane was at having the hamper almost overfilling again. The other snorted instantly, covering his mouth to shield laughter. He shook his head silently, a smug smirk fixed on his face.

"Is Kuro-rinta laughing at me?" Fay sat wide eyed a s Kurogane smirked at him.

"N-no..." He said, coughing slightly to hide the fact that he was. He stood up straight, placing his hands in his pockets and turning to Fay, he continued to smirk.

"....Maybe we should try different areas of the house to find the best one." He said, the smirk growing wider at the thought. Fay stood, his blush still bright on his face as he poked Kurogane in the chest.

"I think Kuro-rin was laughing at me."

"Think that all you want, Blondie." Kurogane said, staring down at his lover.

"I will..." Fay stared in front of him, his face still warm at the others suggestion.

"Why the hell are you blushing so much?" The taller asked, one hand removing itself from the pocket to snake around Fay's body.

"...Kuro-myu wanting to try out different places." He could feel his heart rate slowly increasing as he felt Kurogane hold him. The blonde brought both hands to rest against the others chest as he finally lifted his head to meet his boyfriend's gaze. Kurogane's smirk slowly grew.

"Hnn... does that not interest you?" He asked smoothly, bending his head down to softly run his nose against the pale ear.

"It does, I'm just not used to hearing something like that." Fay gripped the other's shirt in loose fists as he felt Kurogane nuzzling him.

"Heh, get used to it. I talk like that more often than you would know." Kurogane said, continuing to glide his nose over the soft skin from his lover's ear to his cheek.

"I've noticed." Fay closed his eyes at the feeling of Kurogane's touches. He wondered briefly if Kurogane was this affectionate with his past lovers or if he was the only one who had seen this side of the taller man. Said man growled in response, planting a kiss on Fay's cheekbone. He was about to say something when a very loud ringtone filled the room.

"Kuro-puu should answer it." Fay released his lover's shirt as the phone rang. The other grunted in agitation, not letting go of Fay. He fiddled with his other pocket, pulling out a smaller phone that the blonde had never seen before. Kurogane flipped it open, and sighed.

"What is it?" He said without bringing it to his ear.

"Kurogane." Came Kamui's voice.

"We've received contact." Fay's eyes widened in shock as his body tensed at the message. The taller man instantly held tighter to the blonde, subconsciously overprotective.

"...Alright... We'll be in shortly..." He replied in a strained calmness. Closing the phone slowly, he looked down at his lover.

"..." Leaning down, he planted a reassuring kiss against Fay's lips, strong but not forceful. Fay returned the kiss wholeheartedly. He was afraid of all the things that would happen once they heard what Kamui had received. Once Kurogane pulled away, he held his lover's hand tightly, telling him he would not leave his side. The then led the way to the computer room, dreading every step as they got closer.

The blonde was grateful for the hand holding his own as they made their way out of the bedroom. The human paused before opening the door, his hand hovering above the knob. His jaw clenched, before he turned back to Fay, kissing him once more. He watched as Kurogane stopped short in front of the door. The alien leaned forward into the kiss, a hand running through Kurogane's hair for a brief moment.

The other squeezed Fay's hand in return, the one hovering over the doorknob moving to hold the blonde's cheek. Fay pushed himself closer to Kurogane, wanting to be comforted by the other as he felt his nerves sink. The dark haired man slid his hand from Fay's face to wrap around the smaller man's body, holding him tightly. He broke the kiss slightly, their noses still touching.

"I love you." Tears threatened to spill at Kurogane's confession, the intimacy of the moment clenching around the blonde's heart. He wondered how he had come to care for someone so quickly, but brushed it aside as he looked into crimson eyes.

"I love you too." Kurogane grimaced, seeing the unshed tears. He kissed Fay again, protectively.

"I will never leave you, I promise you that." He said softly, determination growing in his chest over the painful thought of losing what he treasured most. The lithe man felt a few tears slip down his pale cheeks at his lover's words. The blonde never would have imagined he would find someone like Kurogane, he had given up on so much in the past, but to know that there was at least one person who still held him close made him feel precious.

"Do we have to...?" He left the question in the air, hoping Kurogane could just ignore it like he wanted to. The other sighed, pulling away from Fay to wipe his face. "Unfortunately, we do..." He said softly, leaving his hand resting on the blonde's cheek.

"If they come to get you, then I will run with you." He said against Fay's lips, feeling like that was the one condition that he would retreat from any fight. Sighing Fay nodded as he felt his heart sink slightly.

"As long I have Kuro-myu with me I can do it." He gave a brave smile, glad to know Kurogane would be there for him. The human's faint smile appeared for reassurance. He pulled away from Fay and turned the handle, turning on the light of the room. The three computers sat, two with Subaru and Kamui on them, the other with a computerized and very young version of Yuui, who looked like she was asleep. Kamui opened his eyes, seeing his master and Fay. Kurogane closed the door and leaned against the counter where Subaru sat, out of the line of vision.

"You can connect the signal now..." Kurogane said solemnly. Fay took a seat in the chair, not trusting himself to be able to stand as his hands shook. Kamui nodded to where he knew Kurogane was, before he vanished from the screen. He was replaced with darkness for a brief moment, before a pixilated version of a woman with long smooth tresses appeared. Her red eyes opened slowly and glitchy, the transmission still a little weak. Her outfit was eccentric to both Kurogane and Fay, and she was in a shop. She smiled softly, seeing Fay.

"Hello, young one..."

"Hello, Yuuko...it's been a while." Fay returned the woman's smile. She twitched slightly, but whether her body actually moved or if it was the graphics it was hard to tell. Her smile turned sad.

"Yes, indeed. I was hoping that the time you said goodbye four months ago would be the last." She frowned and bowed her head, before returning her vision to Fay.

"As did I, but it seems someone is trying to find me." His face grew serious as he spoke to the older woman. She gave him a pained expression.

"Yes... about that..." She closed her eyes for a moment.

"Fay... you know the rules of Valeria... correct?"

"About what Yuuko?" He sat up in the chair curious as to what the woman was saying.

"About the ones looking for you..." She paused.

"... There is a law on Valeria, and actually on all the planets in our cluster, that says some planets are off limits, yes? Well... Earth, being on the outer edge of the galaxy was told to be left for dead, since the inhabitants are too... well... immature physically to prosper and thrive... Just landing on there would be alright..." She said, her voice taking on a sepulchral tone.

"But what?" Fay didn't like where the conversation was going as he stole a quick glance to Kurogane.

"Whatever misdemeanor or crime you committed in the past has been overlooked now, because... not only did you leave the planet without proper paperwork... but you make a life-productive activity with one of Earth's inhabitants..." She furrowed her brow sadly.

"Your blue glow is now purple..."

"I was falsely accused, it was Ashura's doing." Fay glared at the screen as his hands tightened into fists on his lap. He could even find himself to blush as Yuuko mentioned his and Kurogane's relationship.

"What does the color of my energy have to do with anything?" Yuuko shook her head.

"Ashura could not have done anything to your filing to make it look the way it does..." She sighed tiredly.

"...and you've forgotten. Everyone on Valeria's glow changes when you have sexual relations with someone..." Her eyes fell on the place where Kurogane was hidden.

"From a different planet or not, your energy is now one..." She looked back to Fay.

"I'm sorry, little one, but they're looking for you because you are now a high scale criminal... Law 1649 of the Galaxy states that if a planet is left forgotten you're not supposed to tamper with its inhabitants..."

"They know where I am?" Fay turned away from the screen and the woman as he thought about this new revelation.

"Fortunately no." She smiled sadly.

"All they know is that your relationship with an Earthling has been established. They don't know where Earth is though." She turned sharply suddenly, before sighing.

"Watanuki, come in and close the door." She turned back to the transmission.

"But... my guess is that it won't be long until they come for you... you and the Earthling..." Kurogane folded his arms, glaring at the woman who couldn't see him but knew he was there.

"Then there's no way to stop it?" Fay felt wave after wave of guilt wash over him, not only was he going to be punished, but Kurogane's fate would probably be far worse than his own. She shook her head grimly.

"But the transmission you sent out is so high tech, even for Valeria... how did you manage to reach me hidden?" She asked mutedly, looking over to where Fay supposed Watanuki to be.

"Kuro-san did it with the help of the earring you gave to me before I left." Fay's voice was soft as he stared blankly at the screen.

"'Kuro-san'?" The woman asked, blinking. Kurogane stood and unfolded his arms, walking into her line of sight.

"Kurogane." He said somberly. She looked at him, studying the human with sharp eyes before she smiled.

"I knew that earring would come in handy..." She looked back at Fay.

"Are all the Earthlings like this one?"

"No, he's one of a kind." The blonde smiled warmly, his mind taken away from the feeling of dread that had been coming over him. She continued to smile, her eyes falling back onto Kurogane.

"I see... he is the one with the same glow... your lover?" the woman asked, regarding the well toned body of the dark haired man.

"Yes." Fay nodded proud of the fact, even if the woman was staring at Kurogane. Her smile fell slightly.

"I see..." Kurogane glared back, and the woman looked back at Fay.

"...He has committed just as much of a crime as you have, little one..." She said sadly.

"You and he will be separated as soon as you're found..."

"What will happen to him?" Fay frowned, he was afraid that he would be taken away from Kurogane.

"...I cannot say for sure..." She said gravely, bowing her head.

"Only a few cases like this have popped up in our century... All I know for sure is that he will be punished with a memory wipe, and if that doesn't work.... possibly death..."

"There's nothing I can give to protect him?" Even if it meant Kurogane would forget him, Fay would rather his lover be alive and safe. He was anxious and nervous as he thought of all the things he could possibly give to the woman.

"There is nothing they will accept." Yuuko looked at the human.

"Kurogane, am I correct?" He nodded.

"I can only hold them off from your transmission for so long... if and when you are taken from Fay, I suggest you sneak aboard the ship he's on. Don't forget your android." Kurogane raised an eyebrow, wondering about how she knew about Yuui, but he simply nodded. She looked to Fay, a frown set on her features.

"How long do we have?" Fay could almost hear himself breaking at the thought of how useless he was to protect the one person he had left. She grimaced at the blonde's expression.

"...For our time, three months..." She bowed her head once more.

"I can only say it will be a lot shorter for you..." Kurogane looked to Subaru.

"...That's less than two days..."

"Thank you Yuuko for your help..." The blonde kept his gaze lowered as he processed the news. He couldn't believe that they had such a short time left.

"I'm sorry it could not be more..." The woman said grievously, and she bowed her head. The transmission cut off, and Kamui returned on the screen.

"Call ended. Damage:...... 15%. Running Cool Down System in 1 minute." Kurogane clenched his jaw tightly, unable to respond. His hand was gripping the back of Fay's chair tightly, the fabric groaning in complaint as his knuckles became white. Fay covered his eyes with a hand as the other remained fisted on his thigh. He was frozen in place, not knowing what to do next. The room was silent, the soft hum of Kamui's system running droned out of both the men's ears. It was a while before the silence was broken by a soft beep.

"...Fay...Kurogane...?" The human's head snapped to the third computer.

"Yuui?!" The blonde lowered his hand at the voice and slowly turned his head towards it. The girl that had been shut down was staring blankly at the others; a small smile came to her lips.

"Did Yuui's memory and hard drive transfer?" Kurogane felt a little of the pain vanish from his chest seeing her smile.

"...Yes... You're back on the computer that you were programmed on..." He said quietly, looking away from her. She tilted her head to the side childishly.

"Is Kurogane ok? And Fay?"

"Yuui shouldn't worry." Fay spoke softly to the girl, trying to prove his words to himself more than Yuui at the moment. The girl regained her smile, unable to detect hidden emotions. She smiled brightly.

"Yuui is sorry that Yuui shut down! Next time Yuui will be stronger!" Kurogane went to her and knelt in front of the computer.

"Yuui... there... there won't be a next time..." He said sharply, making her smile disappear. "....What?" He bowed his head.

"I won't be able to fix your body..." She blinked and smiled.

"That's ok; Yuui will do her best from here then!"

"That won't happen either..." The alien looked up to his lover as he smiled sadly at the news.

"Yuui..." She began slowly.

"...Yuui doesn't understand... Will Yuui not receive transmissions like Kamui or Subaru?" She asked. Kurogane shook his head and closed his eyes.

"None of you will..." He raised his head.

"…because we're going to go where the transmissions are." She smiled again.

"Oh! Ok! It would be silly to send out transmissions to yourself, wouldn't it?" She asked happily, but she slowly frowned, seeing Kurogane's expression.

"That's right, it would be silly." Fay continued to try and smile for the girl so she wouldn't be suspicious. She looked from Kurogane's face to Fay's, then back.

"What happened to Kurogane?" She asked worriedly, looking at Fay. Kamui rolled his eyes.

"You idiot, going there isn't a good thing!" He spat.

"Kamui...." Subaru said from his position. Yuui's eyes widened and she looked back to Kurogane.

"W...What?"

"There's no need for Yuui to worry, Kuro-min and I just have a lot to think about is all." Fay looked over to Kamui in a scolding manner before returning his gaze back to Yuui.

"Is there anything Yuui can do to help?" She asked, placing a hand in front of her mouth. Kurogane stood and placed a hand on the mouse. This registered to her as him putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, kid. Our problems will be done and over with before you know it." He said, face expressionless now. She smiled up to him.

"Yes sir." Kamui sighed angrily, but kept his mouth shut. Kurogane swallowed and looked at Yuui's big blue eyes. He couldn't help but feel regret toward not fixing her android body. This was a different Yuui altogether. Her face and voice was the same, but the person behind the mask was not her. He turned away, unable to look at any of his creations.

"....I'm calling Tomoyo...." He said softly, feeling his stomach turn. Fay stood slowly, turning away from the computers shakily as he moved to stand by Kurogane. He wondered why the taller man would want to call Tomoyo of all things, but didn't question it. Kurogane turned off the light and allowed Fay out before he closed the door on his computers, sighing morosely. He then walked down the hallway to the living room with his hands in his pockets. Fay followed unable to think of anything other then what was going to happen to them, his mind racing as he thought about what to do. Kurogane walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. He reached into his pocket and set the phone down on the coffee table.

"Call Tomoyo." He said gruffly. The screen lit up blue with a waving green phone.

"Calling: Tomoyo...." Fay took a seat by Kurogane as he watched his lover call his cousin.

"Why...?" His question hung in the air as the phone called. The other frowned.

"I have to let her know why I won't return her phone calls from now on..." He said somberly, placing his hands back in his pockets.

"You're going to tell her the truth about everything?" Fay laid his hand tentatively on Kurogane's arm trying to provide some comfort.

"No... I'm going to tell her I'm going to Italy with you..." He said simply, kissing the blonde's head.

"She doesn't need to know about this..." His lover was relieved that everything wasn't crashing down around them. He sighed as lips press against his skin. The other let out harsh air gravely and leaned back in the couch, listening to the dial tone. It cut short as his relative picked up.

"Hello? Kurogane-kun?" Kurogane paused for a moment.

"Yo." The alien bit his lip and leaned into Kurogane, wanting the comfort the other brought him as Tomoyo's voice was heard. The tanned man removed his arm from Fay and placed it around his lover, pulling him close.

"Hello cousin of mine! Oh, I hear an echo; I'm on speaker aren't I? Fay-san's there too I assume? Hello darling!" Tomoyo's singsong voice rang through the room, and Kurogane placed his head against Fay's.

"Hello Tomoyo." Fay smiled, hoping it would make him sound more cheerful. His hand moved from Kurogane's arm as his lover placed it around him instead. His hand resettled against his lover's thigh as he spoke. Tomoyo giggled.

"It's nice to hear from you two... tell me, are you feeling better Fay-san?" Kurogane grunted.

"That's why we're calling." The girl paused, and they could hear her breath catch in her throat.

"W-why's that?" The dark haired man grimaced.

"Blondie's getting worse... so... he's going back to Italy..." Fay sighed, moving his other hand to rest against the larger one to his side. He felt bad for lying to Tomoyo, but if she knew it would put her in danger as well and it was something Fay refused to do. Tomoyo squawked, very much like Kurogane would've done if they were on opposite sides of the phone.

"What?! You can't leave! What about Kurogane-kun?!"

"There's another reason why Kuro-min called." His smile brightened a little at knowing how Tomoyo cared.

"I'm going with him." Kurogane finished, sighing as he heard Tomoyo's over-exaggerated feelings. The girl squeaked again.

"WHAT?! When did you decide this?! I'm coming over right now!" And before either one of them could protest, the phone clicked as she hung up.

"Do you think Tomoyo will try and get you to stay?" He ran a thumb over the jean clad skin of his lover as he thought. He didn't know how far away Tomoyo lived, but he was sure it wouldn't take long for the girl to arrive. So Fay rested against Kurogane as he enjoyed the time they had alone.

"She's overemotional about everything I do that has to do with getting out of my house." Kurogane replied, leaning his head back on the couch with closed eyes.

"She'll probably speed to get here... so... I think she's just down the road right now..."

"Your parents will come as well once Tomoyo tells them." He smiled sadly as he rested against Kurogane.

"They're staying with her, so no doubt they're on their way too..." The human said, rolling his head to the side to look at the top of Fay's head.

"They'll be angry at me won't they? I'm taking away someone precious to them." Fay's grip tightened as he felt his throat constrict at the sudden sadness of it.

"We'll sit through the yelling." Kurogane leaned his head down and kissed Fay's head.

"Besides... they know that I'd be happy with you no matter where I went..." He said with a frown, his hand around Fay's body tightening. The alien lifted his head after the tender kiss to gaze up at his lover. His heart swelled at the words, knowing that even if the worst happened he wouldn't be alone. Kurogane let a small smile grace his face, as he leaned down to kiss his lover, the other hand that was on the sofa lifted and held the pale cheek. Fay kissed back in an almost urgent manner, though he knew he couldn't allow himself to shed anymore tears with Kurogane's family ready to burst through the door at any moment. His nails dug into the Earthling's thigh and hand as his lover's hand held his face lovingly.

Kurogane kept the kiss going, even after hearing Tomoyo stampede through the door followed by his parents. Tomoyo placed her hands on her hips and angrily glared at the couple from the other side of the coffee table.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" She hollered. Kurogane's eyes opened and he sighed against Fay, pulling away to glare at the younger.

"What the hell ever happened to knocking?" Once Kurogane broke their kiss, Fay averted his gaze, keeping his head down so as not to see the anger he was sure showed on each of their faces. He bit his lip as he gripped his lover's hand. Kurogane's father sighed and placed his hands on his hips like Tomoyo.

"Do you two have to kiss in front of me?" His son scoffed.

"I WOULDN'T be if you would FUCKING KNOCK! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU THREE?!" He shouted, pulling away from Fay a little as to not yell in his ear. Tomoyo pointed at Kurogane.

"Explain yourself!" Fay winced at the heated words exchanged, keeping his gaze down.

Kurogane's mother walked over to Fay and knelt in front of him, placing a hand under his chin.

"Fay-san... why are you crying?" She asked softly, making the other three in the room look at the blonde and Tsumebe. Fay's eyes widened in shock as he realized the woman was right, he hadn't even noticed the large tears trailing down his cheeks.

"I don't want to take Kuro-tan away from here." He stopped to look into the woman's gentle gaze.

"I'd rather he stay here and let me leave." Fay brought a hand up to wipe furiously at his tears as he tried to calm himself in front of everyone. Kurogane sighed and grimaced, looking down. Tomoyo frowned bringing a hand up to her lips. She was about to cry, seeing the blonde upset was doing nothing to help. Toriho folded his arms.

"Why can't my son stay then? Why are you making him cry?" He asked Kurogane, who just sat there in silence. Having no answer, the father of the group growled slightly.

"Answer me, Youou." Fay finished drying his eyes and smiled gently at Tsumebe, silently thanking the woman for her kindness. Kurogane gritted his teeth, closing his eyes as his father stared impatiently at him. Tsumebe smiled back at Fay for reassurance before looking at Kurogane. She frowned, being able to read between the lines.

"...There's more to it than Fay-san being homesick... isn't there?" The blonde's breath caught in his throat as he waited to hear how Kurogane could possibly answer. Said man sighed, looking up finally to his father and mother.

"...His family..." Kurogane began slowly.

"... They want him back... and... well... they demand I go too..." He said, looking over to Fay. He hadn't lied to any of them, but he hadn't told the complete story around it either. Fay kept his eyes trained anywhere but on the people in front of them, he knew what Kurogane had said wasn't the best story he could have come up with and knew that his family would start seeing holes in it as well. Fay just hoped that they would believe Kurogane's story enough not to question it too much. Toriho paused for a moment, rolling what Kurogane had just said around in his head. He sighed.

"If you would've said that in the first place we wouldn't have barged in so angrily." Kurogane sat back in the couch, frowning. Tomoyo tilted her head to the side.

"So Fay-san's family knows about Kurogane-kun?" The dark haired man nodded.

"We're sorry Fay-san, we had no idea we would hurt you so much." She stopped to look at the blonde.

"I can tell you love my son and by the way he has been acting he feels the same, so the two of you have my blessing. I only wish for your safety." The older woman knew that there was something the two weren't sharing, but she was confident they could handle it. Fay returned her smile with his own. Kurogane sighed in relief; his mother always knew what to say. He then looked up to his father, who clicked his tongue.

"I expect some grandchildren when you guys get back." He said, winking with a smile. Tomoyo then latched herself to Fay, streams going down her face.

"I'll miss you!! You were such a great shopping partner!"

"Kuro-rin and I'll have to see about the grandchildren part." Fay smiled and hugged Tomoyo as she cried against him.

"Maybe we can co me back, I would love to shop with Tomoyo again."

"Yeah... maybe..." Kurogane added, his mind drifting off to what was to come and he instantly felt his insides twist. Toriho folded his arms.

"Will we not be able to see you two off?"

"I doubt you'll be able to." Fay hoped that they would be far away and safe whenever they were found.

"That's such a shame..." Tomoyo sobbed, nuzzling Fay's chest slightly.

"I wanna see Fay-san off! It's not fair! I just met you!!!" She continued to cry. Toriho looked at his wife, then to Kurogane.

"Do you plan on saying goodbye to the town?" Kurogane flinched, then nodded solemnly, having completely forgotten about doing that.

"Thank you all for being so understanding." Fay smiled warmly at his lover's family. Toriho smiled back, and Tomoyo wiped her face. She sat up and smiled too, a more childish one. Kurogane, however, frowned more, looking away from his oblivious family. Fay turned to look up at his lover, seeing Kurogane frowning dampened his mood as the other three stood in front of them. Toriho placed a hand on Kurogane's head suddenly.

"Don't make such a poopy face, Youou!" he said happily, making Kurogane snarl. The father laughed as his son swatted as his hand. He pulled away and continued taunting Kurogane, who soon attacked him.

"GOD DAMMIT DAD! YOU'RE SO CHILDISH!" Fay brought a hand up to his mouth to stifle his laughter at the familiar arguing. Tomoyo smiled to herself as she watched her cousin and uncle fight for what they thought wouldn't be the last time. Kurogane caught his father in a chokehold once again, planting himself on top of the elder man. Toriho grunted and struggled against it, whining in complaint.

"Kuro-sama should be careful he might hurt his father." He continued to smile thankful for the change of mood.

"Like hell I'll hurt him! He's got bones of steel!" Kurogane spat, making his father laugh.

"Damn straight boy!" Toriho said, taking that opportunity to flip in Kurogane's grip. He reached up and hooked his arms around Kurogane's neck from behind, flipping him off and successfully gagging him. Tomoyo shook her head.

"When will they grow up?"

"Maybe it's Kuro-kun I should be worried about." He smiled along with the two women as father and son tried to best each other. Kurogane growled ferociously, pulling away from his father just to attack him again. Toriho laughed and rolled, ending on top of his son.

"Admit it! I win this time!" He said, placing his elbow over Kurogane's throat dangerously. The red eyes flashed up to his father, and with reluctance, he sighed. Toriho smiled wider and stood.

"Yay! I win!" Tomoyo laughed.

"That only makes it 16 to 52."

"Congratulations." Fay said as he watched Toriho smile victoriously.

"Love, you should be careful, we wouldn't want Fay-san to worry now." Tsumebe smiled as she lightly scolded her husband's antics. Toriho sighed in accomplishment, reaching down a hand to help up his son. Kurogane took it and pulled himself up.

"He knows my boy's strong; Youou can take it!" Kurogane rolled his eyes, but didn't comment on his father calling him the wrong name. Even though Fay was glad for the company and having his mind taken off what was to come, Fay couldn't help but want to have Kurogane holding him. His shook his head at the thought, he knew he was being selfish and allowed his lover to spend more time with his family. Tomoyo suddenly looked at the clock before gasping.

"Oh no! Toriho-san, Tsumebe-san, you're going to miss your train!" Kurogane gave her a quizzical look.

"Train?"

"Are the two of you leaving?" Fay asked in concern, even is he had only known the two for such a short time he was fond of them. Toriho sighed and smiled, placing a hand on Tsumebe's shoulder.

"Yeah, duty calls. I have to get back to work... we've been getting..." He paused, catching himself from giving too much information away.

"...calls, from somewhere we don't know about." He smiled.

"It's very important, since they say we sent one out too." Kurogane's expression changed slightly, hearing this. The blonde kept his face impassive at the news, knowing it was about them. Toriho didn't notice Kurogane's expression change, but Tsumebe did. Tomoyo went to her cousin and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'll be seeing you then, Kurogane-kun... I'm going with them, back to Tokyo, so I won't see you for a while." Kurogane blinked, feeling his heart clench. He, for once in his life, hugged her back. Fay watched the exchange with a sad smile of his own.

"I know we've not known each other for long, but I'll miss each of you all the same." He tried to give a bright smile as he looked at the three. Tomoyo removed herself from Kurogane and hugged Fay again.

"We'll miss you too Fay-san, if and when we get back together I want to design your wedding..." She said happily, though more tears were threatening to spill. Toriho ruffled Kurogane's hair as a sign of goodbye, and Kurogane closed his eyes in respect. Fay blushed at her words and nodded, not wanting to cause her to cry any further.

"That will be up to Kuro-min in the end." He knew he was being unfair to think they would be coming back and giving Tomoyo false hope. The girl nodded and then stepped away. Toriho then glomped Fay, for lack of better words, almost making him fall back.

"Oh! I'm so happy to finally meet my son's chosen one! I'm so happy!" He cried, holding the blonde tightly. Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"Dad...." Fay would have sworn he felt his spine crack with the intensity of the hug, but he gingerly returned the embrace, his face heating at the words.

"Toriho-san... you're going to hurt Fay-san..." Tomoyo said softly, giggling at the taller man's happiness. Kurogane turned to his mother and asked her quietly so none of the other family members heard.

"You know... don't you?"

"I have my suspicions, but the two of you make each other happy and so I'll try and keep your father out of things." She smiled and gave her son a kiss to his forehead. She turned to the blonde, who was still being held by her husband and gave him a soft kiss against his brow as well.

"When the two of you return, I'll expect our son to make an honest man of Fay-san." Fay's eyed widened in shock at the woman's words, never expecting them from such a gentle person. Toriho finally pulled away from Fay, smiling brightly as he patted the blonde head. He turned to his wife.

"Shall we be going now?" Tomoyo smiled and led the way to the door, and Kurogane followed them out. He stood on the porch, his arms folded as he watched them get in the black car. Fay tried to breathe again as he was released from the hug and Kurogane left to watch his family leave. The taller man looked over to Fay once again before turning his vision to the car.

"...I hope they'll continue to be happy without us..." He said slowly, leaning against the doorway as his family smiled up to him through the windows.

"I hope so too..." Fay smiled before he patted the cushion beside him in invitation. Kurogane's jaw clenched tightly as he watched his family leave down the dirt path, most likely for the last time. He sighed, closing the door and walking over to Fay to sit down.

"Kuro-kun does so much for me; I can never repay him for it." The alien moved to sit on his knees leaning over Kurogane as he cupped his lover's face in his hands.

"And now there's good chance he may never see his family again and never remember me or worse; I could loose him." Fay thought back to Yuuko's words and knew it would be infinitely more painful for Kurogane to die than to forget him. Kurogane's hand came up to rest against Fay's cheek, the other going to the alien's side.

"This may be true..." He said softly, staring into the blue eyes that changed their hue again with such a painful emotion.

"But... whether I die or forget, you will never do either in my heart. I know you'll be there, and that's all that matters to me." He said, not giving a damn about how sappy he sounded. The world could go fuck itself about badass images and all that good shit. Fay nodded and tried to smile for Kurogane and his words, but instead he leaned forward against the other man, wrapping shaky arms around broad shoulders. Kurogane returned the embrace tightly, resting his chin against Fay's shoulder.

"We shouldn't cry or mope in our last day together, idiot..." He said softly, though he knew both of them wanted to do exactly that.

"What does Kuro-rinta have in mind then?" His voice was muffled as he spoke, thankful for the arms wrapped around him.

"I don't know..." Kurogane kissed the other's skin softly.

"We could go to town and say our goodbyes... we could go to the garage and try to fix my android to the best of our abilities so she can tell everyone what really happened...." He paused.

"We could mark every part of the house and not give a damn about cleaning up our mess."

"Hmm... it would be nice to go say goodbye to Sorata and the others...and Yuuko did tell you to bring Yuui...and seeing as how I'm a high level criminal for having sex with you already I suppose christening the house wouldn't be bad and I could get a tour out of it as well." Fay laughed before kissing Kurogane's cheek.

"Which ever Kuro-min wishes to do is fine with me." The other grinned evilly.

"You keep doing that and it keeps pissing me off." he said in regards to Fay's last sentence.

"We'll fix her when we're done and say our goodbyes tomorrow..." He said, claiming the other's mouth hungrily. Fay broke the kiss to smile at his lover.

"Kuro-myu shouldn't have given the other two options if this is what he really wanted to do." Fay nuzzled Kurogane's cheek as he smirked. The other cocked an eyebrow.

"I never said that I wouldn't do the other two options, this was just the first one that came to mind." He said simply, holding onto his companion tightly.

"And plus, what happens... what happens if I..." He blushed slightly, placing his face against Fay's collarbone.

"What if I could impregnate you?"

"It's possible Kuro-chan could the normal way because you're human and I'm not sure how that would affect me...but we could..." Fay blushed brightly at his words.

"…do it the way it would usually be done." Kurogane smirked satisfactorily.

"Well then, let's start trying shall we?" The blonde smiled and nodded.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why all of the sudden does Kuro-min want to have children?" He reached forward to brush a hand through dark hair as he asked. The other man's smirk faded slightly as he pondered how to answer.

"...If I do die, or even forget, I still would never see you again..." He sighed, looking into blue forlornly.

"That doesn't mean you have to be alone." Fay was struck by the confession and as he came down from the shock of it he smiled faintly as he withdrew his arms.

"Kuro-myu wishes to give me a gift." His hands were outstretched between them as swirls of blue seeped from his fingers to form a swirling globe roughly the size of a baseball. Faint wisps of purple mixed into the electric blue color as Fay smiled.

"Once I take this in...It can't be undone...are you sure?" Kurogane watched in interest, before looking to his lover.

"I wouldn't have suggested it if I wasn't sure..." He smirked in spite of himself, and at the idea of having a child with Fay.

"...This way I know they'll be someone to protect your lazy ass." Fay smirked and nodded before bringing the orb to himself as it was slowly absorbed. Light illuminated off them until it disappeared inside him. Once he was finished the blonde looked up to smile at his lover.

"Would Kuro-tan like to begin now?" Kurogane's eyebrow cocked, but he leaned forward, ignoring the thought of how fucked up aliens were as he kissed his partner in reply. Fay smiled into the kiss as he brought his hands up to hold Kurogane's head. Without breaking the kiss Fay moved until he was straddling his lover's lap.

The taller man leaned back a little, sinking into the couch as his hands moved to encircle the blonde's body. A small moan was muffled by their kiss when Fay moved forward as Kurogane rested against the couch. The dark haired man felt a jolt run down his spine at the soft sound, wanting to hear more instantly. He slinked a hand down the covered skin, his hand touching the hem of Fay's shirt. The alien's breath hitched and he broke the kiss.

"Is Kuro-wan eager?" Fay suppressed his laughter as he felt the hand resting against his skin.

"Nnn... we only have so long." Kurogane commented simply, moving his lips to the other's collarbone, kissing and licking exposed skin.

"Can't I be?"

"If we plan to go through the whole house we will be on a tight schedule." Fay teased as he ran one of his hands down Kurogane's arm, enjoying the feeling of his lover's touches against his skin.

"I think I'd like to hurry, after all we have to go to town later." The blonde arched as a tongue moved over his pale skin.

"Heh...then maybe I'm going too slow?" Kurogane said through a smirk, his hand slipping under the blue fabric that concealed his lover to the open air.

"I think Kuro-puu could go a bit faster." He sighed as he felt calloused fingers skin over his skin.

"Have it your way." The other commented, moving his hand faster to pull off the blonde's shirt. He tossed the shirt haphazardly to the side and claimed the pale skin once again with his mouth. Pale arms wrapped around Kurogane, a thin hand planted atop dark strands as Fay sighed at the lips ghosting over his skin, sending goosebumps down his spine.

The dark haired man nipped at the flesh, relishing in the taste of his lover. He growled lightly when he felt the hand on his head, biting gently at a perk piece of flesh on the other's chest. His cheeks heated as Fay's other hand reached down to the waistline of Kurogane's pants. Timidly he slipped his fingers into the jeans, brushing against tan skin.

"Aaahhhh....Kuro-san." His eyes shut tightly as he felt Kurogane teasing his flesh. The other's eyes closed as his skin twitched underneath the pale fingers, and subconsciously he moved his hips slightly against the other man's. He groaned lowly against his lover, swirling his tongue slowly around what he held in his mouth. The blonde shivered and brought his other hand to his lover's waist. He smiled and kissed the top of Kurogane's head as his fingers slipped from the pants to move towards the button.

Kurogane continued to nip and lick at the other's chest, only pulling away when he felt his zipper being undone. Fay smirked as he moved his fingers to deftly wrap around Kurogane already straining erection. His face flushed, the blonde continued to smile as he wrapped both hands around Kurogane. The other quivered, his eyes closing tighter as he pulled his lover closer.

"If you jack me off again..." He warned, opening his eyes to glare at the blonde to show he was still slightly embarrassed about the last time he had done so.

"Then Kuro-sama should hurry." Fay blushed and kissed the taller man's temple softly as he gripped the organ a little more tightly and began moving his fingers across the heated skin. The red eyes almost closed completely when he felt the nimble fingers begin to move, but he growled and slipped his hands down to Fay's pants.

"Damn bastard..." Fay gasped and moved faster along the flesh as he felt Kurogane's hand move behind him. The human's hand snatched Fay's wrists, stopping him so he could undo the blonde's pants similarly to the way Fay had undone his. His hands gripped by Kurogane's hand, Fay leaned forward to plant kisses against his lover's hair as he was stripped of the last of his clothes. Kurogane manuvered the other's jeans off successfully, smirking in his own talents, before letting go of the pale wrists.

"Nnn... we don't have any oil or lotion..." He said, kissing Fay's jawline.

"What does Kuro-kun have in mind then?" Fay craned his neck upwards to allow his lover more room as his nails trailed down Kurogane's stomach, teasingly towards his arousal.

"I don't know. You come up with something." The dark skinned man continued his kisses, every now and then licking heated skin. He growled softly as he felt the nails rake across his skin, only making him want more of Fay.

"Hmm...I don't know where any could be, Kuro-rin will have to find some." Fay smiled deviously as his fingers moved to wrap around Kurogane's member once more. The other groaned against his own will, twitching against the hand that returned to pleasuring him.

"How the hell can I when you're on me?!" He spat, blushing slightly as he looked up to his lover. Fay stopped his movements and fell backwards onto the couch with a soft thump. Smiling lazily the blonde looked up towards Kurogane.

"Now I'm not Kuro-rin." Fay bit his lip to keep from laughing, he didn't know what had possessed him to tease the other man like this, but found it amusing all the same. The human raised an irritated eyebrow, a muscle near his eye twitching slightly.

"...I can change my mind about fucking around the house and go fix Yuui if you'd rather that."

"What about the baby then Daddy?" Fay pouted up towards his lover, knowing Kurogane would more or less comply as he lay back against the couch.

"What about the fucking baby? How can it be there if Mommy's being a prick!?" The taller spouted, not caring about using the nickname.

"We can forget about using anything then, I don't mind." Fay smiled and sat up and brought a hand up to cup his lover's face. Leaning forward the lithe blonde placed a chaste kiss against his lover's lips. Kurogane sighed vehemently into it, but closed his eyes and let the anger go. He slinked an arm around Fay's naked body, pulling him closer. The blue eyed one wrapped his arms around Kurogane's shoulders as he was brought closer to the tanned body.

The taller man moved to lay his back against the armrest, one leg sliding off to put his foot down on the ground. He allowed Fay to drape overtop him, pulling away from the kiss to come back swiftly, hungry for more. The other stifled a moan at the new position he found himself in. After a few more moments, Fay broke their kiss as he panted.

"Kuro-chan should hurry." Long fingers moved to brush against Kurogane's erection as Fay spoke.

"God dammit Fay..." Kurogane said angrily, pulling the blonde closer. He thought for a moment, before smiling. He reached up and stuck two fingers in the blonde's mouth.

"Get them wet." He ordered, grinning. Fay blushed as he locked gaze with Kurogane, but getting the hint began moistening the fingers. He looked at his lover with half lidded eyes as he ran a tongue over the digits covering them in saliva. Kurogane felt a tingle of pleasure run down his spine as he watched the alien, entranced by the expression. He opened his mouth slightly, before he pulled his fingers away. Fay blushed as Kurogane's fingers left his mouth.

His body shuddered at what he knew was next. Kurogane pulled the other closer and smirked up at his lover. He reached toward Fay's backside and kissed him while he inserted his digit. Fay lifted his hips upwards as Kurogane pushed a finger inside him. Returning the kiss, Fay leaned forward resting his forearms against Kurogane's chest as he was prepared.

Going through the same routine as they had several times before, Kurogane pulled away, positioning himself against the blonde. He flickered a glance up toward Fay and entered smoothly. Fay didn't wait long to adjust before he was moving against Kurogane, his breath hitched as it heatedly washed over Kurogane's collar bone.

The other growled in approval at the lithe man's advances, his hand traveling down to grip Fay's hip in order to help him move atop the dark haired man. Fay sat up, using his hands against Kurogane's chest as leverage as he grew accustomed to the length inside him. Ruby eyes stared through narrow lids at the blonde as he sat up. His other hand moved to join the first, holding either side of his lover.

The alien bowed his head as he lifted himself nearly off his lover only to move back down to fully sheath Kurogane's arousal. He was thankful for the hands on his hips helping him as his body shook with lust. The dark haired man sighed as the blonde return to him, his head leaning back against the armrest. He kept his grip firm, feeling the trembles of the smaller body.

Fay tried to find purchase on the sweaty skin beneath his hands as he increased his pace. He knew he was getting close after such a short time, a mixture between knowing they had little time left to be together and the rollercoaster of emotions he had been on since earlier in the day nearly sending him over the edge as he moaned atop Kurogane. The tan one gritted his teeth together, feeling somewhat the same but not as strongly as Fay. He felt his face heat slightly when he heard the alien's mewl, his hands tightening instinctively and his hips coming up to meet the other's.

With Kurogane aiding him, Fay could feel his body tensing as climax loomed over him. He brought a hand to quickly tuck loose locks of hair behind his ear as his noises punctuated the air. Kurogane brought his attention to his lover, stare fixed on the façade that rocked above him. He groaned slightly knowing it wouldn't take much more for the blonde to lose it.

Fay's eyes were slits as he focused on his lover below him and the pleasure his lover was giving him coursing through his veins. Fay flushed as he brought a hand to wrap around his own arousal as he continued to move. The taller man smirked slightly, seeing the lithe man faintly blush. He moved somewhat under Fay, searching for that sweet spot he knew his companion so loved. Feeling Kurogane moving, Fay paid it no attention even as Kurogane began meeting his own thrusts. His body tensed as he felt Kurogane hitting his prostate and mewled in gratitude as he brought himself closer to climax.

Kurogane continued faster, the muscles in his arms tensing slightly as he tried not to hold the blonde too tightly. He grunted softly, the other's nails subconsciously digging into his chest as they progressed. Blue eyes shut tightly as Kurogane moved faster into him. His chest heaved as his body shook. Fay went rigid atop Kurogane, his lips parted in a silent scream as he came against his lover's torso, spilling white across sweaty skin. Removing his hand from his spent member Fay felt small jolts of pleasure race through his body as Kurogane continued to thrust into his sated body.

The other worked quickly to finish as well, not being as close as Fay was to release. A few more thrusts into his lover and Kurogane moaned, finally seeping in completion. He shuddered, letting his body match the state of the one on top of him. Fay shivered as he felt Kurogane spill inside him. He lowered himself down to rest against the other's chest, giving a tender kiss under the other man's jaw as he did.

"Where would... Kuro-san like to go to now?" Fay said in between breathes as he rested.

"Nnnn.... I don't care...." The other man replied in ragged exhaling, his arms coming up from Fay's hips to wrap securely around the smaller's frame.

"That's one spot down..." Fay laughed as he idly drew patterns on Kurogane's skin.

"Perhaps... the room with the... films? Or another one close by?" The blonde would have to coax his lover in securing some oil for the rest of the evening if he was expected to go to town later. Kurogane grunted, kissing the mop of hair that was against his chest.

"Sure... why not?" He said with a smirk, though his body disagreed tremendously with all of what happened today, including with the just finished sex still wafting through the air.

"Would Kuro-pipi be a gentleman and carry me? I'm not sure if my legs are working normally yet." Fay laughed.

"Oi, just because we plan to mark every room in the house doesn't mean we have to do it all in one hour." The human said groggily, not wanting to move.

"Kuro-san's sleepy?" Fay smiled thinking it strange how usually Kurogane was the one ready to go another round in a short time frame.

"No, just sluggish." He complained, before he forced himself to sit up.

"Hnn... Did you want to get that oil-or-something now?" He said, wondering if it would be best to do so whilst in the middle of taking a break.

"Yes, is it on the nightstand still?" Fay lifted himself off Kurogane, groaning at the feeling of the other's spent member slipping out of him.

"Should be." The taller man replied, shuddering as he exited his lover. He shuffled under Fay, allowing the blonde to move off before he sat up on the couch. He rubbed the back of his head. He didn't know if doing it over and over would be possible if their first release was so easy to get to. Fay smiled and walked shakily towards the bedroom. His legs still moved a bit awkwardly as he entered the room and sifted through the nightstand, upon finding the bottle the blonde closed the drawer and walked back into the living room to sit next to Kurogane.

The other was lounging, his pants rezipped at the awkward feeling of being exposed, and arm and leg in their previous lassitude positions. He looked up when Fay entered and watched him come in. When he sat down the dark haired man leaned over to him and just pressed his forehead against the lithe man's head.

"The movie room you said?"

"It was only a suggestion, if Kuro-min has a better one we can do that instead." Fay blushed a bit at his lack of clothes as Kurogane leaned against him.

"Like I said before, I don't care." The human slid his arm under the other man's legs and back before standing, holding his lover like a bride.

"We're going to get to every room eventually." He said with a preditorial smirk.

"I thought Kuro-tan was feeling sluggish?" Fay teased as he was lifted and carried out of the room.

"Was." The other admitted, before setting the alien down upon his sofa.

"That's only because today was a bitch."

"And now?" Fay tried to give his lover an innocent smile as he saw a familiar glint in Kurogane's eyes as he was laid down. The other grinned back.

"Like I could use another round." He said before kissing his lover heatedly. Fay tilted his head foward to close as much distance between them as possible and to deepen the kiss.

"Kuro-san has a lot of stamina." The alien laughed as he pulled Kurogane closer to him. The dark haired man obliged, crawling once again over Fay.

"Hnn.. only for you, dumbass..." He said softly, planting another kiss against bruising lips. Fay smiled into the kiss before they broke apart. With one arm wrapped around Kurogane's shoulders, the blonde's other hand set the bottle he had been holding down on the floor so he could wrap that arm around his lover.

"Hmm… maybe Kuro-myu should take his pants off then if he'd like another round?" Kurogane cocked an eyebrow.

"You say that after you wrap your arms around my neck so it's harder for me to move."

"I thought Kuro-min liked a challenge." Fay ran his fingers against the hair at the back of Kurogane's head as he gave the taller man a challenging look.

"Yeah, but I also like to be lazy sometimes." He retorted, before sighing raggedly and moving one hand down to his pants.

"Either that or you like to see me struggle."

"Kuro-san knows me so well." Fay laughed as he watched his lover try to undo his pants with one hand. After trial and failure once, he successfully managed to unbutton and unzip his pants.

"Ha. Did it. They ain't coming off unless I have both hands though." Fay sighed dramatically before releasing Kurogane from his hold.

"Kuro-pon has to take all the fun out of it." The blonde tried to pout, but couldn't keep his smile hidden for too long.

"And yet you smile." Kurogane growled, sitting up and hooking his thumbs in his pants. Pulling them off and tossing them behind him, he returned to hover over Fay, kissing the blonde possessively. Fay returned the kiss wholeheartedly as he wrapped his limbs around Kurogane once more. The taller man placed one hand on the side of the couch to hold him up whilst the other rested against the pale side. He sighed into the kiss, just enjoying taking part in it.

Bringing his legs up, Fay noticed how little room there was on the sofa as one of his thighs were pinned between Kurogane and the back of the couch. The other separated his lips from Fay's, going to the pale neck to kiss and lick there as the hand on Fay's side was moved lower down. Practically purring Fay moved his hands upwards to plant themselves in his lover's hair as he enjoyed the touches along his neck.

Kurogane continued to nip and lap at the already bruised skin that was healing slowly, causing a few more love bites as his hand massaged the skin on the other man's lower stomach. Fay shivered as hands moved over his stomach, he thought briefly to the baby that would most likely be conceived and smiled as strong hands made soothing patterns against his skin. The taller man was probably thinking the same thing, for his hand slowed slightly, and he pulled away with his mouth.

"How many times do we gotta do this in order to have a kid?" He asked, not moving so that his lips dancing slightly against Fay's neck.

"It could be at any time. Our biology is similar enough so it should be a few times to make sure or it may not happen at all...there are just too many things that might go either way to guess. But if I am I'll know sometime tomorrow." Fingers traced Kurogane's jaw delicately as Fay spoke. The other sighed, having a million questions running through his head. He settled with just asking later as he returned to kissing the smaller man's ear. He then moved his hand lower, touching the pale one's member.

His fingers ceased their movements as he felt a warm hand warp around his semi-hard arousal. Blue eyes lowered to see Kurogane holding him, Fay shuddered at the feeling. The human smirked when he felt the quiver against him, his hand stroking the length slowly like he had done several times before. He brought his mouth to Fay's jawline and continued to claim the pale skin there.

"Aahh....Kuro-chu.....don't...." Fay brought fingers to his lips as his eyes shut tightly together at the feeling of Kurogane sliding against his member. The taller man lightly kissed the pure flesh.

"Stop that... I 'm not gonna do this for long." He murmured, slowly getting the other fully aroused. Fay sighed and resisted to protest once more as he felt himself becoming hard. He moved his legs to squeeze his lover's sides as a signal to stop or he wouldn't last much longer. Kurogane obeyed, removing his hand finally when he felt the other straining in his palm. He then gave a chaste kiss to Fay's cheek before pulling away to look at the blonde. He stared for a moment, before lowering his head to kiss his lover.

"Toshihiko." He said suddenly. Fay cherished the simple kiss, closing his eyes at the gesture.

"What?" Blue eyes opened once more and looked to Kurogane in confusion.

"Whether he'll be real later or stay imaginary, the kid'll be named Toshihiko." He said, frowning in serious ness of the situation.

"Toshihiko..." Fay mulled over the name turning it in his head until he smiled fondly at the word.

"I think it's a good name, but Daddy seems confident the baby will be a boy." He reached up to cup Kurogane's cheek, his thumb stroking the tanned skin as he locked eyes with his lover.

"That's because it will be." Kurogane smirked, leaning into the hand subconsciously. "Boy's run in my family. Tomoyo was the first girl to be born in four generations; all the other girls have been married in." He explained simply.

"Then I'm sure Kuro-min won't disappoint." Fay smiled brightly.

"Toshihiko..." The blonde whispered the name lost in his thoughts as he continued to stroke his lover's face. Kurogane watched the blonde contemplate his suggestion with interest, smirking to himself at having given the child its name. He leaned down and kissed Fay's cheek.

"Wanna continue?"

"Yes." Fay moved his hand to Kurogane's shoulder, squeezing it lightly as he smiled fondly up at the other man. The other man smirked and brought his lips to the alien's passionately, his hand formally stroking the blonde going down to grab the ointment. Moaning into the kiss, Fay struggled to try to hook his leg over Kurogane, but was unable to due to the close confines. Instead Fay grabbed the back of the taller man's head to intensify the kiss.

Kurogane's eyes flashed open when he felt the leg's failed attempt, setting the bottle down on Fay's stomach so he could shift arms and hoist up the limb, all the while keeping the kiss. Fay's stomach quivered at the cool bottle placed there, but soon forgot it as the kiss continued and he felt Kurogane moving his leg. The other man picked the bottle back up.

"Oi, can't open it." He said, breaking the kiss only to return, starting to form a long chain of short kisses.

"You do it." Fay blinked towards Kurogane and down to the bottle, blushing he picked it up. With shaky fingers the blonde flipped the lid open and, turning it upside down, poured the lotion on his hand.

"Kuro-rinta is lazy sometimes." The alien reached between them in search of the other's erection.

"Damn straight." He said with a smirk, before growling lowly as the pale fingers reached their objective. Fay couldn't help himself from laughing as he gingerly began a slow rhythm along Kurogane's length. The heated flesh quickly warming the lotion as Fay's hand glided up and down. Kurogane opened his mouth slightly, small pants of air falling upon the pale shoulder.

"O-oi...." He said slowly, seeming unable to think of anything but the hands holding him.

"Kuro-rin?" Fay asked questioningly as his fingers continued to grip his lover's member.

"If you keep that up we may not get the chance to have a kid, moron..." He said accusingly, pulling away to glare at his lover with a small blush. Fay laughed and released his hold. Moving his hand back up between them to rest against his chest, he smiled while waiting for Kurogane. The other man grunted when hands were removed before he leaned down to kiss his companion. He positioned himself quickly, having easily memorized where to lay against Fay's body for less painful or troublesome insertion.

Fay relaxed his body as Kurogane positioned himself, itself shaking from anticipation. The human finally entered, gradually inserting himself with a light groan. He closed his eyes when he felt the familiar space around him relax easily, due to previous sessions and strong willpower.

"K-Kuro-kun...."Fay's body tensed as Kurogane settled inside him. His nails scraped tanned skin as he was filled, his breath coming out in harsh pants. Kurogane exhaled deeply, he head bowing to kiss the blonde's jawline.

"Don't claw the couch." He commanded gently.

"Dad and mom wouldn't like the furniture to have marks."

"Kuro-chan... shouldn't be thinking of his parents at a... time like this." Fay complied and moved his hands. His leg on the outside of the couch nearly slipped as the blonde shifted underneath his lover. The other simply smirked and moved somewhat as well, allowing the other leg to wrap around his own. He bent down once again and kissed Fay.

"You're right... they wouldn't like us doing this here anyway..." Fay's face turned scarlet at the words as he adjusted to Kurogane inside him. When the muscles finished relaxing, the human felt it was ok to start moving. Smoothly he took himself not completely out, before re-entering with a grunt just as slowly, starting their pattern.

Fay closed his eyes in concentration, grabbing hold of Kurogane's shoulders as the taller man began to move inside him. Kurogane shuddered slightly, both hands against the couch to keep himself balanced as he commenced their chosen activity. With the easy adjustable situation, Kurogane managed to get their rhythm going fairly easily. Along with the sounds of skin moving against skin, Fay's soft noises echoed in the room. He felt his body moving slightly against the sofa at Kurogane's thrusts as he tried to bring the man closer for a kiss.

The taller man leaned down, connecting their lips passionately as he continued his actions. He groaned softly, hearing the blonde's mewling and their bodies rocking together was sending ripples of pleasure over his skin. Long legs tightened around the body above as Fay lost himself in the sensation of Kurogane thrusting into him. He moaned into their kiss, his eyes closed as he savored the feeling of being taken.

Kurogane separated from his lover, unable to move into his lover and kiss him at the same time as he sped up slightly. He moved one hand down to hold the blonde's hip, keeping him from moving too much. Fay groaned as their kiss ended and at being held down as his hips tried to move upwards. His body tensed and he felt himself constrict against Kurogane. The pleasure that ran through his body from the movement caused the lithe man to forget about the hand on his hip.

The human added a little more force as well as speed, leaning his head down to rest his sweaty forehead against the pale shoulder. He clenched his teeth tightly, feeling the body against him retract. Fay's eyes snapped open as he felt his prostate hit just as Kurogane began to speed up their previous rhythm. He arched off the couch a hand placed against Kurogane's neck as he felt himself reaching his peak.

The other man made sure to hit that spot repetitively as he became more greedy for release. He briefly wondered how the glowing orb would absorb his sperm through the body shape of his lover. He cast that thought aside when he heard the lithe man moan under him. Fay could almost hear the sofa creaking as Kurogane thrust into him at a much rougher pace than before. Closing his eyes Fay's brow furrowed as the sensation of Kurogane moving into him washed over his body. The student opened his mouth to let out rugged and hot air in short pants. He leaned his head up somewhat, captivated by the sounds of his partner during love making.

Fay opened his eyes marginally to see Kurogane. He was entranced by his lover as they moved together. The blonde slid his arms down his companion's back as he choked back a gasp and came as Kurogane hit his prostate once more. Said man instantly spilled inside Fay once the muscles against him tightened with release. He let out a slight hiss and halfway collapse on the other, his elbow locked against the arm rest so he wouldn't crush the smaller frame.

"Kuro-sama........that's another....... ......room down." Fay laughed breathily as he tried to catch his breath. The weight of Kurogane atop him comforting him as he came off his high. The dark haired man chuckled shortly, panting slowing slightly as their bodies started to rest again. He stuck his nose in the crook of Fay's neck, sighing into it.

"Which... which one now?"


	8. Until they caught us

Mirika-rin: Ah, its so nice to see CLAMP updating after a MONTH OF WAITING. GODDAMN THERE IS STILL NO SIGN OF KUROFAY. I bet by now they could've had tons of buttsex. goddamn. -cough- anyway. So with this chapter we get more involved in what's up with Fay. There'll be confessions! There'll be tears! There'll be confusion! There'll be danger! There'll be shouting Soratas! Continue on to get what you desire!

Ashine-chan: Here's the start of the angst which will be lasting awhile, though I guess you can't really write a multi-chaptered tsubasa fic without angst. ^^; But, we at least give some uber fluff to make up for it. There will also be a lot of plot twists on the way. lol

Mirika-rin: ahahahaha! XD guess that's mainly my fault.

* * *

Fay woke to a ray of light shining over his eyes from the bedroom window. An arm draped loosely around his waist reminded him of all that had happened last night. He blushed; he had never known that much sex was possible for a couple. He looked over and noticed Kurogane was still asleep. Sighing as his muscles sang from being sated, Fay continued to remember last night. Closing his eyes he felt inside himself for any presence of a baby. After all, he hadn't known last night if it had been conceived, he had had to wait until the possible baby emitted its own aura until he could positively confirm his pregnancy or not. Long fingers skimmed over his stomach as he concentrated. It was over in a minute and Fay shifted his body against Kurogane's to gently push the man on his back. Propping himself up on an elbow, his other hand sprawled over his lover's chest Fay waited for him to stir.

It was after a few moments before Kurogane awoke due to his position shift. He grunted slightly at the morning light, turning his head out of the way and opening his eyes a crack. Seeing Fay he smirked softly and moved a hand to touch the blonde's face in recognition.

"Good morning Daddy." Fay smiled and moved into the hand as he looked down at Kurogane. The other raised an eyebrow.

"Why the hell do you keep calling me...?" He paused, leaning back a little to look at Fay better with narrowed eyes.

"...Did... did it happen?" Fay nodded affirmatively.

"I checked a few seconds ago." He smiled brightly as a faint blush dusted his cheeks. Kurogane's frown flipped proudly, his hand on the alien's cheek moving to wrap around the smaller frame. He said nothing and only held his lover, similarly to how he held him before they went to sleep. His eyes stared into the wall behind Fay, the questions from the night before clouding his mind once again. Fay continued to smile as he was held; elated to know Kurogane was happy about the announcement.

"Dad would be happy to know..." He heard the other finally say sadly with a sigh. Kurogane pulled away, the smile vanished.

"We should get started on today's plans, or we won't get what we need to get done done." He said, unhappy that the infant wasn't coming from just want, but also from desperate need.

"Everyone would be." Fay stopped smiling as he heard the tone in his lover's voice. As Kurogane pulled away, the alien sat up on the bed, sad that they couldn't bask in the news for a little longer, but knowing it was necessary to finish the rest of their tasks. Kurogane followed the other's movements, but leaned over and gave Fay a chaste kiss with a smirk.

"I love you." He said roughly, placing his forehead against the alien's with closed eyes.

"And if I don't meet him, tell him I said that to the both of you."

"I love you too… and I know Toshihiko will too." Fay gently held Kurogane's hand and moved it to rest against his stomach. The blonde fought back the urge to cry and wrap his arms around his lover, knowing he had to be strong. He sighed and he leaned into the touch. Kurogane let his hand rest against his companion's stomach before pulling the smaller into a hug, the dread from yesterday solidifying in his stomach once more. He placed a hand on the back of Fay's head, closing his eyes as maybe the last time the little unusual family held each other. A thought suddenly struck him, and it somewhat became nauseating.

"What.... What if they take him away?"

"They won't...I should have enough say to stop them, but if it comes down to it, I'll hide him away and keep him safe." Fay closed his eyes tightly as he snaked his arms around Kurogane's back. He was worried about how bleak his lover was for what was about to happen to them.

"Maybe you won't get the chance..." Kurogane said dismally, his jaw clenching in a pause.

"They could take him away... they could..." He choked on his sentence, unable to bring himself to say the rest of it. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"All I'm saying is we should hope for the best and prepare for the worst..."

"I'm fairly strong...despite how I might look....they won't touch him." Fay knew Kurogane was right, but he also knew that their unborn child would have a fairly good chance of living even under their circumstances.

"We shouldn't be so negative; it's not good for the baby or for us. Whatever happens happens, but all we can do is hope." Fay lifted his head a bit to kiss the corner of Kurogane's mouth. The other man allowed it, but his frown didn't budge.

"Yeah..." He sighed and pulled away, moving to stand in the anomalously cold room. Fay stood, not worried about his state of undress as he moved towards Kurogane.

"Please, don't think like that...if....if you think negatively, negative things will happen." He clutched his hands and fidgeted as he worried his lips between his teeth.

"The Kuro-san I know is too stubborn to just lay back and let something bad happen to the people he cares for." Kurogane studied his lover for a moment, before smirking. He turned to Fay and placed a hand on his cheek.

"I don't think just negatively, idiot. I think of all the possibilities." He leaned down and stole a kiss.

"And you're damn right about that. Our kid better get that trait from me instead of you, you lazy ass." Fay laughed and grabbed Kurogane's hand as he made his way to the door.

"Maybe we should shower first before getting started?" A blush rose to his cheeks at the thought. Kurogane followed obediently.

"Nnn.." They entered the bathroom, neither one caring about the towels strewn across the floor from the other night's roughhousing. The dark haired man opened the shower door, looking at the blonde before turning on the water. Fay lowered his head as the water sprayed over them, soaking in the warmth as he stood in front of Kurogane. Said man pulled Fay a little closer as he leaned against the wall, sighing morbidly as the thought of the day's plans ran through his head.

Fay leaned into the embrace as the sound of water running filled the room. He closed his eyes as he tried to forget what would eventually happen. For a moment Kurogane stood still, contemplating everything all at once. Then he leaned down and kissed the wet brow of his lover.

"You said it can't be undone right?"

"No, it can't....why?" Fay looked up to meet Kurogane's gaze. Wet bangs clung to his face and forehead as rivulets of water ran down the tips of his hair.

"That person said it's been four months since you left... now at least seven…" The taller man said, grimacing at his continuous stream of depressing thoughts.

"It's possible they could've created a way to get rid of him when he's still inside you..."

"Only I can do that and I could never be that cruel, Kuro-worry is such a good daddy even though he's only known for such a short time." Fay smiled before reaching down for a bottle to wash his hair.

"Hnnn..." The other man also reached for his soap, popping the cap off and using it for the last time. He watched Fay for a moment before running his hands through the spikes. Fay closed his eyes once more as suds were washed from his hair and down the drain. Grabbing another bottle the blonde began scrubbing at his skin, making sure he was clean after their late night activities.

The human cleaned himself thoroughly, glancing over to make sure Fay was not crying like he had in the shower the night before. Seeing the other cry was probably the worst thing he'd ever experienced, and he didn't know if he could take it in their last moments together. Fay ran a soapy hand over his shoulders, his thoughts elsewhere as the warm water washed him clean.

Kurogane allowed the water to cleanse him free of soap, not really wanting to continue bathing at that moment. He reached over and wrapped his arms around Fay, holding him close briefly. Fingers sprawled against the tan chest, soap suds still clinging to the long digits as Fay looked up at Kurogane in question, careful not to get water in his eyes as he did.

The taller man leaned down and softly kissed his lover, ignoring the water that fell on both their faces. Fay returned the kiss and brought his hand up to his lover's shoulder as the last remnant of soap washed from his fingers under the water's spray. Kurogane strengthened his grip around Fay, holding him closely before pulling away from the delicate one.

"Should we go to town first or fix my android?"

"Town, if we stay long enough to fix Yuui then we might not leave to go to town." Fay lowered his head as he rested against Kurogane. The human stared into the shower door, leaning his head back against the wall.

"Hnn... I'd be able to buy a part she needs that way..." Fay kissed tanned skin and shivered as the water slowly began to cool. He sighed not wanting to leave Kurogane's embrace. The other sighed as well and removed a hand to turn off the water, not wanting it to completely run out of hot water on them. He kissed Fay's forehead once more, before nodding his head toward the door.

"We should go now then..." Fay smiled and separated himself from Kurogane to step out of the shower. He bent down, grabbing a towel from the floor and began drying himself. The human mimicked Fay's actions, then tossed the towel back on the ground. He then walked to the bedroom, going to pick out his attire. Fay watched as Kurogane left toward the bedroom a faint smile on his face as he dried his hair and walked after him. Kurogane was pulling on pants when his cell phone rang out of the blue, startling them both.

"God dammit, who is it this time?" He said to himself, going to the nightstand where it lay. He picked it up and groaned, reading the little blue writing on the outside that told him who it was. Fay opened the closet and pulled out a blue pinstripe button up and a dark pair of pants pulling both on as Kurogane answered his phone.

"Oi, what the hell do you want?" He said roughly into the phone.

"Oh! How mean to answer!" Came Sorata's voice through the tiny speaker. Kurogane growled.

"Answer the damn question!" Sorata could be heard talking to someone in the background before he returned to talk to Kurogane.

"Word through the grapevine tells me you're leaving! Is this true?!" Fay found himself smiling at the other man's voice on the other line as he finished dressing to turn towards Kurogane. The other man in the room held the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"And you heard this from whom?" Sorata paused for a moment.

"...Tomoyo-chan called." Kurogane sighed, his assumption confirmed.

"Well stop yelling into the phone. Blondie and I are going to town today, but we're not staying long."

"Ah! Really?! Syaoran-kun! Syaoron-kun! He's coming!!!" Fay chuckled at Sorata's excitement as he stood beside Kurogane. He could only imagine how the older man was going to be now that he knew they were coming. Kurogane closed the phone and shoved it in his back pocket, grumbling to himself in aggravation. He looked to Fay and raised an eyebrow.

"Come on... we'd better leave now before he decides it's better to drive here...."

"Well we haven't seen Sorata in awhile…" Fay smiled as he turned to walk out of the room and to the door.

"Do you think he has something planned? He was yelling at Syaoran and Syaoron abut our arrival."

"Most likely, if he knows I'm coming he ALWAYS has something planned." The taller shoved his hands in his pockets before following Fay out.

"And Kuro-min says he doesn't like Sorata." Fay smiled as he stopped at the door to slip his shoes on.

"I don't!" The other snapped, pulling on his boots.

"That prick just doesn't seem to take a hint!" He paused for a moment and looked at Fay.

"I never explained why I hated him." He said suddenly, opening the front door. Fay paused and stared at Kurogane in surprise. He remembered that the other man hadn't seemed to want to talk about it.

"Kuro-san doesn't have to say anything if he doesn't want to." The human shrugged.

"Oh why not? You'd never get a chance to know how faggy that guy actually is." He said, walking off the porch and over to his motorcycle.

"Then Kuro-rin will tell me?" Fay followed Kurogane after shutting the door behind them. The dark haired man sighed and pulled out his helmet.

"That guy knew me since fifth grade." He looked to his helmet and blushed slightly.

"He had a crush on me and stole my first kiss." He smiled to himself.

"That was the best beating I gave anyone. He had to have three casts and over 50 stitches."

"Kuro-kun did that much to Sorata over a little kiss?" Fay smiled as he secured his own helmet on.

"I wonder if I had done the same if Kuro-chan would have beat me like that." Fay laughed as he waited for Kurogane. Said man sat on the bike, glaring at Fay.

"Back then? Probably would've." He turned his head to the front.

"But I was the one who kissed you first, so I obviously didn't beat you to a living pulp for it." Fay smiled before taking his seat behind Kurogane.

"Kuro-sama's so aggressive; do you think Toshihiko will be the same?" Long arms wrapped around the taller man as he smiled fondly at the thought. The other shrugged.

"Growing under the conditions he's been handed, I doubt it..." He said quietly, starting the vehicle.

"Unless you bring him back to Earth and make him deal with his grandfather." He smirked at the idea.

"Kuro-tan will make sure his son is just as much of a trouble maker as he is." Fay smiled as he rested his forehead against his lover's back. The driver chuckled as he started off toward the large town, going faster than necessary just for the hell of it. Fay tightened his hold as wind whipped across his hands and face as Kurogane sped towards town, smiling at the other man's antics.

~Tokyo~

Toriho arose from his bed with a gruff. He rubbed his eye and checked the alarm clock that sat by his pillow.

"Ugh... it's so early..." He said in complaint before looking over to his wife. He smiled and kissed her sleeping face's cheek, always loving how she looked asleep. Tsumebe smiled from the kiss as she slowly woke. Dark eyes moved to gaze at her husband.

"Are you alright?" He blinked and smiled back.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" He said before turning his body toward her.

"I usually have to wake you." She smiled warmly up at the man, seeing how he was still tired. The other sighed, rubbing his eye again.

"I just had a weird dream about the job I'm on." He said, pulling the blanket off of his legs to stand.

"And of Youou and Fay-chan...."

"What was it about?" She sat up, her long hair untied and flowing down her shoulders and back as she watched her husband. He pulled on the pair of pants folded at his feet.

"Well... the contacts we've been receiving were actually from Fay-chan's planet..." He said, standing so he could button his pants successfully.

"And that..." He paused, and turned around slowly as he thought.

"...The way Fay-chan reacted to that charm..."

"The charm? You don't think that child...." Tsumebe had thought it odd Fay had grown sick all of the sudden during their visit. The man looked at his wife.

"He reacted funny to it... and... when he came to live with Youou was around the same time that empty ship had crashed near Youou's house." He turned swiftly and walked to his closet, pulling out a shirt.

"It can't be coincidence."

"Nothing is a coincidence, but you really think Fay-san is..." She wrung her hands together worriedly, not knowing what to think. She held nothing against the blonde, but to know now that they may be in danger. She looked up to her husband as he finished dressing.

"Where are you going?" The other pulled his shoe on.

"I can't sit by and let this happen. They were calling to tell someone that they were under arrest." He looked at his wife again.

"If that person is Fay-chan, that means Youou would try to stop them. And you know how the Galactic Police are..."

"You're going to try and stop him?" She nodded, knowing from previous experience, she frowned as she thought to her son and how he would try to keep Fay from harm. Toriho pulled on his jacket.

"I know I can't stop them, if they came to arrest Fay-chan personally, then it's serious business. But hopefully I'll be able to lessen the charges. Are you staying here, darling?" He asked briefly, smiling to her as if to tell her he'd wait for her to get ready. She slipped from the bed standing she made her way towards the closet, pulling out a simple dress.

"Yes, after all someone will have to talk to them if you and Youou will be there." She smiled, knowing how hot headed both could be under pressure. Toriho puffed out his cheeks, but kept silent. He folded his arms and leaned against the doorway, pondering what type of crime Fay could've possibly caused to make him sentenced and hoping he and Tsumebe wouldn't be too late. Hurriedly she slipped on her dress and stood waiting for her husband.

"Do you think it's serious?" She couldn't possibly imagine what Fay could have done to be sentenced so harshly.

"It'd have to be." Toriho said with a grimace, opening the door.

"It's the only reason they'd come to the planet under my watch." She nodded solemnly, as she followed her husband out.

~In Town~

Kurogane pulled his bike in to the parking spot in front of the town like always, stopping and turning off his motorcycle. He looked to Fay and pulled off his helmet. Fay smiled and sat up on the motorcycle as they came to a stop. The blonde moved to take off his helmet when he noticed Kurogane staring at him.

"Kuro-pon?" The taller man shook his head and took his key out of the ignition. That was when Sorata burst out of his shop.

"KUROGANE!!!!! FAY-CHAN!!!" He cried, hurrying over to them. Fay nearly jumped off the bike as Sorata's shrill yell caught him off guard. He turned to smile sheepishly at the older man as he set his own helmet down. Sorata wrapped his long arms around Fay and sobbed overdramatic tears in the smaller man's shoulder.

"You can't leave!!!" Kurogane rolled his eyes and stood, getting off the bike.

"Oi, let go of him, he's gunna suffocate." Sorata obeyed, but only to attack Kurogane, who proceeded to slam his fist in the other man's face.

"Kuro-tan...shouldn't be so forceful." Fay looked on as Sorata seemingly ignored the punch. Fay slipped off the motorcycle and put away his helmet before turning to Sorata. The man rubbed his face, and looked at Fay.

"Are you two really going back to Italy?" He said, sniffing lightly. It was then that the twins came out, one of them holding a bag.

"Yes, but we're hoping it won't be for long." Blue eyes turned to the twins and to the bag being carried but didn't say anything as he tried to comfort Sorata. The other man smiled slightly.

"Oh... really? What are you going for?" Kurogane folded his arms.

"Tomoyo didn't tell you?" Sorata shook his head and Syaoron walked up to Fay. He stuck out his hand that held the back with a sad smile.

"We made this for you."

"Thank you..." Fay returned the boy's smile as Kurogane stood beside him.

"What is it?" He looked down at the bag and back to the three standing in front of him. Sorata rubbed the back of his head.

"Well... we didn't have long to make it... but..." Inside the bag was a white cake in a plastic box, the edge was lined with blue flowers and on the top said 'Come Back Soon!' in thin blue letters. Kurogane cocked an eyebrow and looked at the twins, who merely smiled back.

"Thank you, but...we've not known each other for very long..." Fay smiled sadly at them, thankful for the gift. He had after all only talked to these people a handful of times and they had made a gift for him and Kurogane. Syaoran shook his head, a blush on his face.

"Please take it; we know Fay-san is a good person..." He said with a smile and Syaoron nodded. Sorata gave a thumbs up.

"We all made it!" Fay nodded holding the cake carefully.

"I'll have to repay you when we get back." He smiled at Sorata's eagerness and the twins.

"There's no need!" Sorata replied, slapping a hand on Kurogane's back.

"If you can deal with him, that's all we ask for!" the taller man growled vehemently and turned menacingly toward him.

"Touch me one more time and I'm breaking your arms again." Fay wondered briefly if he should hide both Syaoran's and Syaoron's eyes in case Kurogane made good on his threat.

"Kuro-kun's manageable, but maybe I can make a cake in return." Fay smiled as he tried to divert his lover's anger. Sorata belted out a laugh, though it was a bit uneasy from the threat.

"Now now, Kurogane! There's no need for that..." he said weakly, before turning to Fay.

"And we already said you don't have to repay us! You're worth it!" He smiled brightly. Fay blushed and nodded his thanks again, noticing how Sorata's smile dampened at Kurogane's suggestion. The baker folded his arms.

"Why is Kurogane going with you, Fay-chan? Business trip?"

"Tomoyo didn't explain?" Fay fidgeted, not knowing how he should answer, after all he and Kurogane hadn't discussed if they would show their relationship in public or not. Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"Fay's parents want him to come home and I'm going with him because our businesses are merging." He said, folding his arms. Sorata clapped his hands together.

"Splendid! Are you marrying into his company Fay?!" Another hit to the face. Fay along with both teens winced as Kurogane punched Sorata again.

"...Not quite Sorata." The other man's continued to sparkle.

"DID YOU HEAR THAT KUROGANE?! HE CALLED ME SORATA!!" He laughed happily. Kurogane shook his head.

"Big deal, you dumbass." He stood by Fay again.

"We're kinda on a tight schedule, so we're going to the Princess's now." Fay smiled again sheepishly and thanked the man and both teens as he stood by Kurogane. Syaoran followed after them like a sad dog. This did not go unnoticed for long, for the taller man turned his head.

"What is it, kid?" Syaoran blushed slightly, looking down.

"I... I was.... you know how you always told me to just tell her how I feel?" Kurogane cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah?" Syaoran smiled slightly.

"I want you to be there when I tell her... and if you left you wouldn't be.... so I'm telling her today..."

"Kuro-chan gives romantic advice?" Fay smiled to Kurogane before he turned on his heel and mussed Syaoran's hair with his hand affectionately.

"So cute, who's the lucky girl?"

"I do not give advice!" Kurogane spat, blushing slightly. The boy blushed deeper and smiled gently.

"S-Sakura-chan...." Fay was about to point out how similar the two looked at the moment before his mind registered the name.

"Sakura, she's very pretty. I'm sure Syaoran and she will make a good couple." The boy's face exploded in red and he looked down to the ground. Kurogane clicked his tongue in annoyance and continued to walk toward Sakura's tent. Fay chuckled at the boy as the girl's tent came into view.

"Kuro-min is so gruff. "

"You be quiet." Kurogane ordered, walking up to the counter. Sakura turned around and smiled at the three.

"Good morning, Kurogane-san, Fay-san..." She blushed and continued to smile. "Syaoran-kun...." Fay smiled in greeting and nudged his elbow into Kurogane's side as he watched the two teens interacting. Kurogane folded his arms and looked down at Syaoran, who looked back unsurely. He nodded his head in Sakura's direction, making the brown haired boy blush deeper, if possible.

"S-Sakura-chan...."

"Syaoran-kun?" She looked up at him, a rosy blush on her cheeks as she asked. The boy gripped his hands in fists at his sides.

"I-I.... I've known you for two years now..." He began, bowing his head somewhat to look at the ground.

"And... well... I... I-I like you...." He said finally. Kurogane couldn't help but smirk at the boy, knowing he was trying to look brave in front of him. Sakura waited for a moment before she smiled brightly at the teen.

"I...like Syaoran-kun too." Fay smiled for the two of them as he watched. Syaoran's vision snapped up, face still obviously red.

"R-Really?!" He asked, his voice cracking. Kurogane rolled his eyes, looking out to the crowd that was passing by.

"Yes." Sakura smiled and blushed. Fay noticed Kurogane watching the two of them before turning away from the scene. It was then that Sakura noticed the two adults watching them and her face darkened considerably.

"G-gomen!" She stuttered, bowing. Kurogane sighed.

"You two done yet? I need to ask your brother about a mechanical part." He said nonchalantly, eyes falling on the girl.

"O-of course Kurogane-san!" Sakura hurried into the back of the tent to fetch her brother.

"Kuro-rinta ruined a perfectly cute moment." Fay whispered accusingly as he ran an elbow in his lover's side. The other grunted and rubbed the spot hit, glaring at the smaller man. Syaoran smiled at Fay and Kurogane, bowing deeply.

"Thank you!" He said before straightening.

"For being there to help!" Kurogane blinked and looked away.

"Hmph..."

"Kuro-min says you're welcome Syaoran." Fay smiled as he spoke to the teen. A few moments later Sakura emerged with a tall man coming behind her. Touya frowned when he saw Kurogane, and the feeling was mutual.

"What do you want?" He said briskly, folding his arms. Kurogane turned his body to the booth, glaring at the elder brother.

"I need the 6TV3X chip." Touya blinked.

"That thing? I thought you said you had one?" Kurogane sighed.

"Well the computer it was in fried and destroyed it. I need another one. Do you got it or not?" Fay frowned, remembering what it was that had ruined the chip in the first place. Touya glared back at Kurogane, his arms crossed across his chest.

"I ain't got it. You came a customer too late." Kurogane clicked his tongue again.

"Dammit. Do you know if he would have any?" He said, and Touya shook his head.

"I dunno, Yuki's computer supplies are kinda running low, I dunno if he would see you any."

"We can at least try and find one." The blonde smiled reassuringly before turning to Touya.

"Would you know of any other place or person who may have them?" Touya paused, seeing Fay for the first time, and blushed slightly before shaking his head again, only to get his thoughts clear.

"I dunno. As far as I know Yuki and I are the only one's who sell these products for lower prices." He looked at Kurogane, who was glaring back due to the way he looked at Fay, making him flinch slightly.

"Er... you could try Kaeda, I think she can get one from Doumeki..."

"Thank you Touya." The alien looked up towards Kurogane.

"Shall we go then?" From the corner of his eye he saw Syaoran and Sakura timidly blushing at each other and looking away. Kurogane nodded and turned, only to be hugged from behind.

"Oof! God dammit!" He turned his head and growled.

"You! Kid! Get off!" It was the orange haired girl from Kurogane's school.

"No! I don't want Kurogane-kun to leave!" She said, eyes watering against his back. Fay was taken aback by the girl's sudden appearance, but took it in stride as Kurogane snapped at her. The girl looked up to Kurogane, her big blue eyes watering slightly.

"I h-heard from Niichan that you were leaving!" Kurogane growled.

"That ass has a big mouth!" The girl smiled.

"You know Sorata...."

"I SAID GET OFF!" The girl sighed and let go, looking to her friend.

"Ashine-chan... your turn."

"Well, now that Kurogane-kun knows we're here I can't exactly tackle him." She pouted before turning to the blonde, before lightly punching Kurogane's arm.

"You should have brought Fay-san along for lunch with us. Now we won't get to spend anytime with him." She smiled at Fay who returned it. The other girl smiled sheepishly and sighed again.

"Well it's not my fault that Kurogane-kun's so overprotective of his lover. He was never like that with us..." Kurogane blushed, his hand grabbing the girl's bowl-cut head.

"Shut up you! I am not overprotective!"

"Kyaa!!! Fay-san! Help!" She squealed with a smile.

"I know, but we did-" The other girl stopped as she saw Kurogane grab her friend, moving forward she tried to tug the other girl away from the hold but unable to do much as she laughed. Fay smiled sheepishly and blushed.

"Kuro-kun shouldn't be so harsh with her." Kurogane looked at Fay.

"Not my fault this twerp is annoying!" He said, finally letting go of orange locks. The girl with a side pony tail pouted, rubbing her head.

"I'm not annoying! I'm Miriki! Get it right!" She said in a very Kurogane manner. The taller man snorted, folding his arms.

"You don't deserve a name." Miriki squawked angrily and punched his arm with pathetic strength. The second girl joined her friend in her attempt to punch Kurogane, adding in a kick for good measure.

"I guess we should leave the two lovebirds alone then..." She winked at Fay and promised her friend a treat at Sorata's on her. Kurogane growled at the two ladies, who just smiled and glomped him one last time both before running off giggling.

"Goddamn pests!" He spat after them, not caring that the two girls couldn't hear him.

"So Kuro-rinta dated both of them?" Fay laughed, highly amused by the situation as they walked down the street. The taller man blushed and looked at Fay.

"....Er... not at the same time..." Kurogane said, shivering at the thought.

"Orangy and I went out for a month..." He said, trying to recall past relationships.

"The other one I dated for.... two? Maybe three? I don't remember, it ended badly." He said waving his hand.

"What happened, she doesn't seem to be on bad terms with you?" Fay asked as he stood beside Kurogane, both girls out of sight. Kurogane paused, but closed his eyes in aggravation.

"Let's leave it as... that they both have very inappropriate thoughts."

"You mean they wanted to share you!" Came a familiar voice. Kurogane groaned.

"God dammit! More of you?!" He asked as the couple from school came up next. The man smiled.

"Oh leave it be, Kurogane-sama. Miriki-chan and Ashine-chan meant no harm." Fay blushed at the idea, before reverting back to smiling at the couple coming towards them. The redhead smiled and lazily draped his arm around the dark haired girl's shoulders.

"Camika and I were going to warn you, but Miriki-chan was so thrilled about tackling you she left before we had a chance." The girl scoffed lightly.

"Oh come off it Chichiuwa, you know you wanted to watch his reaction." He laughed and Kurogane growled.

"Oi, we gotta get going. We ain't got that long before...our ride gets here." Fay listened intently to the conversation, happy to see so many people would miss Kurogane, despite the man saying he didn't really have any friends. The one named Chichiuwa sighed and smiled wider.

"Well... we didn't know you for long Kurogane-sama, but I sure do respect you... please come back safely and teach me how to make an engine successfully." He said before bowing his head. Camika smiled too.

"Yeah, help out this ditz when you come back." Kurogane frowned.

"Yeah... when I come back...." Fay watched as the two left before he turned to look at Kurogane.

"Kuro-rinta will come back and help his friends." He placed a reassuring hand on the other's arm. The red eyes landed on Fay's blue ones and Kurogane sighed.

"Let's go." Fay nodded as they began walking down the street, passing shop after shop as they continued. Kurogane shoved his hands in his pockets as they entered Kaeda's store.

"Oi!" He called, and the curly haired girl poked in from her office. She smiled.

"Hello, Kurogane-san! Fay-san! How can I help you today?"

"Kuro-min's in need of a chip and Touya said we should ask you about it?" Fay smiled cheerfully at the girl as they stood in front of the register. The girl blinked and smiled wider.

"A chip? A computer chip? I'll have to get Hikaru-kun for that." She said before turning her heel to go back inside the other room. It didn't take long before she came back out, followed by a rather tall man. He looked at the two men slowly.

"Yes?"

"Computer chip 6TV3X, you got it?" Fay looked over the teen, seeing how his expressionless face was a little odd that he would be working with someone as cheerful as Kaeda. Hikaru Doumeki stared at Fay for a moment, before nodding.

"I'll bring it out." He said, turning away. Kaeda smiled at Kurogane.

"Italy, huh? I've heard they have wonderful cooks from there. Are you excited?" Kurogane scoffed.

"Not really."

"Kuro-min's homesick already." Fay smiled, trying to b e cheerful in front of the girl. He knew both of them would rather forget the whole thing, but he also knew it would be impossible to. The taller glared at Fay, but Kaeda just giggled.

"I'm sure if you're with him, Fay-san, he won't be as sad." She said warmly, before Doumeki came back in. Fay had to keep himself from laughing at the glare he knew was pointed at him.

"Thank you Kaeda." The man who'd just entered outstretched his hand to Kurogane.

"Here, that'll be 50." The taller man gave him a skeptical look.

"Why so little?" The other raised his eyes to red.

"....Do you want it or not?" Kurogane stared at him suspiciously before taking the tiny chip and handing him a single bill. Fay watched the transaction, curious as to the expense just as Kurogane was.

"It seems we're finished in town now, we'll have to stop by again once we come back." Fay smiled warmly at both workers. Kaeda nodded in agreement, Doumeki just stared. The taller man led the way back to his motorcycle, placing the chip securely in the back with Fay's cake. He placed that in the motorcycle's compartment before placing his helmet on. Fay waited as Kurogane stored their things, before following suit and climbing on the back of the bike.

"Kuro-san has a lot of people that will be happy when he comes back." Fay said nonchalantly as he wrapped his arms around his lover.

"Hnn..." He said before starting the bike. Sorata waved from his shop, and the woman Fay had seen from the car before was with him, she smiled happily to them and nodded. The twins also waved goodbye, and Sakura was there too. Kurogane sighed forlornly before taking off down the street. Fay smiled as he rested against Kurogane, knowing that the human would be trying to fix Yuui as soon as they arrived. He sighed and enjoyed the ride, not knowing if it would be the last time they'd do this.

The driver went slower than before, the same thought going through his mind. He felt a pain twitch in his chest when the town finally vanished behind them and they got closer to home. Fay held his lover's waist tighter, smiling briefly as he thought of Kurogane taking their son on rides on warm days like this. He smiled sadly at the thought, hoping it would happen.

He could see a little blonde sitting behind Kurogane and holding tightly, eyes closed from the fear of his father going over 15 mph. Kurogane would simply smile and rub the spiky haired boy's head, who would argue and wrestle with him. Fay sighed from his thoughts as the house came into view. Slowly Kurogane drove them up to the house; the blonde had hoped the ride would have been a little longer. Kurogane stopped his vehicle and removed his helmet, staring at his controls for a moment longer. He placed a hand on Fay's.

"Oi, let go."

"What if I don't want to?" Fay smiled as he kept his hold firm around Kurogane.

"Then I don't fix the android and we sit here until they come for us." The human groused, leaning against the smaller body.

"You know... I was thinking what it would be like when the baby's older and able to ride with you." Fay smiled as he unwrapped his arms from Kurogane and began to take his helmet off. The dark haired man looked at Fay from over his shoulder.

"...Really." He asked distantly, trying to picture it himself.

"You'd be careful, because he would be afraid about falling, even though he'd be excited just the same." Fay removed his helmet and slipped off the motorcycle, his smile still there as he watched Kurogane.

"You're even thinking of his personality?" The taller man asked, standing and dismounting. He placed the helmets into their container and handed Fay his cake.

"Do you wanna eat that while I work on my robot?"

"I can just see it clearly...and it would be a waste if I didn't." Fay held the bag carefully, not wanting to drop it as he waited for Kurogane. The other paused, watching him for a moment before sighing.

"Hn." He then began walking to the garage, the chip in his pocket.

"I have to run to the kitchen for a fork." Fay said quickly as he began walking in the opposite direction, his face turned to the other man. He wanted to hurry back to Kurogane. The human stopped walking for a moment, looking back at Fay.

"....Be quick about it." He said. He didn't want to be separated from the blonde, in case they came while they were both alone. The blonde nodded and ran inside, still careful about the cake as he secured a pair of forks and two plates. As a second thought he quickly opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. Hurrying back, he made sure to kick the door close with his foot before nearly jogging inside the garage where Kurogane waited. The taller man had uncovered Yuui from her waist up, her head turned to the side, the wires called her 'brain' strewn across the bench in front of Kurogane. He looked up, seeing the lithe man arrive.

"About time." He said gruffly, his hands currently tangled among the blue and black wires.

"Sorry." He leaned over to kiss the other man's cheek before he went about clearing a spot further down the table to set everything down. Kurogane suddenly gasped and cursed, rubbing his eye vigorously.

"Dammit Yuui! Even when you're off you give me hell!" Fay turned as he opened the cake box. He moved over to his lover's side.

"What happened?" The human had black liquid dripping from his right eye.

"Damn android..." He said simply, pulling a cloth from his toolbox and wiping his face.

"She did that a lot when she was first being made..." Fay brought fingers under the other man's chin to lift his face, checking to see if his eye was alright. A faint streak of black was still noticeable and Fay moved his other hand to wipe what little remind away. The sclera of his eye was also red, due to irritation, but other than that he looked ok. Kurogane sighed, rubbing it again with a growl.

"Don't bother with it. It won't make me go blind." He pulled Fay forward for a moment, planting a kiss on the other's lips as a thank you for worrying.

"Just making sure." Fay smiled and sat down in front of the cake before he realized he didn't have anything to cut it with. Instead he scooped out lumps of the cake onto a plate before he started to eat.

"Kuro-min should try this."

"Hnn... hands are dirty." The mechanic replied halfheartedly, absorbed in his work. A loud click filled the room and Kurogane sighed.

"You little bitch...." He said, glaring at a now broken chip. He looked back at the doll's head.

"Glad I got a new one..."

"Here." Fay lifted a fork full of cake to Kurogane smiling as his lover worked. The human turned to Fay, blinking as the cake was stuffed in his mouth.

"......." He sighed.

"Yupp. That guy made that cake..." He said simply before turning back to Yuui.

"Kuro-wan eats a lot of the cakes Sorata makes?" He smiled as Kurogane took the bite of cake without complaint, knowing the other wasn't a fan of sweets.

"Tch, no. That guy made one for my birthday every year since I beat him up the second time and made me eat a piece." Kurogane informed, more snapping came from Yuui's head as Kurogane broke out the old chip that was now a burnt brown.

"I'd recognize his cooking anywhere..."

"Kuro-min's going to make me jealous." Fay pouted before taking another bit of cake. The taller man sat up straight and looked at Fay accusingly.

"Why?" He asked in a sort of disgusted way.

"You remember the way another person's food tastes after so long." H e smiled teasingly as Kurogane looked at him. The dark haired man clicked his tongue, hand tossing the fried half-chip to behind him.

"Don't be..." He said nonchalantly.

"And my birthday wasn't that long ago..." He said to the side.

"I'll have to get you a late birthday present then." Fay said as he thought about it, he realized he didn't even know Kurogane's birthday.

"Don't bother with that, you've given me enough..." He said airily, before he sat up straight again and sighed.

"You said you beat Sorata up a second time?"

"Yeah, I've been him up four times total. And the prick still wants to hang on me..."

"If Kuro-wankoro wouldn't resist maybe Sorata wouldn't be so insistent to cling?" Fay laughed at the idea as he continued to eat.

"Resist?! That faggot! Ha! He would insist on more if I didn't put up a fight!" He said loudly as he connected two wires. He shuddered at the thought, and tried to bring his mind on something else. It landed upon their soon-to-be son. Fay finished his cake as he smiled sheepishly at Kurogane's words. He noticed his lover grow quiet with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What's Kuro-pyon thinking about?" The other looked quickly to the blonde before returning to Yuui's head.

"...Toshihiko..." He said sullenly, a spark flying from the wires he maneuvered his hands around.

"What about him?" The alien found himself smiling warmly at Kurogane thinking of their child.

"...Just what type of person he would be... would he hurt others for spite, or do it for protection...." The other thought aloud, using a pair of tongs to hold two pieces together whilst he connected another two.

"Would he love the both of us, even though we're not the normal family... or would he try to run away because he thought of himself as a freak..."

"He'll be a good person, who'll love his parents and probably come home from fighting others who say otherwise. He'll know we're a family and be happy that he's showered in affection." Fay smiled fondly at the thought as he absentmindedly placed a hand over his stomach. The student looked over to Fay and couldn't stop a smirk from spreading on his face. He reached over and pulled Fay up next to him, his nose burying itself in the blonde hair.

"He'd be that way cuz of you, you ditz. He'd probably get in trouble in school for spacing out a lot..."

"I don't do that often...and besides he'll probably have a temper like you and you'll want to wrestle with him like you and your father does." Fay laughed as he thought about Kurogane being jumped by their son and the ensuing rough housing.

"And what if we do wrestle?" The taller said defensively, a playful smirk on his face.

"We'll have to put all the breakable stuff away when he turns 5, that's when it'll start." He sighed, remembering when he first jumped his dad. He thought the scar would never go away.

"It'll be cute, though I'll have to make sure to move all the furniture out of the way beforehand." He laughed thinking he'd be a nervous wreck watching Kurogane toss the little boy around.

"I wouldn't break too many bones." The dark haired man said, thinking how he actually wouldn't put up a fight for the sake of not hurting the child.

"Maybe one or two on accident like my dad did me."

"Hopefully he'll heal faster...what happened?" Fay couldn't imagine what could have happened to have broken bones. He hadn't thought they were that rough with each other. Kurogane chuckled as he reminisced.

"I attacked dad out in the garage. There used to be a generator, a big one, out there and he accidentally let go of me and I fell in between it and the wall. He tried to catch me but broke my arm doing so." He sighed, a faint smile on his lips.

"He wouldn't stop apologizing for three months."

"You don't have one of those here do you?" Fay turned his head to the side to look around. He knew he shouldn't worry, but couldn't help his concern. The smile grew wider with a cocked eyebrow.

"No, we got rid of it after that." He released his lover, going back to Yuui.

"If anything he'd break his own bones." Kurogane inserted the new chip, clicking it into place.

"Then I really hope he's able to heal quickly." Fay said as he reached over to scoop more cake onto his plate

"Thinking of all this makes me even more excited to see him."

"Yeah..." Kurogane's smile slipped off his face slowly, from both concentrating on fixing Yuui and from the thought of the two of them being separated. He sighed, sitting up straight.

"I hope he keeps you safe..." He thought aloud.

"Kuro-kun will be there to keep us both safe." He though about Kurogane being there for the birth and smiled wondering how Kurogane would handle the situation.

"Your wishful thinking is nauseating, Blondie." He said with a smirk, leaning over to kiss Fay again.

"Then stop saying you won't be there, because you will be for his birth and everything else before and after that." Fay said determinedly. The other sighed, the smirk not budging.

"You sure have a lot of faith in chance." He said briskly, leaning down to look at a red wire that had popped out of no where.

"Dammit, Yuui, your vision'll be screwed up if this keeps coming loose."

"Because I'm sure things will work out and I know Kuro-min wouldn't want to miss the birth of his son." The alien smiled as he enjoyed his food, watching Kurogane manipulate the wires with ease.

"Damn straight." The other clicked the wire back into place and closed the girl's head, turning it to make it lay straight again.

"Well... she should be able to function properly again..."

"So you're finished?" Fay looked over the android as Kurogane closed the head compartment.

"No..." The taller man reached down, pressing the naval button. It turned green, then flashed red, opening her body suddenly. Kurogane grimaced and peered inside.

"Yupp... She's still disconnected..." He said simply before standing. He looked around a bit before going to the table. Fay sat back, eating as Kurogane gathered what he was looking for. He returned with a roll of copper wire and some adhesive. He sighed as he sat down and leaned over Yuui, rolling out the wire and placing it inside her.

"I didn't think she was that badly damaged." He watched as Kurogane set to work on Yuui's insides.

"She wasn't at first. When the transmissions came in all it did was fry her head circuitry. I made her continue and that screwed her up in the body circuitry." He explained, adding adhesive in places Fay couldn't see. The other nodded and his mind wandered back to the baby as he finished of the last of his second piece of cake. Kurogane looked up at the blonde when he stopped talking, noticing he was zoning out again.

"Oi. I thought you said you didn't space out a lot." He snorted, returning to work back inside his robot.

"I keep thinking about the baby." He reached over to grab the bottle of water he had gotten from the kitchen, opening it and taking a drink.

"What about him this time?" Kurogane asked, interest bubbling in his throat to make his fake agitation melt away. He retracted his hand quickly, sighing as more black liquid attacked anything that got near.

"I'm not sealing it up again if you keep acting like that."

"Just thinking what it'll be like, what he'll be like." Fay sighed knowing he must sound strange.

"And what happens if I was wrong and it's a girl?" Kurogane mused, sitting back slightly as he let the wires cool a little.

"It wouldn't matter, a girl would be just as nice and I'm sure you would rough house with her all the same." Fay knew he'd be happy either way regardless of gender.

"What are you hoping for?" The other asked, not caring that he was actually showing curiosity toward the topic. He leaned forward again and sealed the liquid-spewing wire back before it could spray him again.

"Either, it wouldn't matter to me whether the baby turns out to be a boy or girl. Would you prefer a boy?" Fay could clearly see a small boy having a glaring match with Kurogane or a little girl in a small dress being tossed into the air. The taller man shrugged.

"To tell you the truth, I don't really know. I've never been asked that before." He blinked, finding himself actually mulling over the question.

"....I.... I think I'd want a girl...." He said finally, looking over to Fay.

"But a boy would be easier to handle."

"But Daddy said the chances of baby being a girl were slim." Fay moved his hand to his stomach as he though of Kurogane with their daughter. The red eyed man smirked and wrapped an arm around Fay's waist.

"Yeah? And are we only allowed to have one kid?"

"Kuro-san's the one saying he won't be around long enough to see one baby let alone more." Fay was surprised, he had never thought of having more children, his mind busy on thought of just the one. He smiled at Kurogane.

"No, but would you like to have more?"

"Hnn... It depends." He said, nuzzling the blonde hair like before.

"If the first one's too much of a handful I might have to call it at that."

"I'm sure that between the two of us we can handle it." Fay laughed as he leaned into the touch.

"Besides, I would have never thought you would like to have a girl more so than a boy." He imagined Kurogane would coddle her and carry her around where ever he went.

"Why's that?" The raven haired man asked, somewhat glaring down at Fay before, pulling away to look at him better.

"I would think you'd like a boy to do boy things with, though I think you'd look cute with a little girl clinging to you." He smiled warmly as Kurogane scrutinized him.

"She'd do boy things with me too, if she's anything like my mom." He said with a smirk.

"Did I tell you it was my mom that taught me how to play soccer and not dad?"

"Then Kuro-myu can teach the baby regardless of what it is." Fay leaned forward to kiss Kurogane. The other accepted the kiss before he looked back down at Yuui.

"Tch..." He closed her stomach compartment and pressed the button again. It flashed green and stayed green, making Kurogane smirk.

"Is she working now?" Fay noticed his lover's smirk and the green light on her stomach.

"Yeah... though I don't think she'll be reacting to her best abilities." He said, reaching forward to pull Yuui in a sitting position. Her head lulled forward, but not in a robotic way, instead it was like she was sleeping. Kurogane let his smile slip slightly, feeling extremely childish for allowing himself to cry over her fried circuitry a couple of nights before, especially when he knew he had enough potential to fix her well enough.

"Are you going to leave her here or take her inside?" Fay questioned, after all he hadn't thought about what they would do once they had finished everything.

"Well that lady said I was supposed to take her with me, so I guess I'll sit her on the porch." He blinked, actually looking at Yuui.

"Uh.... we should probably give her clothes then....."

"Kuro-min doesn't have dresses laying around does he?" Fay laughed at the idea. The taller man shot him a glare before sighing and standing up.

"Let's give her one of our outfits then." He said in an irritated tone, lifting the doll into his arms.

"Her program is still in the computer room anyway."

"I think she'd fit better in my clothes than yours." Fay stood gathering everything he had brought earlier back with him as he exited the garage and towards the house. Kurogane didn't bother to close the garage door and followed Fay into the house, leaning Yuui against his shoulder so he could close the back door. Fay followed Kurogane inside making a small detour to set everything down on the kitchen table before returning to the computer room.

The tanned man set Yuui down in the computer room's chair as he turned off the computer the program was still in. He pulled out the chip and then returned to the robot. The student had opened Yuui's head again and was inserting the chip into her head when Fay entered.

"Oi, Kamui, I want you to record something for me." He said out of the blue, making Kamui flicker on. His eyes opened slowly, and he blinked seeing the naked doll. He instantly looked away.

"Good Gods human! Must you make Yuui naked?!" The creator sighed at the computer's childishness.

"I said pull up the recording devices dammit!" Fay laughed at Kamui's shyness.

"I'll get her some clothes once Kuro-puu's done." Kamui continued to look away, blushing slightly before turning his head back slowly.

"...Fine..." He said unhappily, looking at his creator. "Recording equipment activated." He said after a beep. Kurogane sighed, looking to the blonde.

"I want my parents to know why I didn't come home, if I don't." Fay nodded and moved to the side out of the camera's way not wanting to be in the way for such a personal message. Kurogane placed his hands in his pockets and leaned against the counter. A hidden monitor flickered on in the corner, and the blonde could see his lover appear on it with a little red dot on the bottom of the screen. He paused, staring at what was filming him for a moment before sighing again.

"Toriho and Tsumebe Suwa, a message from me, your son..." Fay frowned as Kurogane began, a sinking feeling washing over him. It was as if Kurogane knew he wouldn't be coming back and Fay could almost hit him for it. The other continued.

"I lied to you about going to Italy... I lied to you about Fay...." He said, eyes darting over to his lover before returning to the screen.

"I lied to you about grandchildren." Fay gave Kurogane a reassuring smile as his lover looked over to him.

"....To start things.... I knew about the crash by my house... That was him landing... He was hurt badly and I took him home, putting him under the alias of Yuui Celes from Italy to keep the cops out of my business and to keep him hidden. Well, Yuui's real too, but I'm not there yet." He folded his arms.

"....After a day or so, I guess you can assume I did that falling in love bullshit... and things fell apart from there." Fay felt himself smiling sadly as Kurogane explained things and bit back a laugh as Kurogane explained falling in love.

"It didn't take long for Fay to admit it himself, and we ended up doing something that's illegal." He raised an eyebrow for a moment, thinking to himself before shaking his head.

"Anyway. All the transmissions work was receiving, dad, they were going to my project on the sidelines. That project is Y.U.U.I. Youth Under Uranium Ignition. I started working on her last year." He nodded his head toward the android that sat still asleep in the chair, and the screen suddenly showed her.

"She's been receiving transmissions from Fay's home world." Fay could feel himself tearing up as Kurogane continued, though he stifled a chuckle at the other man's admittance of what they had done. Kurogane shot a glare to his lover before the camera went back to him.

"It was through her we learned that just what we had done was... galactically illegal, since Earth is a supposed abandoned planet or some other bullshit reason like that." he closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly before looking back at the video recorder.

"So we're both under arrest." He looked away for a moment.

"But we decided to make the best of it in the end." A small smirk appeared. Fay smiled warmly even as Kurogane sent a glare in his direction as his lover continued the recording. The taller man looked to the camera.

"With his race the men can get pregnant as well, for some barren problem that kept happening... and since there is a very good possibility that I'll die from all this, we decided to have a kid." He said, smiling.

"Happy now dad?" Fay frowned at hearing Kurogane's words, but didn't say anything, not wanting to interrupt the message. Kurogane unfolded his arms.

"If I don't manage to make it back, Fay probably will come back, and if they don't take our child away, he'll bring him too. If he does come back, I expect him to have the nicest treatment or I'll come back to haunt your asses." He said with a menacing glare before looking to his lover.

"Oi, come here." Fay moved off the wall he had been leaning against to walk almost timidly towards his lover. Kurogane held out his arm and wrapped it around Fay.

"Take that spell off your ears." He said lightly, looking at the blonde. Fay nodded and with his pointer and middle fingers he summoned familiar blue energy sparking at the tips of his fingers. Running them over his ears, he could feel the spell he had used on them fall away to turn them back to their regular appearance. He smiled down at Kurogane sadly. The man stared back.

"Tell them about you..." He said softly, before turning back to the camera.

"...I...come from Valeria, an ice world which doesn't have nearly as nice of weather as this planet does...I haven't told Kuro-min a lot about myself, but I come from a dead noble line....my family's heritage and strength are about all that's left and I'm the last of the line. I ran away, which was a small crime, there were too many things going wrong and I had no one to anchor me there anymore. I came here unexpectedly and I suppose Kuro-san's told you the most important things....though I wish he wouldn't insist on himself dying..." He stopped to glare at his lover before resuming.

"He's also told you about the baby and I just want to apologize for bringing him and now the two of you into this, I love him...he's really the only precious person I have left, hopefully that will change in a few months if everything goes right." Fay turned to Kurogane not knowing what else to say. Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"I do not insist on dying." He said bluntly.

"I just keep that option open, dumbass." He frowned before looking back at the recording device.

"Dad, I don't know what type of work you do, but I'm sure it deals with crap like this. If you can, try to communicate with Valeria-or-whatever about this for future occurrences. I'm sure this is a rare situation, but it shouldn't ever end up like this again." He nodded his head.

"I love both you and mom. This is goodbye..." He looked at Fay flatly.

"....at least as far as I know...." Fay kept silent as Kurogane finished his message. Thinking of what his parents would say once they discovered it.

"End recording, Kamui." His lover said, turning to the computer. Said computer flickered and ended it and the monitor turned off. Kurogane sighed heavily and slumped slightly before looking at Fay.

"You never said anything about nobility."

"Because I'm not, my family hasn't been for a few generations." Fay rested a hand atop Kurogane head, running his fingers soothingly through dark hair.

"That's still something you don't keep quiet about." Kurogane growled, wrapping his other arm around Fay.

"That could possibly add more reason to why they were so urgent to come and find you."

"My family has no holding over anything important. At least it will insure the baby's survival...and hopefully yours." Fay moved his other hand to join his first as he leaned forward into the embrace. He knew it was a long shot, but if there was any way he couldn't increase their chances of coming back safely he wouldn't hesitate.

"They wouldn't harm an heir to even a dead noble house." Kurogane leaned his head on Fay's, holding him closer.

"I wonder if my father's company would count for anything... I also have more robotic skill than most of my father's workers anyway..." He sighed, stroking blonde locks.

"There's a chance it could." Fay closed his eyes, comforted by Kurogane's touches.

"So it doesn't matter what the baby's parentage is, nothing will happen to him or her." He smiled, for once glad of his ancestry. The other smirked as well, before it fell again.

"...I wonder what that lady wanted me to bring Yuui for..."

"It doesn't matter, if Yuuko says to bring her, it's best not to question it." Fay stayed in Kurogane's arms, not knowing what they should do now that everything was taken care of. Kurogane frowned, but didn't ask, just holding the blonde in his arms.

"...It's a known fact that I'll lose my memory though, right?"

"...Yes, I doubt you'll be able to escape it." Fay removed his hands from Kurogane only to place them around the man's torso. Said man closed his eyes.

"...Is there any way around that?" He asked, a painful jab in his chest at the thought of forgetting Fay.

"I don't know..." Fay couldn't think at the moment as he thought of Kurogane forgetting about everything...about him and the baby. The thought was frightening for the both of them. They both knew Kurogane would be back to the hostile self, not caring who or what he hurt in order to get back to his own world. The taller man shuddered at the thought, standing up straight.

"We have to find a way around it."

"You would happen to have something to either block a mind wipe or something to stop it once it happened?" Fay held Kurogane resting his forehead against the broad chest as he thought.

"I haven't ever encountered something like that, so I don't have anything to use against it..." The human said in distraught, leaning forward over his lover. They heard Kamui click his tongue.

"You're nauseating.... the both of you..." Kurogane glared at his computer.

"Shut up or I'll unplug you."

"Kuro-myu's setting a bad example for the baby." Fay tried to laugh as his voice was muffled against the other's shirt.

"You be quiet too. Why do I have to love and create loudmouths?" Kurogane asked himself in irritation.

"Just what is the mind wipe? A machine? A medical shot? What?"

"A spell that's focused through a device that the person wears." Fay smiled at Kurogane's earlier exclamation. The taller man contemplated a little more and was almost out of hope before his other computer turned on. Subaru flashed on the screen with a blank expression, one the computers wore when doing orders by their creator.

"Kurogane. I have successfully placed a counter spell on your charm." He looked up and smiled sadly.

"And I heard about what has happened. I'm sorry."

"Charm, the one your father gave you?" Fay looked up at Kurogane questioningly.

"Yeah, but I guess you don't need..." He paused, eyes opening suddenly.

"...You said it was a spell?"

"Yes?" He could practically see the gears turning in Kurogane's head. The human pulled away from his lover and walked over to Subaru.

"Would it be possible that this spell was using the same type of magic you used to change your ears?"

"Yes, all magic is basically the same...why?" Fay asked as Kurogane moved towards the computer. The other man smirked somewhat as idea was confirmed. He pulled the charm out of Subaru's container. The small disk was covered in a thin coat of what looked like fluoride.

"That spell that'll erase my memory could easily be broken if I have this with me. The coating can be washed off and the metal will react to the spell."

"Then either by accident or by me telling you, you could get your memories back?" Fay's eyes widened as everything clicked into place. Kurogane nodded.

"And on top of that, it would make everyone around me ill when we're taken away, since it's chemicals would react differently to your kind." He pulled Fay into a one armed embrace, the other hand still holding the small discus.

"It would give me a chance to find you and make a break for it."

"While that happens I should already have the things I need to leave without being hunted down again." Fay smiled up at Kurogane.

"They wouldn't follow us afterwards; they would think you had your memories taken." The dark haired man smiled down to the blonde.

"I would assume they'd place me back on Earth, so you could follow me without being traced." He wrapped the other arm around Fay's body, pulling him close.

"Heh, guess we can delete that recording now..."

"So Kuro-rinta's not thinking so negatively now?" Fay teased, too excited by the revelation to think of anything else. Kurogane growled flatly, but simply kissed Fay's still long ear.

"Shut up you." It was then that Kamui's eyes flashed open.

"010100101010101010010 0101010101100101010101010101010101-"

"Oi! Kamui! Translate!" "Fay of Valer-r-r-r--ria, Kurog-g--gane of Earth...." Kurogane's eyes opened wide as he let go of his lover, quickly walking out of the computer room. He looked into the kitchen and saw a darkness fall over the long backyard, noticing Fay's water bottle rattling against the table. Fay trembled as he stood in the middle of the computer room where Kurogane had left him. He had thought they'd have a little more time before this happened. Kurogane came back to Fay, lifting up Yuui in one arm and the other taking Fay's hand.

"Come on... let's dress her before they get here." He said sharply, looking to his still rambling computer, and now Subaru was spouting out binary. Fay gripped Kurogane's hand tightly in his own as they entered the bedroom. Quickly he grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt, his eyes still wide as he shook. Kurogane swiftly clothed his creation, not caring that she went without shoes. He once again pulled her into his arm and retook Fay's hand in his before sighing.

"They'll be landing soon...." He said, looking to the window to see that a slight breeze was stirring the trees outside.

"What do we do?" Fay didn't think it wise to just walk outside, but it wouldn't be smart to have their soon to be captors to come looking for them. The other clenched his teeth, looking at Fay for a moment before bringing his lips to the blonde's. Fay kissed back, desperate for the contact. He could still feel the ground slightly shaking from the ship's landing systems.

It didn't take long for unsteady objects to start falling off their platforms, like the human's alarm clock slipping with a loud clank to the ground. Kurogane released Fay's hand and used it to hold the lithe man against his body as he broke the kiss. He glared toward the direction of the front door, starting to walk to the living room. Fay followed, his legs feeling like lead with each passing step as they drew closer, he could still faintly hear Kamui and Subaru speaking binary in the computer room. Kurogane set Yuui down to sit on the table in the entrance room, his hand feeling heavy as it reached for the door knob. He stopped himself, turning again to Fay like he had when they had talked to Yuuko. He smirked faintly and ran a hand through the blonde hair.

"I love you... no matter what...." Fay grabbed Kurogane, leaning up for another kiss; he was terrified of what would happen. Despite their planning, everything could go wrong.

"Toshihiko and I love Daddy too." He fought back tears as he gripped the front of his lover's shirt. Even though his negativity had clouded their last day, Kurogane smirked and kissed Fay a third time.

"Good." He whispered against the alien's lips before he opened the front door. He looked up to the sky and found his mouth falling slightly. In the sky, hovering around the clouds was an enormous ship, big enough it could swallow a million airplanes and would still fit a crew and their families comfortably. What was so shocking about this was that there were two of them. Fai paled as he looked up, not knowing what to do as he moved close to Kurogane. The other kept his arm around Fay, glaring up at what was blocking the sun.

The two ships didn't come any closer, but the two in the doorway could see a hatch open up and expel five smaller ships, zipping down to Earth with incredible speed.

Fay straightened and tried to calm himself, it wouldn't be good for anyone if he panicked. He tried to think back to his days in the Academy, learning how to be proper and demand respect from others, it had been one of the things he hadn't hated about the school. The alien knew though it could come in handy in seeing no harm came to Kurogane. The human felt Fay's stance change and loosened his grip, his arm lazily draped around the light skinned man's waist. He watched the five pods race down to them, slowing when they came close enough to land.

"...I will do everything I can to protect you...." Kurogane admitted possessively, eyes never leaving the one that seemed to be leading. Fay allowed himself a brief smile and his expression to warm at Kurogane's words. It was then that the first pod landed, showing itself to be as big as the garage in the backyard. It was round and pulled to sharp points on the side, glistening like car oil in water. Kurogane growled subconsciously, his hand tightening on Fay's hip.

"It won't be a good idea to look hostile." Fay said as he watched the ships land expressionlessly.

"Like I give a damn...." The taller one said, glaring as the ship opened up to a platform. Out walked a man clad in black, half a cape resting over one arm that dragged behind him. He had sharp eyes and darker than normal hair for being a Valerian. He smirked when his foot touched Earth's surface as he looked at the couple on the porch.

"Greetings to you both. I'm Koryu, your arresting officer."

"Hello, I'm sure you already know our names but it would be rude not to introduce at least myself." Fay nodded at the other's greeting and smiled.

"Fay Fluorite of Valeria, class title D of the Celes Academy." Fay bowed as he had been taught in the past. Koryu smiled back, obviously pleased by the other's manners. He looked at the human.

"And I can assume you're Kurogane Suwa of Earth?" He asked, looking him up and down before licking his lips, which made Kurogane cock an eyebrow.

"Don't tamper with the arrested, Koryu." Said a deep voice as the other ship opened up. This man almost looked like Kurogane, but having no sight from one eye and long ears separated the human from the Valerian. Fay glared at the first officer before returning a respectful nod to the new officer approaching them. The other one, also dark haired, nodded back.

"I am Kokuyo. I'm here to make sure nothing.... bad happens." He said, folding his arms. A long, sharp finger guard rested against his fist, showing Fay he was armed with something that could easily mold shapes. Kurogane stared at the one named Kokuyo, not saying anything.

"I would expect nothing less, but we have no intentions of causing any trouble." Fay smiled, hoping Kurogane could keep his temper in check, especially with the other officer around. Kokuyo nodded, before looking at Koryu. The smaller one snapped his fingers.

"First, let's get rid of this annoying cuddling." He said, and ten men wearing black suits with red bat emblems came out of the two ships, marching toward the couple. Kurogane once again growled, his body tilting slightly. Fay knew that things weren't going as smoothly as they should when he heard Kurogane growling at the men coming towards them.

"Is force really called for, especially in these numbers?" He turned to the lead officer hoping to get some sort of sympathy from him. Koryu smiled evilly.

"Unfortunately." He said bleakly, amused when Kurogane stepped in front of Fay. Two of the officers stepped forward and reached out for Kurogane. The human growled angrily and backhanded their hands away harshly. The rest of them lifted their weapons and charged, the two in front gripping Kurogane's arms as three went behind him and grabbed Fay. The dark haired man saw this and shoved the two off, reaching for Fay, only to be caught by four more men.

"Geh...Fay!"

"S-stop!" The Valerian turned to Kokuyo.

"You can't use excessive force against me or him!" He tried not to struggle as the men grabbed his arms, he was fearful for the baby and Kurogane, who hadn't stopped struggling. Kokuyo wasn't paying any attention to Fay, his hands clenched as he watched Kurogane. Said man snarled and shoved two of the four off, his elbow going in one's face and his fist in the other man's. Kokuyo took a step forward as another latched onto Kurogane, looking at Koryu for a signal.

The smaller man continued to smile, his hand raising. It quickly waved toward the human, and Kokuyo dashed faster than anyone could see and grabbed Kurogane by his throat. He knocked off the soldiers and ran the human into the side of the house, holding him a good foot off the ground. The red eyed man grabbed Kokuyo's wrist and tried to get him off, but a sharp sound as metal went through flesh and the siding of the house made all his strugglings stop.

"Kurogane!" Fay watched in horror as Kokuyo's weapon impaled Kurogane's hand to the wall. His eyes glowed a shocking blue for a moment and the guards holding him were thrown into the air. With careful steps, Fay walked towards Kurogane, throwing back each soldier with a small blast as they tried to recapture him.

"He didn't want to be seperated from me." His pointer and middle finger came up as sparks danced off them.

"I'll ask only once, let him go, I'm currently with a child and have not the desire to fight and I'll try and guarantee that Kurogane won't again. Though if you insist I'll be forced to show you what a D title makes me capable of." His eyes turned to the soldiers and Koryu around him. They faltered, knowing that he was strong, especially if given the highest rank the Academy allowed. Kokuyo didn't budge, holding Kurogane up against the wall still with his hand stuck to the siding uselessly. Koryu gritted his teeth, knowing his fun was over with.

"Fine! Let that creature go, Kokuyo." He said briskly, folding his arms. The other obeyed, letting go of the human's throat, but not taking the long dagger away from his hand. Kurogane coughed, kneeling on the ground slightly so his hand wouldn't be caused any more harm. Fay ran past Kokuyo, who turned away from them, to kneel in front of Kurogane.

"Idiot, why would you do that?" Fay chided gently as he ran his fingers over the wound. He only managed to stop the bleeding, the wound still wasn't healed, but at least it probably wouldn't become infected. Kurogane coughed a little more, his other hand wrapping around his throat. His red eyes looked up to Kokuyo for a moment, before to Fay.

"He's..." He looked over to Koryu.

"They're.... they look like me...."

"This has gone on for far too long, Koryu! Enough!" Came a booming voice. Kurogane looked over sharply, surprised to see who had just arrived.

"D...Dad?" Fay didn't know what to say, even though they didn't have features like he did only meant they were from another planet. Though when he heard the familiar voice his head snapped up and his eyes widened at seeing Kurogane's father approaching them. Koryu smiled wryly and went over to the man, draping his arms around Toriho's shoulders.

"Ahh... so this troublemaker is YOUR son, now I see." He smiled down at the mismatched pair.

"It's so disgustingly cute, how much he resembles you..." Toriho growled and pushed the smaller man off.

"This is not about me, you idiot." He hissed, looking over to his wounded child with a sad look.

"Youou....I...." Kurogane looked at him strangely, before looking at Koryu, who was pulling out a rolled paper.

"Well, either way, you're just in time to hear his conviction." Fay turned to look over at Toriho then back to Kurogane a worried look on his face. He rubbed his thumb over his lover's hand soothingly, trying to ease the pain. He knew Kurogane must be confused by everything that was happening. Koryu unfolded the paper, reading it slightly. He blinked and looked over to Fay.

"Ooo... this is rich..." He said happily before clearing his throat.

"Fay Fluorite and Youou Kurogane Suwa, later changed to Kurogane Youou Suwa, ages 88 and 92 on Valeria, 22 and 23 on Earth, are convicted with conducting reproductive actions even with the knowledge of Planet Earth being off limits." He rolled it back up with a smile firmly on his face. Toriho gaped like a fish before turning to Koryu.

"They didn't know about that!!" Koryu poked the taller man's chest.

"But YOU did, and whether or not you told your half breed son was up to you. Since you had knowledge of it, the Court is still pressing the charges." Fay turned his gaze toward Toriho at the officer's mention of 'half breed'. He turned to Kurogane, frowning. It seemed they weren't the only ones keeping secrets. Kurogane reached over and grasped the metal still impaled in his hand. He grunted slightly, before pulling it out quickly. His hand retracted to his chest as he tossed the dagger to Kokuyo's feet. Toriho grimaced when he saw the pain on Kurogane's face.

"...I did know about it...." He turned to Koryu.

"What are the charges?! Surely they can't be too bad!" Koryu placed his hand over his mouth to hide a huge grin.

"Oh but they are~!" Fay moved to grip Kurogane's shoulders as the other man rode out the pain from removing the spike. He gently took the hand clutched to his lover's chest and soothed his fingers over the wound sealing it until all that was left was dried blood and an angry wound. Kurogane leaned his forehead against Fay's sweat slightly dampening the pale skin. He closed his eyes and tried to deal with it a little longer, not wanting the smaller to lose his idea of him being strong. Koryu pulled out another paper and handed it to Toriho, who opened it angrily. He let out a small bit of air, slightly shocked.

"Memory.... Memory wipe?! A-and..." He looked up from the paper, staring at Kurogane.

"'If Memory Wipe fails for Both Men, Kill The...." He dropped the paper. Fay glanced down at Kurogane, hoping that the charm in the other's pocket was still there after the struggle. He listened intently as Koryu spoke. He was startled to know that both of them would have their memories erased. He thought to the baby, not knowing what he would do if he couldn't remember anything about how it came to be. He began to shake as his heart rate picked up. Not far from them Kokuyo kept a watchful eye on them. He narrowed his eyes when he saw Fay's movements become twitchy and quick, but said nothing. Koryu laughed lightly at Toriho's shock, pleased beyond reason at its effect.

"And here I thought you'd be happy to lose your disgrace of a son!" He said with a smile. Toriho growled and grabbed Koryu around the neck. He was about to start yelling when Tsumebe appeared.

"I'm glad I came, love put him down." She walked to stand beside her husband, her eyes moving over to Kurogane and Fay worriedly before returning her gaze to Koryu in front of her. Toriho snapped his vision to her before obeying, glaring at the long eared man. Koryu rubbed his throat, growling at the taller before smirking.

"How cute, you obey everything your little human wife tells you." Toriho's eyes flashed before he raised his fist.

"That's it." He said angrily, his hand igniting before colliding with Koryu's chest, sending the officer flying into a guard ten feet away. Fay winced and ducked a bit as he heard Toriho throw Koryu back. He moved a hand to Kurogane's cheek, wiping the sweat away from the tanned skin as he tried to sooth his lover. Toriho was about to continue his pummeling of the officer before Kokuyo stepped in between the two.

"You've crossed the boarder of interference....again..." He warned, looking down to the man's now glowing hand. The other dark haired man followed Kokuyo's gaze, before looking over in panic to Kurogane and Fay. The blonde lifted his head to rest his chin atop Kurogane's head, trying to shield the wounded man in case something happened. He was beginning to worry when Kurogane just continued to lean against him, but he supposed his lover was in shock. Toriho looked over to Tsumebe with a frown.

"...I'm afraid we cannot do anything for either Fay-chan or Youou..." he bowed his head.

"They've conceived." At this Koryu laughed louder.

"It would've been fine if you hadn't tried to have a child!" He said, holding his stomach.

"But you did! Oh this is too rich! Too rich!" Kurogane finally pulled away from Fay, bringing himself to stand slowly. Doing so made the smallest dark haired man stop laughing. Kurogane's good hand clenched in a fist as he stared at Koryu.

"Shut... the fuck up.... you imp...." He said, taking a few slow steps toward the thin man. Koryu, Kokuyo, and Toriho all stared wide eyed at Kurogane, as if he was the most horrifying thing they'd ever seen. Toriho suddenly rushed to him.

"Youou stop!" Fay remained in place as he heard the words exchanged. He didn't understand, but when Kurogane moved he knew it could only get worse.

"Stop! You're hurt!" Fay rose and staggered before moving towards Kurogane. Toriho placed a hand on his son's chest forcefully, making Kurogane pause in his actions. When he saw Fay come close he glared.

"Fay-chan! Stay back!" He commanded, still holding his son. Kurogane growled, his wounded hand twitching. Koryu backed up slightly, his hand moving to cover his mouth.

"I... I-I didn't mean to take things this far...." Kokuyo glared at him.

"Well you did you idiot!" Fay paused confused as Kurogane was stilled by his father. Even Tsumebe had moved away from them her face heavy with worry. Toriho placed his other hand around his son's shoulders, forcing him to the ground. Kurogane panted slightly, his face hidden from Fay. Toriho sighed and looked at Fay.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you before... but even Youou doesn't know about what I am..." He smiled sadly, looking at Kurogane.

"Oi, you need to take it easy, or you'll...." He frowned.

"You'll do something that would hurt everyone...."

"Kuro-tan?" He hoped if his father couldn't get him to answer that at least he could. He still wasn't sure what was going to happen, but he knew Toriho's warning wasn't a lie. Kurogane's shoulders slumped slightly, his body relaxing gently. Toriho smiled thankfully, looking over to Fay who had calmed him. It quickly melted away, seeing the guards come around him. He looked at Fay again.

"Come.... come say goodbye, Fay-chan...." The Valerian looked to the older man and back to Kurogane. He still had a lot of unanswered questions but nodded and walked forward to face his companion. Toriho's words kept ringing in his head, he would finally have to say goodbye to his lover. Kurogane's face was sparkling with sweat as he kept his eyes closed and his brow twisted. He looked up to Fay, and the blonde could see that the other's pupil was faintly there. Toriho frowned deeper, and let go of his son, standing by his wife once more. Fay smiled sadly as he looked at Kurogane; he knew that all of this had been too much for the man.

"Isn't Kuro-min going to say anything?" He tried to keep his voice light as he spoke softly, not wanting anyone to hear their last words to each other. The apparent half-human smirked faintly, lifting his unwounded hand to hold Fay's. He leaned his forehead against Fay's and closed his eyes.

"There's... so much I wanna say...and don't have time for..." He said, equally as quiet, but ragged as if he had done a strenuous activity.

"But... I guess I'll settle.... with I love you..." Fay willed himself not to shed any tears as Kurogane leaned against him.

"I...there's a lot we still don't know about each other, but it doesn't matter to me....like Kuro-myu said before..." He paused to bring his hand up to Kurogane's cheek, stroking the tanned skin during their last moments.

"Even if our hearts forget or bodies won't...if we ever see one another again we can always fall in love again can't we?" Kurogane allowed himself a small chuckle, moving his tan hand from the pale cheek to go over Fay's.

"I'd do that...any day..."

"Then it's settled, we'll just have to find each other all over again." Fay smiled, trying not to loose himself in his grief when he should be memorizing every detail of the other man. He gripped the hand around his own.

"Have it your way...." Kurogane said, finally opening red eyes to look at Fay's. It was then that Koryu whined and snapped his fingers again, the guards coming over to hover around the couple, weapons ready.

"Sir Fay, you will be coming with us." Said one behind his mask, gesturing over to the farther ship. Fay smiled before giving Kurogane a final kiss. He turned to the guards, his hands slipping from Kurogane's as he walked calmly towards them. Weapons still pointed at the blonde, the men were unsure of how to handle the blonde after seeing his earlier outburst.

"There's no need for force, I'll go peacefully." He knew not to turn back to look at Kurogane, if he did he knew he'd end up fighting and it was just something the blonde couldn't risk, so he kept himself turned away from Kurogane as he moved forward. He could hear big metallic clicks as heavy handcuffs were placed on his lover. Kurogane closed his eyes and allowed the guards to hoist him up, unable to find the strength to resist. He didn't look over to his father, who was holding Tsumebe close to his body. Koryu smiled evilly and walked over to him before Fay and Kurogane were walked on board.

"Well, Chancellor Souhi, your interference won't go unnoticed, nor your child's..." He

looked at Kurogane with a raised eyebrow.

"...Reaction... I'll expect to see you there..." Toriho growled, but he didn't attack again, knowing it wouldn't help. Fay could distinctly hear the Koryu's words and was surprised at just how high of a position Toriho really held. He pursed his lips in agitation as guards flanked him on all sides. The blonde swore mentally; he should have known something wasn't right when he heard tidbits of what the older man was really doing.

He sighed, letting out his frustration; they had been too busy trying to hide his own tracks to notice others. Koryu turned away from Toriho and placed his hands in his pockets. He walked up behind Fay, smiling.

"You'll be riding with me, delinquent." He said happily, placing his hands in his pockets. Kurogane was followed by Kokuyo and vanished inside the ship next to him. It didn't take long for it to close up, hiding Fay's lover for until they arrived on whatever planet they were going to.

"I'll have you use my proper title, even if I am a criminal; I still hold more rank than you." Fay's voice turned harsh as his eyes narrowed. He stepped onto the ship, it closing behind them. He saw the last rays from the sun filter through the ship before the interior lights of the ship came on. It was wide and cold, white and smooth interior and many people sat about, working machines to make the ship run. The guards filtered out, leaving two to stand on either side of Koryu and Fay. The dark haired man gritted his teeth at being told what to do, but scoffed, leading the way.

"Whatever... you're stilling being jailed." Fay only smiled as he walked down a corridor beside the officer, he walked, back straight and head up as he was led away, there was no need to show anyone here how truly afraid he was for Kurogane and their unborn child. He was lead to a large room, a chair in the middle facing a blank wall. Against this blank wall was another chair, only in it sat a man. He was also wearing dark clothing, and on his leg rested a woman with equally dark clothing. They both had dark hair and the woman had red eyes as well. She looked over to Fay, her arms wrapped languidly around the man with shades. He smiled cockily, looking over to Koryu.

"Is this him?" Fay barely held back a gasp as he looked at the man sitting. It seemed that he and Kurogane could pass for twins; it made his chest ache as he thought back to how his lover could possibly be doing. Koryu nodded, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"Aren't you supposed to be on the other ship?" The man chuckled deeply and pulled her closer, kissing her neck.

"I made her stay." The blonde noted the serious look to the girl's face even as the kissed her. He knew something was off about the two sitting there and just wanted them to leave. The man finally let go of the woman, who stood properly. The one wearing shades folded his arms and smirked, looking at Fay.

"I guess we can begin then. Dita, love, you can use the transport now." He said, smiling to her. Fay's body tensed, not knowing what was going to happen as the girl nodded. Koryu beside him rolled his eyes. The girl then walked up to the two men at the door. Her eyes darted to Fay and looked him up and down before she looked to Koryu.

"Why do I have to watch the other one?" Koryu smirked.

"Because you're good at what you do, Zima needs some practice." The one named Zima leaned back in his chair, hand straightening his tinted lens.

"Come now, Koryu, don't be that way..." As the girl looked him over Fay kept his face neutral, not wanting to give anything away. Though as they continued to speak he had a sinking suspicion of where exactly they were. The girl sighed and walked out, not bothering to move as she hit Koryu's shoulder with her own. The boy grunted and rubbed his arm, grumbling as he followed her out. The door closed, and from what Fay could tell it was locked. Zima continued to smile, his shaded eyes landing on Fay.

"Have a seat."

"Could you remove these then?" Fay lifted his cuffed wrists to the man.

"Not supposed to." He said, leaning forward in his chair. Once Fay didn't move, he paused, still smiling. A wave of the hand, the cuffs clicked and fell to the floor.

"But, you said you'd go willingly, so I assume you'll go through the transport ride willingly too."

"Thank you." Fay nodded as he rubbed his wrists and made his way towards the center chair. Sitting down it felt the chill from the chair seep through his thin shirt, sending unpleasant goosebumps down his spine. Zima once again leaned back, one arm going over the back of the chair and his legs crossing lazily.

"You know what this room is, don't you?"

"I have a feeling this is where you'll take my memories?" Fay looked straight ahead, his face expressionless as the other man who looked so much like Kurogane spoke leisurely. Said man smiled wider, his hand going up to take off the shades. He opened the once hidden eyes, showing that they, like all the other people from the ship, were red.

"No. This is not that place."

"Then what is it?" Fay stole a glance at the man and winced, seeing the same shade of red eyes as well. The eyes softened slightly.

"This is where I tell you all about...." He smiled.

"Kurogane."

"He should be the one to tell me, not you or anyone else." Fay turned his face away from the man, unable to look at him. The other man stood, one hand going to his pocket with the shades.

"Now that's a problem isn't it?" He said lightly, leaning down in front of Fay. His hand went to grasp the blonde's chin, making Fay face him. He was still smiling.

"Considering Kurogane doesn't know some of these things either." Fay glared at Zima, trying to move away from the man's hold.

"I suppose I can't really stop you can I?" The blonde was curious as to why he would be told things about Kurogane even though his mind was to be erased of anything concerning his lover. Zima cocked an eyebrow.

"Hmmm... I know what you're thinking..." He said, releasing the other as he stood straight again, he gave a happy smile.

"This is a new sense of 'torture'. Even though you'll forget, we still have to punish you as you wait to be sentenced." He walked over to his chair, picking it up.

"Emotional and mental anguish then?" Fay couldn't possible think of what in Kurogane's past could cause him to suffer from it, he knew the other man had a temper and wasn't fond of others, but surely it couldn't be so bad. The other man smiled wider.

"If you want to call it that." He said briskly, tossing the chair loudly over to the corner, the clatter filling the room. He leaned up against the wall, placing his shades back on. Fay winced at the harsh sound to his ears as Zima threw the chair he had been carrying.

"Now then, shall we start?" He asked, folding his arms. The room suddenly became dark, and in the middle of the room, right in front of Fay, appeared a glowing image of Toriho. "Souhi Toriho Suwa, Youou Toriho's father, is from the planet Ginryuu. I'm sure you know of that place?"

"Yes, full of warriors, mercenaries, and the like, though I've never been." The blonde had heard stories of the planet. He looked over the image and to Zima. The man was looking at the image of Toriho.

"That man became a general, then a Chancellor on the Supreme Galactic Court. He was the one who tried to get Earth to be classified as 'Harmless' instead of 'Abandon'. The Court wouldn't allow it unless Toriho could provide knowledge of Earth to the Court, showing that it was worth the effort of trying to rebuild."

"Rebuild? We were told the planet was forgotten because it was said to be primitive." Fay was surprised to know that Kurogane had such a lineage. Zima's smile never faltered.

"It was once a very sturdy and supple trade company." The image of Toriho changed to show Earth, only it was shaped differently.

"The trade was moved, and Earth slowly lost knowledge of others among space. Toriho arrived on Earth over 300 Earth years ago. He couldn't find any evidence on removing the classification and returned empty-handed. Earth remained under the label 'Abandon'. It wasn't good enough, or how you put it, 'primitive'." Fay took the news in stride as questions bubbled in the back of his mind. He was deep in thought, if Toriho was really as old as this man said he was then Kurogane's father must have arrived on Earth not too long ago, married and had Kurogane. Did it mean that Kurogane would have such an extended lifespan? Or did the man even possess any of his father's abilities? The dark haired man blinked.

"When he came back to Earth to try again, he took a human wife. This was against the rules as far as the Court was concerned, but Toriho gave the Court technology that he had created from Earth's supplies, and they allowed him to have a wife, and at most, one child." He smiled, the image flashed to a baby Kurogane in Tsumebe's arms.

"This child was Youou."

"We were never given the option." Fay looked solemnly at the hologram, smiling sadly at the image of a newborn Kurogane. Zima's smiled turned sad as well.

"Sadly, no..." He looked back at the image, which changed to a five-year-old Kurogane.

"When the child reached the skin-shedding age, he did not molt." The man frowned.

"Meaning he hadn't developed some of the Ginryan traits that his father had. Him being half human did not sit easy with the Court, and since he was most like a human, they commanded Toriho to keep him on Earth and not let him know anything about his lineage beyond the sky."

"He didn't know until today." Fay scowled, thinking it cruel Kurogane had been viewed by the Court.

"The baby then, is only a quarter human at best...why were we told that it made things worse?" Fay wrapped his arms loosely around his stomach, protective of his unborn child. Zima looked to the blonde.

"Because he was still an Earthling, and Earth is still under 'Abandon'. Even if he's half Ginryan, a highly exalted and much respected planet of people, he's still half human too." Zima stood straight, pointing to Fay's stomach.

"Creating lineage beyond Youou... Kurogane... was never part of Toriho's deal with the Court. If Kurogane were to ever have children, Toriho would've had to kill them, in order to keep Kurogane from being arrested for breaking the treaty." Fay's eyes widened in shock at Zima's revelation.

"But I have a say in that, I'm the mother....the last of my house...an heir regardless of parentage would not be taken lightly." Zima's smiled turned to reassurance.

"Kurogane's sentence is for doing reproductive actions with you, not actually succeeding in doing so." He said, returning to lean against the wall.

"Creating more half breeds and hybrids with Earth's lineage was illegal on your part, so the sentence of the child rests with yours."

"So if I'm to be executed they won't wait for me to give birth...and if I only have my memory taken I'll still have the baby." Fay looked dejectedly down to the floor, hoping it would come to the first option.

"That is correct. The baby's fate rests in your hands." He raised an eyebrow.

"You'll get rid of it either way, you know. Why did you even try to have it?"

"We didn't know I would forget too...Kurogane wanted the baby so I....wouldn't be alone." Blue eyes closed partially at the thought of loosing their child, even after he had promised to take care of him. The officer's smile faltered, behind his shades his eyes drooped in sympathy.

"He really loved you..." He said to himself, before shaking his head.

"Anyway..." The hologram turned to Kurogane holding a broken chair, blood covering his knuckles and a boy sitting below him with his arms rose. They were both crying, one out of fear and the other out of rage.

"At age 9, Youou displayed the hostility of his father's race." Fay was stricken by the image, he had never seen Kurogane so angry....the only time he had ever come close was during the time he had caused the other man to storm out of Sorata's shop.

"Even little problems, such as another kid using his pencil without asking, would drive him mad with fury." Zima frowned deeper, the image changing to a slightly older Kurogane being held back by Tomoyo and another dark skinned girl as he yelled in fury at another child. His face had blood splattered on it.

"Eventually Toriho had to take Youou to a rural area and school him at home, up until the age of 14." He frowned at seeing the wild look in Kurogane's eyes. He knew his lover had better control of his emotions, he had seen it when Kurogane walked away from him that day. Fay could never fault him for it, knowing it was in is blood. The image changed again, showing a smirking teenager with a girl next to him.

"At age 15 he developed sexual interest. His first mate choice was named Primela. Second Kishiim." It flipped to a picture of Kurogane kissing a dark haired girl.

"Third was Sayaka. Fourth was Mirika. Fifth was Ashine. Sixth was Claudina." It showed Kurogane with the light haired girl sitting on his knee.

"At almost 18 he first had intercourse."

"I know he's been with others, there's no need to tell me again." Fay felt a ripple of jealousy echoed through his body as he watched images of Kurogane with the girls. His eyes narrowed at the feeling, knowing Kurogane loved him. Zima closed his eyes.

"There was a problem with the last one..." He said forlornly. The hologram should a picture of the Claudina girl again.

"The half breed had successfully reproduced." The officer frowned.

"Toriho made sure that her death looked like an accident."

"Did...did he know she was?" Fay frowned as he thought of what it would be like for Kurogane if he knew about the loss of their child as well. The instructor shook his head.

"All he knew was that Claudina and he had gotten into a fight. He hit her hard across the cheek and she instantly left. Toriho sensed the child and caused her to drive off a cliff." Zima sighed and leaned forward.

"Toriho was angry with Youou for having intercourse within the first month of courtship, but the child made him furious." Fay frowned, knowing more so because he knew now why Toriho had been angry when he had learned about them having sex. He could only imagine what the older man would've done had he known he was carrying a child before all of this. He shivered at the thought. Toriho was a kind man who had wanted grandchildren, Fay could only imagine what he must have went through when he killed the girl. Zima continued.

"It wasn't until the girl's family came to Youou did he know she was carrying his child." He said regrettably. The image showed Kurogane, a little younger than what he was now, sitting at the edge of a cliff with a pensive look on his face.

"He had a very brief period of suicidal thoughts." The image reverted to Kurogane hitting Sorata.

"This ended when he moved back to his original home, at the age of 18." Fay turned his gaze away from the image, his heart skipping a beat at the thought of Kurogane wanting to kill himself. He would have never thought, it made him hope Kurogane wouldn't feel the same once he was told about what could happen to himself and the baby. Zima crossed his arms.

"At age 21, he lost himself again." The hologram showed Kurogane holding up another man by the throat, who was clawing at the tan hand. Kurogane had a fist raised and a wicked smirk plastered on his face.

"Where two men tried to take advantage of his companions. One is permanently paralyzed from the hips down." Zima raised an eyebrow again.

"You picked a ruthless one, nonetheless."

"This doesn't change anything.....I still love him...and I know he can be hard to deal with sometimes, but he was never given the chance to show how sweet he can be." Fay smiled at memories of Kurogane nuzzling him after love making and Kurogane smiling proudly when he found out he would be a father. The Ginryan blinked.

"Either way, you still did something against the law." He looked back at the hologram, grimacing at the wild expression on the dark haired man's face.

"And he's still half Ginryan, meaning he's a danger to everyone he's around... including a child..."

"It doesn't matter what he was like, all that matters is what he'll become." Fay dug his nails into his legs as he fought back angry tears.

"He'll become either alone, or dead." Zima said sharply.

"If the memory wipe doesn't work for him, they're going to kill him. He was a huge problem in the first place."

"He won't be killed." The blonde would never allow that to happen. If he could help it and he was at least hopeful Toriho wouldn't allow it either. The other sighed.

"That's not in your power. Youou... what was his Earth name? Kurogane... he was a problem when he was first conceived, meaning he was on thin ice for most of his life. This problem has crossed the line, and the Court will do everything in their power to prevent anything dangerous from being created. Again."

"The baby will only be a quarter Ginryan, it won't have the same temperament as Kurogane, it still has human and Valerian blood running through its veins, it should counteract any traits the Court would deem negative." He glared at Zima, no matter how much the man resembled Kurogane.

"And don't you dare say he's dangerous or a mistake or anything else in front of me again." Fay's eyes flashed bright blue with anger. The other man raised both his eyebrows.

"...Valeria and Ginryuu were on bad terms, you knew this, correct? Having an illegal child of both worlds would bring an uproar." He stood straight and unfolded his arms.

"They wouldn't have any qualm about knowing one of their own was able to produce a child with a high ranking family." Fay frowned, even if he didn't really know the political standings his own planet had with every other, he wouldn't have cared. Zima placed a hand on the back of his head and itched some of the spiky hair.

"That would be all fine and dandy if it wasn't illegal. Ginryuu is very strict and orderly, you can't walk three feet with a stolen item without losing a hand."

"It doesn't matter to me and I'm sure if you ask Kurogane he'll say the same." Fay smiled, thinking of what exactly Kurogane would say. The officer sighed again.

"That doesn't change the fact that you're under arrest, and you still committed a high level crime. Earth has been labeled 'Abandon' for over 500 years, it won't change overnight. You have no working or living proof." He said, placing his hands in his pockets.

"What if there was? Would it change anything?" Fay wondered briefly, surely if Kurogane's father could have found something years ago, they could find something now.

"It would have to be brought to the Court's attention, and your and Youou's trial would be put on hold." Zima replied, and then he paused.

"Do you have proof?" Fay's mind raced thinking back to things Kurogane had been working on, there was Kamui and Subaru and Yuui. His eyes widened, surely the android would be proof enough.

"Yes." Zima looked suddenly alarmed.

"Are you lying?"

"No, if anything could save Kurogane, I wouldn't lie about it." Fay looked at Zima determinedly. The officer paused for a moment. He was about to say something when the hologram suddenly shut off and the room turned red.

"Warning. Warning. All personnel on deck. Prisoner escape. Warning."


	9. Our hands were separated

**Mirika-rin: **and this is when it becomes brutal. o3o hear me now, I am not merciful. sorry it took forever to upload and that it's short, this was the best break point I could find. My online courses are killing me, but I'll try to have the next one up soon!

**Ashine-chan:** This is another angsty chapter, this time centered mostly around Fai. 8D Hopefully I did an okay job on his past and that some of the minor characters I did weren't too OOC. To make up for it there's a small bit of fanservice, though that's angsty too. lol Things will get better in a few more chapters though, at least I think it'll be in a few more chapters. XD

**Mirika-rin:** XD if only you knew...

* * *

Fay's eyes widened and stood quickly.

"Is it...?" He turned to Zima worriedly, fearful of what would happen. Zima stood in a defense stance, his finger flicking to the handcuffs. They clipped themselves back on Fay as soon as the door opened. Dita came in holding her arm. Zima took off his shades, looking at the girl with wide eyes.

"Dita! What happened?!" Fay tried to pull the handcuffs off his wrists as he started to panic. He could feel his heart racing at the prospect of Kurogane having escaped. The dark haired man went to Fay and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sit down, I'll make sure nothing bad happens." He smiled warmly before going to the girl, who had just fallen in his arms. She looked up at Zima.

"Make sure... he doesn't... get out..." She said weakly. Zima held Dita in his arms, making sure she was alright before helping her to his own chair. Fay grabbed the back of Zima's shirt before the man left.

"Please, if he's like before I can help. I don't want him or anyone else to be hurt...." Fay pleaded with the Ginryan, his nerves on end as he thought of what could be happening. Zima grimaced and grabbed Fay's hand.

"I'm sorry, but you can't leave here." He said sepulchral, before making the Valerian let go. Releasing his hold, Fay's expression turned grim before he turned away from Zima.

"He won't stop until he knows I'm either safe or he finds me." Fay wanted to run and find Kurogane and try to calm him down and reassure him. Zima smiled, before looking at Dita in a secretive manner. He bent down, pretending to check the lock on Fay's handcuffs.

"I'll leave the door unlocked... go after a minute..." He whispered, glancing over to the unconscious Dita before standing.

"I'll be back in a few." Blue eyes stared in momentary shock before he smiled thankfully at the man. He watched as Zima nodded and left him alone with the sleeping Dita. His body shook from his nerves as he waited for the seconds to pass by quicker. It was only after the door closed did Fay hear Zima calling at the guards around the room, saying that he'd need help subduing the prisoner into cooperating. He heard heavy footsteps leave from around the door, and a distant rumble of something exploding.

Fay eased the door open and looked outside; it was deserted, so the alien stepped outside shutting the door behind him. He could hear distant footsteps as they ran down a hall. Carefully he eased himself along the corridor and towards the explosion he had heard earlier. His eyes scanned for any guards as he made his way further. Another rumble came across the hallway, shaking the floor and almost making Fay lose his balance. Red lights were flashing above his head, telling him that the prisoner was still at large. As he got closer, he could hear desperate yelling and harsh commands, gunfire, more yelling, and finally a booming voice that ricocheted off the walls.

"WHERE IS HE?!" Fay stumbled and caught himself against the wall, his ears rang from the fight going on ahead. He was afraid for his lover's safety at the sound of weapons being fired, though he was reassured by the familiar voice shouting over the sound. Rounding a corner he peeked around, careful not to get in the way of any weapon's path.

When he saw what he saw, he felt his heart drop to his shoe. Kurogane was standing angrily over a pile of wounded or dead soldiers, still holding one up by the throat. Among the men he could see Koryu, Kokuyo, and against the wall rested Zima, knocked out or dead, Fay couldn't tell. Kurogane's handcuffs were still on, only ripped in half, the chain dangling from his left wrist. His wounded hand was bandaged, but it was clamped tightly shut, bleeding passed the white cloth. His clothes were shredded, dangling in threads off his body. The hybrid had blood coming from his seething mouth, eyes set ablaze in anger. He twitched his hand and a crunch of the neck bones could be heard. He looked to his left to see the men shouting as they raised weapons.

"Fire!" Yelled one, and red bullets shot at him. He lifted his hand, the bullets suddenly pelted a red wall that stood between the dark haired man and the soldiers. His eyes fell back on the man he held, and he dropped him. He looked back to the men.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS HE?!"

"Kuro-sama, stop!" Fay came out from the corner as he yelled; the soldiers that had previously tried to stop Kurogane had backed away, dragging their comrades away from the room. The dark haired man snapped his vision to Fay, his eyebrows rose as he heard his lover call him. Faster than the Valerian could remember, Kurogane darted to

him, picking him up with his good hand and blocking the rain of bullets that followed. As Kurogane picked him up, Fay couldn't make sense of things, he felt tears slip past and down his cheeks before falling to the ground below. Even if he was grateful Kurogane was safe, he didn't know what would happen to them now. The half breed looked to Fay suddenly, seeing the tears from the corner of his eye.

"...Fay..." He said sadly. The hand that had held the shield moved to brush the blonde's face dry. Doing so gave the guards the perfect opportunity.

"NOW!" Kurogane's body shook as a million energy pellets crashed into his back, his face contorting with pain as he shielded Fay from any hit. Fay's eyes focused on Kurogane's face before his fingertips illuminated and created a barrier around them.

"Please....please don't die..." He croaked out as his voice began to break. He brought his other hand up to his lover's chest, a soft purple light radiating from the limb as he tried to stop the bleeding. Flashes of light bounced off his shield as soldiers fired at them relentlessly. Kurogane shivered, his eyes cracking open a bit.

"D-die? Heh.... from this?" His hand returned to Fay's cheek as he hovered over the smaller.

"Not... on your...life..." He said weakly with a stubborn smirk.

"I... I need...needed to see.. you..."

"I-Idiot, you were supposed to be good, I was trying to talk our way out of all of this...seems I can't leave Kuro-min for a minute without him trying to beat something up." Fay hiccupped as he tried to smile for Kurogane. He could slowly feel the other's blood clotting with the help of his own energy. At another time he would have wondered at the color, but it was the least of his concerns at the moment as he tried to protect them. The red eyes closed as he continued to smirk.

"You… trying to sweet... sweet talk someone into... believing us not guilty? ....h...heh.... don......don't make me....laugh...." He said his body wavering slightly. His elbows gave way and the dark haired man slumped to the side, his breath coming out hard. He looked to Fay and reached out his unwounded hand slowly.

"....F...Fay..."

"Please..." His breath hitched as his arms moved to wrap around Kurogane's shoulders, hands burying themselves in his lover's hair as tried to heal his wounds faster while trying to keep the shield around them up.

"You have to stay alive, what will Toshihiko do if he doesn't have Daddy to teach him things? What will I do? You're always saying I'm an idiot, I need someone to look after me." Kurogane didn't reply, but only breathed hard against the pale ear. His good hand slinked around Fay in a semi-tight hug. He coughed lightly, as if trying to laugh again.

"S..stupid....I... w..on...won't... di..die..." He whispered faintly. The guards by now had stopped shooting, trotting over to the victims to separate the dead from the living, and some walking over to Fay and Kurogane with guns rose.

"Please don't… he can't hurt anyone, he's too injured to move." Fay kept the barrier up, not wanting to take any chances as he buried his face against Kurogane's shoulder, tears running freely as he shook from fear.

"Sir Fay... we must put you and Youou in containment..." One of the soldiers said. He took off his helmet, showing another set of red eyes and black spiky hair. He smiled sadly.

"At least let us heal his wounds...." Kurogane closed his eyes, his hand becoming limp on the pale man's side. Fay looked up at the stranger.

"I have to be with him, unless your officers want a repeat of this." The alien wiped away his tears as he felt Kurogane leaning against him unconscious. He was relieved when he felt a pulse as his fingers wiped blood from Kurogane's mouth. The other man sighed, looking at the soldiers. He flagged them and they lowered their weapons. The soldier then turned back to Fay.

"We'll let you stay with him during his healing, but then you have to go back. By law you two have to be separated; he'll be put under special supervision." The barrier dissolved around them as the guards lowered their weapons. Fay continued to hold Kurogane as they came towards them. They automatically gripped Fay's arms and pulled him up to stand as two pulled Kurogane up. They allowed Fay to walk by near the half-human, but didn't allow contact.

It didn't take long for Fay to see in big green letters something that looked like 'Infirmary'. Fay was told to wait outside a room with a glass window so he could see Kurogane being taken care of. The blonde clutched his hands in worry as he stood outside; watching as machines were turned on and people came in to work on Kurogane. Once his lover was hooked to a blood-giving machine, they blocked Fay's view with their bodies of everything except Kurogane's face. He was still asleep. It was then Koryu came in with a bandaged arm. He smirked.

"He's gone and done it now."

"You shouldn't have separated us; you saw how he reacted back on Earth." Fay kept his gaze locked on Kurogane's face as Koryu moved to stand beside him.

"Yes, well, that was before. We hadn't expected him to break out of handcuffs and being strapped to a chair isn't really that manageable either..." His smile widened when a man wearing black suddenly came into the room with the healers, making them turn to him. He held up a paper and read inaudibly from it. The healers all flinched and looked to Kurogane. Koryu cackled.

"What is he doing?" Fay looked wide eyed as the man started reading off the contents of the letter.

"It's the charges of what just happened. Word reached the captain." He looked at Fay, a wicked smile on his face.

"Another crime's punishment is about to take place." He said that as two of the doctors went to the corner of the room and pressed three buttons.

"You can't!" Fay shoved Koryu out of the way to try and force the door open, he breathed heavily, his body tired from the stress and use of his powers. The glass window on the door allowed Fay to see a saw come down from the ceiling as they began to strap Kurogane down. Koryu held his stomach as he continued to belt out a very pleased laughter.

"The best part is; they've already used all his pain medication!" Fay's eyes glowed brightly, as he turned and pushed Koryu back, slamming the officer into the wall, before refocusing his energy on the door and window, hoping one of them would break. The window and the door vibrated with his power, but he had used too much energy earlier when forcing away the guards in front of Kurogane's home and then the shield. They remained in tact. Koryu retaliated, holding Fay's hands behind him as he pressed his arm against the Valerian's back. He rammed Fay's chest into the window and smirked.

"You can't stop it. Just watch it." He hissed vehemently and pleasurably. Fay closed his eyes as he was pressed against the glass, as he tried to struggle, his nails digging into the other man's hands as he tried to escape the hold. He heard a mechanical humming from the room and tried to refocus his energy. If he could just get his arms free he could probably try to do some written spells or at least get rid of his attacker.

It was then that he heard a choked scream. It turned muffled as something covered the mouth of the person who had yelled. Fay dared to look at what was happening. He felt his stomach churn as the saw sliced through Kurogane's shoulder, severing his arm.

"Don't touch me!" Fay snapped at Koryu, jerking his arms wildly. The officer was caught off guard by the sudden movements and his grip slipped for a brief moment. Fay took the opportunity to twist the man's wrist around in his hand before kicking him backwards.

His fingers glowed blue, spark flying from them as he began creating symbols against the door, frantically he finished the last mark and pushed his hand forward, relieved as the door caved in as if under a massive weight and flew from its hinges to the floor. Fay turned to the man dressed in black and with a flick of his wrist sent him sparing through to the room he entered in. Two of the healers turned to Fay in surprise, blocking Kurogane from his view.

"S-sir Fay! You have to wait outside!!" The screaming stopped only a few seconds after the buzzing had. Fay moved his hand once more, the machine sparking and smoke starting to pour out of it. He had wanted to crush the thing, but needed his reserve powers left intact.

He moved over slowly to Kurogane, ignoring the healer's protests. He was taken aback by seeing his lover's severed arm and the blood seeping out and onto the bed his lover lay on. The soft purple glow returned to both hands as he ran them over the shoulder, only able to ease the blood flow instead of stopping it fully. One of the two healers placed a hand on Fay's back gently. She gave the man a sad look.

"I'm sorry, Sir Fay, we had no choice. The arm will be replaced...." She explained softly, delicately removing Fay's hand from his companion's shoulder. Fay lowered his hands, now stained in the other man's blood and slid down to the floor underneath the window. Bringing his knees up, the blonde wrapped his arms around his legs, his face buried as he silently hoped for Kurogane's survival. He heard the doctors shuffle about, and a metal clinking as the healers fixed the open wound. It was a few minutes before the woman knelt next to Fay again.

"It's alright now, Sir Fay." Fay looked up and thanked the woman before he gaze feel to Kurogane, from where he sat he could only make out the other man's dark spikes. Lifting himself up, Fay moved to hover over the bed, he frowned as he saw Kurogane's bandaged shoulder, he was about to run a hand through the other man's hair to comfort him when he realized blood was still caked on them. He tried to smile, glad at least Kurogane was asleep. The woman stood by Fay.

"Would you like to clean up? Kurogane will receive his artificial limb shortly..." She asked, looking down to the severed arm that still lay out in the open. It was the one with the stab wound, his left arm.

"Yes..." Fay followed her quietly where he was led to a sink. Silently he washed his hands, making sure to scrub the blood from them. A wet hand went to his stomach feeling for the baby's aura. He smiled faintly; it was still the same as before. The male healer removed his gloves and threw them in the trash.

"We should have someone fix the door before we replace the arm." He told the other one, who nodded. She looked to Fay.

"If you could wait outside again, we'd very much appreciate it, Sir Fay." Fay nodded, not wanting to disagree with the only people who had actually helped Kurogane. Quietly he moved outside, stepping over the door to wait back outside the window, watching intently as the healers moved about. True to their word, Fay watched as they rolled in a large metal box. The two healers made sure that the door Fay had broke down was up before they continued. They opened the box, revealing a metal arm with no skin.

One of the healers looked at the other and asked him a question, and the man shook his head, lifting the arm out. He then moved in front of Fay's vision, and thankfully Kurogane wasn't awoken from this surgery like the one before. Fay waited patiently for what seemed to be far too long, in his opinion, as the healers attached the new limb. He continued to stand outside, growing anxious to go to Kurogane's side. When the healers were finished, the woman went to the door and opened it, peaking out with a small smile.

"Alright, Sir Fay, he's ready now." Fay moved quickly to Kurogane, his eyes trained on the other's chest rising and falling.

"Is he awake?"

"Yes, he awoke shortly after we finished..." She said, moving aside to allow Fay to pass her. The other doctor removed the straps holding Kurogane down, moving the bloody tools that had accumulated at the side of the bed.

"Kuro-rin?" He spoke softly and unsure of himself as he looked down at Kurogane. Red eyes opened slowly as the dark haired man turned his head slowly. He blinked languidly and lips parted.

"...Oi..." It felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as Kurogane spoke. He smiled brightly before reaching down to softly kiss his lover's forehead. Kurogane sighed heavily, wincing slightly as he looked down to his new arm.

"...Wh....What happened...?"

"What's the last thing you remember?" Lips met tan skin once more, comforting the other man. Fay was relieved for this brief moment of time with Kurogane.

"....They told...me... that you were going to get rid of...Toshihiko..." His real hand twitched before rising slowly to be placed on Fay's cheek. Kurogane looked at the blonde.

"It...it went black from there... until you called me in the hallway.... then pain...."

"Kuro-kun, we talked about this already, I could never be as cruel as that, I'll love him regardless." Fay wiped bangs from his lover's sweaty brow.

"They told you about my past?" He waited for Kurogane to answer, not wanting to tell him everything at once.

"No...." Kurogane closed his eyes, his hand falling back to lie on his chest.

"That guard guy... came in and told me a bunch.... of lies about you... that drove me up a wall...." The woman came up to Fay.

"I... I'm sorry, but we have to separate you two again...."

"Just a little longer." He spoke to her without tearing his gaze away from Kurogane.

"Zima needs to see Yuui." He was still hoping they had a chance with what the man had spoken of earlier.

"Yuui...." Kurogane's eyes opened wide, then closed in frustration.

"I... I left her at home....Dammit...." The woman tilted her head.

"You forgot something? Is it important?" The man smiled.

"Yumi and I can get it transported for you if you'd like, but you'd both have to leave now in order for anything like that to happen."

"It's an android that looks similar to me but female." Fai stopped thinking back to what the girl had said.

"Both of us leave? He's not able to move is he?" Yumi nodded.

"We'll take him to his room on this stretcher... wait, what's an android?" She asked, blinking in confusion. Kurogane looked over to them with a raised eyebrow.

"Is Earth the only planet that has stuff like that?"

"I've only ever seen one on Earth so I'm fairly certain it is." Fay smiled as he ran his fingers through Kurogane's hair. The half breed sighed and closed his eyes.

"An android is a computer.... that is shaped like a human. She's... at the same spot where we were when you guys came..." Yumi nodded and smiled.

"I'll get the coordinates as soon as I take Sir Fay to his cell." She said before going to Fay's side.

"I'm really sorry about this, Sir Fay; I know that if I was separated from my love I would not take it nearly as well as you have."

"Yes, hopefully Kuro-rin can behave long enough for me to work out a plan." He turned to his lover.

"Once Yuui's here we can start negotiating. Be good and don't start anymore fights or arguments... I'm still here and neither of us will have anything else done to us until were tried." He smiled softly at Kurogane giving the man a kiss before standing up to leave. Kurogane's real hand came up and caught Fay's arm gently, holding him for a second.

"I didn't start it." He said softly, pulling Fay down to kiss him again.

"And I'll wait... though I don't know for how long... I'll wait..." Fay smiled softly down to Kurogane, giving the man another kiss before he rose.

"We'll see each other again...so don't let anyone try to say otherwise." His finger glided over dark hair once more before he turned on his heel. Kurogane's hand slipped from Fay's as the blonde began to walk back out, ushered by the male healer. As soon as the tan hand had settled once again on the bandaged chest, the one named Yumi took hold of the head of Kurogane's stretcher and began to wheel him out, back to his chamber. Fay kept his smile as he was lead back to his room, glass crunched under his feet as he was ushered forward.

He lost sight of Kurogane as he rounded the corner, who was clutching his new arm subconsciously. The dark haired man grimaced at it, remembering only how much it had hurt to have it taken off and sewn on anew. He closed his eyes, swallowing dryly as the leftover pain rippled now and then through his shoulder.

The door opened and Fay was left on his own. The blonde moved to the seat he had been in earlier, it seemed Dita had left during all the commotion. As he sat he realized just how tired his body felt and rested his face in his hands as he thought of everything that had happened, his mind trying to process the information. Kurogane attacking, killing, bloodthirsty, and with a new arm, it was all depressing and horrifying at the same time. The only reason Kurogane was so enraged was from Fay not being there.

They had said he was strapped to a chair and handcuffed, and he had successfully gotten out of that and broken through a wall with plenty of energy left to murder over two dozen soldiers. Was there really anything keeping him from doing it again except his own free will?

Fay took deep breaths trying to calm himself, still feeling his energy slowly returning to him. He could only hope the two healers would come through and secure Yuui. It was then that the door lock was heard opening and the door slid apart from the wall slowly. The man with the shades had returned, but bandages and wraps littered his body as he smiled weakly to Fay.

"I rest my case; he's a ruthless one." Fay turned his head to the side to look at Zima out of the corner of his eye.

"It wasn't a good idea to separate us, but he knows I'm okay now." Fay was still upset about the punishment rendered by that unknown man, but knew he shouldn't take it out on the only person who seemed willing to help them. Zima smiled wider and closed the door, limping over to sit in his chair.

"Yes well, smart or not, it is the law..." He slumped down in the chair heavily, sighing.

"But... you being there was not overlooked..." He said sadly, turning his head to the side to show Fay a mechanical ear.

"They've done the same thing to me but with my ears."

"What will happen then? It's not as if I had hostile intentions." Fay was surprised at just how serious they took offenses, but said nothing. The other man just smiled plainly.

"Well... Dita wasn't successful in containment, but I took her punishment as well. We were both going to lose one ear, but I settled with both so I would match." He leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on knees.

"Nothing will happen to you though, since I told them I was ushering you to the clinic to get your baby checked out when Kurogane got loose."

"Thank you." Fay smiled, not wanting to think of how Kurogane would react if he knew they had done something to him.

"No need to thank me, Sir Fay." The other said, folding his arms.

"I'm sure if we were in opposite positions I'd have the same chance as you..." He sighed, taking off his shades.

"Now then... what was the baby's chosen name?" He asked, a curious smile playing at his lips in friendly jargon.

"Toshihiko..." Subconsciously Fay moved a hand to his stomach as he smiled fondly at the name. The officer mimicked the smile, placing a hand under his chin.

"Was it you who made that up?"

"No, Kurogane did." The blonde was lost in thought with earlier talks he and Kurogane had had about the baby.

"I see..." He heard Zima say pensively, coming slowly into silence as he too became trapped in his own mind. His smile grew as he thought of Kurogane wanting a daughter as well. He could only hope that the man of his current thoughts would live long enough to consider a second child. Said man was locked away in a separate cell behind glass. Koryu snorted in front of it.

"Geez... he looks like a true animal sitting there like that..."

"Sir, would you like me to start with the prisoner now?" Dita said as she came to stand beside Koryu. Her eyes expressionless as she saw Kurogane. Koryu paused for a moment, taking his eyes off the wounded man to look at the other officer.

"....Do so, and don't Fay again. Otherwise I'll make sure you actually serve a punishment." He warned before turning his heel. The glass became tinted and the door to the side opened, waiting for inspection from the woman. Walking inside, she took her chair that had been thrown to the ground previously and placed it near the restrained man.

"Now that you're tied up we can begin." Kurogane finally began to lift his head, the heavy chain around his neck grating against the ground slowly at their prisoner's movements. His half lidded eyes stared at the woman, not wanting to deal with more bullshit.

"...Begin what?" He asked to humor her.

"The other one has already been told your past and now it's your turn to know his, this will be another punishment." Turning to the projector beside her, the hologram came to life. A petite girl with pale blonde hair and a taller man with shaggy brown hair appeared.

"Shall we start now?" The man on his knees snorted.

"Ain't got much of a choice..." He muttered, glancing up to see the image of the couple before looking back down to the ground.

"Hide Fluorite, who later changed his name to Hideki Motosuwa, was from a noble line that lost its rank generations ago....by the time he was born his clan only held their name and nothing more."The image zoomed in on the man, before it faded away to show the girl.

"Chise Mihara, an inventor's daughter of the lower classes of Valeria. Both met under normal circumstances and produced a son. Fay Fluorite, even at a young age he showed the potential of his patriarchal house." The image dissolved to show a toddler Fay, smiling as several pots levitated off the ground. Kurogane's eyes once again traveled up to the image, staring at the small boy with slight interest. He found himself wondering if that was what Toshihiko would look like, or look similar to, when he came about.

"When he was... thirteen in earth years he had relations with a girl, no child came from the union." The image turned into a slightly older Fay, holding hands with a timid looking girl. Dita's face remained the same at the hologram.

"The girl would die less than a year later from an unrelated illness." Kurogane's eyes landed on the girl, studying her for a moment before he looked at the young Fay. He held back a smirk to see that he was happy even back then; whether or not he was with somebody else, it still was relieving to know not all his past had been bad.

"It was an unexpected event and both families were in an uproar over it." The same blonde boy was shown highly embarrassed in what could only be his bedroom shifting around awkwardly.

"They had separated the friends." The image shifted and moved to an older Fay in long robes walking hurriedly a book clutched to his chest, a worried look on his face.

"He was enrolled in the academy on his grandfather's behalf, who still held some standing in Valeria's political affairs." The half human blinked, seeing that Fay was still only a teenager.

"How old?" He asked nonchalantly, not really noticing he had said it out loud.

"...Fifteen." Dita said as she calculated the age difference. Kurogane shifted slightly, his metal arm heavier than his other. He remained silent, waiting for the girl to continue so he could zone her out sooner.

"After the incident with the girl, Fay made no attempt at friends once he entered the school and living in the dorms he was left to his own devices." A young Fay sat alone in a new room, papers spread over a simple desk as he studied.

"Instead of seeking out others he chose to go the Luval's library in his spare time." A slightly taller Fay had his nose buried in a book, looking up only a moment as laughing couple walked past him, before returning to the pages in front of man on the ground sighed softly, wondering why Fay tried to pull off this social butterfly look when in truth he really wasn't.

"He would later get to know other individuals, but no relationships came from them." The same Fay pointed to something in a book as a red headed girl nodded.

"During his first year he would also be informed of his parents' deaths along with his grandfather's, effectively making him the last of his family." Dita looked over Kurogane, she noticed the blood had stopped spreading on his bandages. Said man looked at Fay, before he looked at Dita, feeling her eyes examining him. He scowled, glowering up at her threateningly before returning his eyes to Fay. Losing his parents, and grandfather? He could see how that was depression-causing, but enough to make him leave the planet? There was more to that than this.

Fay was shown back inside the library, far away from other students as he read, losing himself in the pages, his knuckles white from gripping the book too hard.

"It would later be found out his grandfather had gone mad from a number of things, including the stain left on his family by his grandson years ago...he was a traditionalist, one who never grew accustomed to the falling of his house." The girl sighed before the hologram showed a blood splattered wall inside a small home. Two bodies laid facedown.

"His parents murder went unsolved, though rumor has it that they were killed by the grandfather in a fit of rage." The man in the room felt his eyes grow wider when he saw the blood, and found himself looking down. He felt a churn in his stomach when he remembered his own craze of anger not even two hours beforehand, and wondered fleetingly if he would ever dare do something similar. A tall brunette with long hair smiled fondly at Fay, a pale finger moved to brush a strand of the blonde's hair from his face.

"Ashura, of the Shara family... one of Fay's upperclassman. He began to try and start a courtship four years after he entered Luval Academy." The image turned to Fay blushing at Ashura as the older said something. A group of girls laughed as they passed the two. Kurogane's handcuffs clinked slightly as his hands inside them clenched. So this was Ashura.... He growled under his breath, willing to calm himself down before getting too worked up. Fay was his now, this was his past, no reason to get pissed off from his ex-partner's smug smile.

"At first it was ineffective, the boy refused to make anymore connections with others due to past experiences, but during his sixth year, after much persuasion on Ashura's part, Fay began to reciprocate and allowed the courting to become official." A blushing Fay came up, allowing himself a small smile as he was given a bouquet of flowers then shifting to Fay being led into a group of well dressed people by Ashura, his cheeks tinted pink from the attention he was receiving, but smiling and laughing all the same.

The chained man averted his gaze from the hologram, unable to bring himself to see Fay happy with someone else. Instead, he stared intently at Dita as she informed him. She stared back at Kurogane, keeping herself from saying anything in case the man decided to try and break free again.

"Though what he had thought to be...love.... turned out to be a lie. It seemed Ashura had ulterior motives for his courting...he already had a lover, but courted Fay as a sort of....trophy." She paused to gauge the other's reaction. The scowl deepened, Kurogane's brow furrowing more so as he listened. He bent his head down somewhat the chain hissing briefly as he made even the slightest movement. He made no remark, but only allowed his hatred for Ashura grow in a bottle inside him. If he ever came face to face with this guy, his face would be hanging up on Kurogane's wall as target practice.

"His motives were to make Fay his own in order to tie himself into the Fluorite clan...despite it being a fallen line they had still held important position in all aspects of Valeria's daily life and were considered influential. As an upstart Ashura wished to... gain from this." Dita's eyes skimmed the new image the hologram had created before looking away, she could feel the other's eyes on the image, but made no comment. She kept her own opinion to herself, not wanting to make any mistakes with the prisoner. Kurogane glared at the courtier, seething softly between clamped teeth before closing his eyes. Chill it, you idiot, he thought vehemently before looking at Dita, his breathing becoming harsh as anger boiled behind his strained calm façade.

The image came up of Fay lying back against a bed, his eyes wide as Ashura smiled gently at him. The taller man leaned forward whispering into the blonde's ear as a hand was placed against his thigh, causing Fay to shift away, a fearful look in his eyes as he tried to close himself away from the other's touch, clearly not ready to do such a thing. He couldn't stand it anymore. The chained man growled loudly, his body lurching forward swiftly as he sat up on his knees. The chain pulled taunt, stopping the man from going any further forward as he glared at Dita. He struggled with his hands, trying to pull loose from the handcuffs.

"If you knew this would piss me off, why the hell would you show it to me?!" He spat, one foot moving to hold him in a runner's stance.

"Turn the fucking thing off before I black out again." He demanded coldly, eyes glinting angrily.

"If you decide to cause an episode as before there will be no choice but to eliminate you and Sir Fay." She glared at him, trying to force him to calm down.

"And this is only one of your punishments, to see for yourself the other's life, to know what they have done."

"I don't want to know; the past is the past!" He snapped the chain still tight around his throat and straight until the bolt against the wall.

"I don't choose to 'cause an episode', I do it unwillingly..." He warned, hands still trying to break free.

"Unless you wish for you, your lover, and your unborn child to be executed by the Court then you will sit still and let me deal out the rest of your punishment." She spoke forcefully, her face showing her intense anger at the human. Kurogane didn't budge or waver for a moment, having a glaring contest with the Ginryan before sighing, turning his head away.

"Fine. Have it your way." He said disgruntled, falling back to his knees. Doing so released the tension in the chain, showing that one of the bolts holding it to the wall was now loose.

"It may be that Ashura wished to produce a child from their two families to further his chances at success...but it is unconfirmed." The girl paused for a moment seeing the rage building up inside Kurogane as it had before, though she was glad that the man was now trying to calm himself. The image now playing beside them showed Fay's hands against Ashura's chest as the older man kept smiling and speaking to him, as his hands glided down exposed skin.

Kurogane glowered at the hologram, wishing it would melt under his gaze. Oh yeah, that guy would suffer through excruciatingly painful torture if he ever met Kurogane. The half breed felt a wicked smile curve at his cheeks. Death would certainly take its time....

"Upon Ashura trying to coax Fay into taking their relationship further he refused and Ashura revealed that he wanted to simply use the boy." The same image as before played, showing Fay pushing the brunette away, his shirt slipping off his shoulders as he rose up from the bed. The image contorted to show Fay running from the room adjusting his clothes and securing them as he went. Making his way towards his own room to tears falling as his threw books and papers to the ground. Kurogane felt the anger being subdued somewhat by relief, glad that Fay was stronger than he sometimes looked. He relaxed a little more, his hands stopping from trying to break free as he watched his lover run.

"After a time destroying his room, Fay kept to his room for hours before moving." Her eyes flashed to the picture of papers floating to the ground as jagged marks marred the walls while Fay sat on the bed, dressed in a new set of clothes, his hands hiding his face from view. The other's death glare did not go unnoticed as Dita continued, her own eyes narrowing as she readied herself in case of another escape.

She watched as the image moved to show Fay running past students and teachers alike, out of the school and into the surrounding city.

"Ashamed and hurt, he left school grounds and ran into the city... his whereabouts were unknown, only that he came back with an earring. After securing this he ventured to a space port and with nothing on his person. There with what inheritance he had left from his family, he rented a small ship without legal papers...it is believed he bribed the port master into giving him a ship." She looked over Kurogane, ready in case the man tried to break free. Kurogane gritted his teeth visibly, but merely let his fury out in a soft hiss, knowing what she meant by bribing.

"After he left Valeria, he did not set a course for a destination....it took awhile after his absence to figure out what he had done and as such, the ship's systems were remotely shut off, causing it to crash land. Unfortunately his location was lost from doing that." The image showed uniformed people pushing buttons on a machine before it turned to Fay watching in horror as the ship's computers turned off one by one and lights flashing as it plummeted into the planet's atmosphere. The half-human let out a rugged breath.

"That's where I met him..." He said simply, looking at the hologram as his chain clinked.

"Yes." Dita didn't pay attention as the hologram shut itself off.

"You'll be under heavy watch until we arrive to take you and Sir Fay to face the Court." Kurogane slouched slightly, looking up to the woman with scorn.

"You said this before..."

"Just a reminder." She stood from her chair before turning to leave.

"Zima says that the two of you had a chance to leave fairly unharmed, but now with the incident earlier and Sir Fay's involvement, it's doubtful it will help at all." She looked over at the chained man before leaving through the door. She faced Koryu with blank eyes.

"The prisoner's punishment has been dealt with." Kurogane's grimace darkened considerably before he bowed his head and closed his eyes, looking like he had before she had entered. Koryu, who had been watching, smiled widely.

"Thank you, you actually managed to keep him bound." He said a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Yes sir." His tone didn't escape her as she nodded. She glanced back at Kurogane, feeling sympathy for the forlorn look on his face. Koryu stretched before placing his hands behind his head.

"Man, I'm hungry." He said, walking in the direction to the meal hall and leaving Dita alone. It was only briefly, for she was soon joined by Zima, who looked at Kurogane sadly.

"Sir Fay is asleep; having spent too much energy today... how's Youou?" She watched as her commanding officer left and Zima came to stand beside her.

"He is not doing nearly as well." She said as she faced the window. Zima sighed, watching as Kurogane looked up again, to the chair that the woman was sitting in before to the wall where he knew others stood. The dark haired man standing with Dita frowned more so, subconsciously placing an arm around her.

"I never realized how lucky we were to be born on the same planet, Dita..."

"Yes...you said earlier about Sir Fay mentioning something important?" She had been told briefly by Zima of his conversation with Fay before he had been punished. Her hand rose to graze the metal that now replaced his ears. Zima flinched slightly, being startled by her sudden movement. He smiled sadly and placed a hand over hers.

"It's nothing... I'd rather have this done a thousand times over than to watch them lay one hand on you..." He said, bringing her hand to his lips.

"And about Sir Fay.... He's mentioned something about a computer in the shape of a person..."

"I've never heard of a technology like that." Her eyes were trained on Zima as he kissed her hand, a small blush on her cheeks.

"Neither have I..." He looked back to the window, his hand still holding hers by his face.

"Sir Fay said... this man had made it...or rather, her ... The two healers said they were going to try and transport it, and I gave them authority to..."

"You think it can help them?" She looked back at Kurogane through the window, her brow furrowed in thought.

"Who knows?... I'm sure it can at least prevent the death sentence..." He said slowly, watching as Kurogane moved his legs so he could sit on the ground, leaning against the wall with his head pressed against its cool surface. Zima sighed again.

"It must be horrible... knowing you're getting punished just for loving someone..."

"Hopefully it will change things." She could sympathize with the two men, unable to imagine what they must be going through.

"Yes..." Zima agreed softly, his arm tightening around his own lover as he watched Kurogane lull into a painful slumber. Said man sighed gently as sleep was finally achieved, his head rolling to the side somewhat as he began rest his tired body. Though he was a light sleeper on the average, he found himself unable to stir as easily, being caught in a dream, or rather, a vision of the close past. The night before they were taken prisoner...

Fay lay on his back, his lungs burning for air as he raked nails lightly down Kurogane's back. They had already finished the rest of the house and were now in the bedroom. Faint light from outside shone through the window as Fay stared up at his lover. Kurogane panted slightly, cracking his eyes to see the one who lay below him. He couldn't help but smirk when he saw blue staring back and leaned down to kiss the wet lips once again.

The room and the two men smelt of sweat and sex as they continued what earlier was started. Blushing as he thought back to what they had been doing all day, the blonde still couldn't believe he had done some of them, as he wrapped his leg tighter around Kurogane while the other draped over a shoulder. The taller man grunted as they came to a speed very familiar to the both of them, his hand fisting the pillow next to the blonde's head. He closed his eyes again, pulling away from his lover's mouth to balance himself once more.

Blue eyes closed as Fay lost himself not only in the sensations coursing through his veins, but to everything that had happened and what tomorrow would bring for them. The blonde was overwhelmed by Kurogane, at a loss for words how the man above him could possibly do so much for him when they had known each other for such a small amount of time.

His back arched a few inches off the bed as Kurogane brushed against his prostate. He shivered and moaned loudly, thinking of the baby that might come from this and, despite his previous insecurities about the ordeal, he was calmed in knowing Kurogane would be there. Opening his eyes he saw Kurogane breathing heavily above him as he continued to move inside him. The pleasure racking through his body on top of his previous thoughts of how much this human had cared for him caused Fay to choke back a sob before it could escape, moving a hand to cover his eyes the blonde felt tears prickling the corners as the two of them moved in synch with each other.

Kurogane noticed the blonde's arm move and opened an eye, his heart almost coming to a complete stop when he saw that the other was fighting tears. The tan man stopped moving altogether, staring wide eyed down at Fay for a moment before grimacing.

"Idiot... if I was hurting you why didn't you say something!?" Raising his hand away from his eyes, Fay wrapped his arms around Kurogane pulling him closer.

"You're not hurting me." He kissed the man in reassurance. The taller man continued to frown, parting from the kiss.

"Then why... why are you crying?" He asked, raising a hand to wipe away a falling tear and caressing the sweaty cheek at the same time. The shorter averted his gaze for a second before turning back to Kurogane, a blush lighting the already heated skin of his cheeks.

"I'm happy." He offered Kurogane a real smile as another tear escaped to slide down his cheek. The other man once again gave Fay a surprised look. It softened into understanding, leaning down to deliver a soft and meaningful kiss before he pulled away slightly to talk against Fay's lips.

"I don't want any of this to end either..." Fay smiled after Kurogane broke their kiss. A hand moved to a tan cheek as Fay fought back another tear.

"...We can only wish that it doesn't and hope for the best." Fay shuddered at the feeling of Kurogane still inside him and unmoving.

"Hnn..." The human agreed, feeling the shiver of the wanting pale body. He smirked at this and decided it best to start again, returning to the slow pace of the beginning, holding his lover close all the while.

Kurogane was stirred by a hand on his shoulder shaking him lightly.

"Hey... Hey, Sir Youou... are you alright?" Red eyes looked up to see a softly worried Zima, who had knelt in front of him. The groggy mind couldn't comprehend why he was asking.

"Why the fuck would I be?" He said, only to realize Zima's hand brushing away a stream of tears that had fallen down the tan cheek. The officer grimaced, sitting down in front of Kurogane, who blushed slightly from the revelation that he had been crying in his sleep and averted his gaze. Zima stared at the chain connection to the wall.

"I don't think I could ever understand your pain... or what you've gone through or what ever else lies ahead for you and Sir Fay..." He twirled the pair of glasses in his fingers subconsciously as Kurogane returned his vision to the man.

"...You've put up with so much... you are truly a strong man... much stronger than most from either Valeria or Ginryuu..." He smiled painfully, looking at Kurogane.

"Humans certainly are astounding...."

"Sir Fay has told Zima of an 'android' that could help the two of you... it should be arriving sometime soon." Dita's eyes scanned the man down on the floor, taken a back by the fact he had been crying. Kurogane placed his scowl on, ignoring the other's surprised expression. He looked back at Zima.

"Can she really help?" The other man sighed, looking down to his folded hands.

"The 'android' you speak of is something neither Dita nor I have ever heard about... and we're both drilled in the Galaxy's technology advancements. If the 'android' is as Fay describes, then it just might..."

"There's a chance this creation of yours could cause the Court to forget about wanting to execute you and Sir Fay." Dita finished her own lover's words as she continued to watch Kurogane. Said man's expression relaxed slightly, but only momentarily.

"So they were planning on doing so anyway?" Zima smiled sadly, bowing his head.

"...Unfortunately so.... after word got to the Captain, he transmitted it to the Court, and they have placed you under Most Dangerous in the Prisoner Charts... You are either to be executed or left for dead on a remote planet..." He closed his eyes.

"We dare not say this to Sir Fay... at least not yet..."

"But if they were to see this machine of yours they would have to rethink their previous judgment and at best you would just have your memory wiped and left back on Earth as if nothing ever happened." Dita looked away from the human, not wanting to think of what would happen to him or Fay if both of them were told the news. Kurogane sighed, closing his eyes. He could feel the tear stains dried now.

"Something tells me that the idiot's going to find out one way or another..." He opened them again slowly.

"I told him it would happen anyway..." Zima frowned and looked to Dita in silence.

"When he wakes, he'll have to be informed before our arrival and with the energy he spent earlier, his baby will have to be checked as well." Dita returned Zima's gaze as she thought back to how exhausted the blonde must be and with a child draining his energy as well, she would almost say he had come out worse than Kurogane. The half breed suddenly looked alarmed, his eyes darting up to meet Dita. He didn't say anything, though behind pupils she could see a raving panic. Zima stood then, placing his shades on.

"I'm not allowed to handle his case alone anymore, so I'll need Dita to come with me." He gave Kurogane a small smile.

"I don't know who's going to take over watch with you, but I'll make sure it's someone who won't taunt you into going ballistic again."

"We'll be leaving now, to wake him...our replacements should be in shortly after." She looked up to Zima after she spoke and the officer looked back at her before sighing. He didn't turn to Kurogane until he was walking down the hall, staring through glass. Kurogane grimaced when he thought of how Fay would react and bowed his head, wiping away what was left of his physical misery against his good shoulder.

The couple walked in silence for several minutes as they thought over the two men's situation.

"Do you know how long it will take for the shipment to arrive?" She asked as they drew closer to Fay's cell. Zima ran a hand through fuzzy hair, closing his eyes with a sigh.

"I don't know... it took our transmissions a long time to reach them, I can only guess transporting a computer would take much longer..." He looked up, noticing they were standing in front of Fay's door.

"....Should we really tell him?"

"He would either be told now or at the trial." She stood slightly behind him as he hesitated at the door. Frowning Dita knew what the man was thinking, but the idea of the blonde finding out later might be more painful for him. Zima came to the same conclusion, for he bowed his head and fixed the already perfected shades, agitated with how things were before pressing his hand against the scanner to unlock the door.


	10. And then they were shackled

**Mirika-rin: **Ohohoho~ with so much freetime I can't stop working on this fucker |D this is happiness. AHEM. Here is where the plan starts to unfold, and the angst starts choking you to the point you can't stand it but have to read on to see if there's a happy ending. Don't worry, even Ashine-chan and I were begging each other to stop being so emo with the characters owo it was too much fun and we continued anyway.

**Ashine-chan:** XDDD It is addictive isn't it?~ The angst for now should be over in....a few more chapters? At least by chapter 15 or 16. ^^; But we make up for it afterwards! ///

**Mirika-rin: **-wiggles eyebrows- Why are you blushing Ashine-chan? kukuku 7w7

* * *

The sound of the door opening caused the lightly sleeping blonde to stir. Blue eyes fluttered open as footsteps echoed in the near empty room; Fay straightened up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes to wake himself fully as Zima and Dita approached. Something about their faces told the Valerian that the news they brought was not good. Zima took his seat next to Fay's roll out bed that had been brought in for him, and smiled painfully.

"Good evening, Sir Fay...."

"Good evening." Fay sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing his hair back before looking between the two in front of him in confusion. Zima sighed, looking down as he took off his shades, unable to muster the strength to keep his face calm around Fay.

"Sir Fay... We don't mean to worry you in any way... we don't intend to frighten or startle you..." He paused, glancing at the bed spread with a morose look about him.

"But…we have some... unsettling news... about Sir Youou...."

"There's nothing wrong with him is there?" Fay's hands gripped the edges of the bed tightly as he looked worriedly towards Zima. He didn't know if he'd be able to handle Kurogane being hurt any further.

"No there's...nothing wrong with him..." The man laughed softly and uneasily, placing his hands together as he looked at Dita for a moment. He sighed heavily, averting his gaze to Fay with a sad frown.

"That episode, if you will, that he had earlier... was not overlooked by Court... I'm afraid... they've decided to do something about it..."

"They've already taken his arm...what more could they want?" His grip tightened his knuckles turning white from the force. He felt guilty for not having had the strength to get to Kurogane before they could render the punishment. Zima closed his eyes.

"They've decided him as the highest class of criminal and deemed him worthy of..." Zima paused, feeling an unusual sympathy toward both the blonde and the half-human. Dita saw her lover struggling and placed a hand on his shoulder, which he accepted gratefully in silence. She looked at Fay with a curved frown.

"They've labeled him under Most Dangerous on the Criminal Charts. I'm sure you know what that means."

"I suppose there's no chance of him being taken to a prison...they'll execute him." Fay closed his eyes as tears threatened to spill again, his body was still tired from the day's events and had caused him to be more emotional because of it. The blonde's brow furrowed as he thought of any positive way out of this. The other man took a breath, to regain himself, before smiling gently.

"There is... a possibility that the 'android's' technology surpasses any of the Court's expectations. If they know that Sir Youou... what was his Earth name? If they know Sir Kurogane had made this, they might think he's got important knowledge and could help improve Valerian-Ginryan technology as well as saving his life."

"Will it arrive in time to do anything?" Fay rubbed his hand over his eyes, wiping away unshed tears as Zima gave him a bit of hope for Kurogane.

"I'm afraid it will arrive around the same time we'd get to the Court. I don't know if that would give them enough time to postpone... they might to the trial without waiting for evidence.... they are a group of such impatient fellows...." The robotic ear twitched slightly and Zima swiveled his head around, looking at the door. As Fay processed the news, he noticed the other man turn towards the door. Releasing his grip on the bed Fay moved his head, following the other's gaze.

It was then they heard a beep of the door lock, and the white door slid smoothly to open up for the person who would soon enter. In stepped the healer woman that had helped

Kurogane out earlier with a tray swiveled in behind her. She smiled.

"Good evening, Commanding Officers and Sir Fay..." she said with a bow. Zima visibly relaxed into the chair, a smile flashed back at Yumi. Fay relaxed at seeing the girl, his eyes going towards the cart pulled in behind her briefly before returning to her. Allowing a small smile, Fay nodded as he greeted her. Zima stood.

"I'm guessing you're here to check up on the infant?" Yumi nodded, closing her eyes.

"That's correct, you don't have to leave, though, I won't be long." Dita looked at her partner, who looked back before settling his now shaded vision on Yumi.

"We'll take our leave early and wait in the lobby. Send someone for us when you're finished." The nurse smiled wider.

"Yes, of course." She moved out of their way as they said goodbyes to Fay and left. Fay waved half heartedly at the couple as they left before turning his attention to Yumi and the machine she had carted in. She sighed softly as the door closed, pulling the machine over to Fay with one arm. She took her seat next to Fay and continued to smile.

"How are you feeling? Still tired?"

"Exhausted." He tired to smile for the girl in reassurance, but he failed miserably. Fay was curious as to why they had sent the girl to check on the baby even though the planned on him losing it either way.

"Oh, how sorry I am to hear that, but it's very expected. You used a lot of energy; the baby is zapping your strength." Her smile vanished suddenly, her face turning white. Her bottom lip trembled as a hand came up to rest on her cheek, all the while staring at Fay.

"I...I can't do this.... I can't do this..." She whispered.

"What...what are you talking about?" He stared worriedly at the girl as she trembled. Fay was taken a back at the sudden change in her personality as she paled. She placed her hands on Fay's, the tears welding up in her dark red, almost brown eyes.

"Sir Fay, I didn't agree to this willingly, I didn't want to do this... They t-told me that you'd be dead sooner with the baby than without and ....they wanted me to get rid of it so you wouldn't d-die before the t-trial..." She wept, tears starting to fall down her curved face.

"I-I c-can't do it..." His hands lowered instantly as he backed away from the girl. He was shocked by her words, not knowing what to think of them...he would have never thought they would try and trick him into getting rid of the baby. Though when he saw Yumi crying, he reached a hand forward to wipe her cheeks.

"Thank you for being honest, but as long as I don't try to fight anymore the baby won't be that much of a strain on my body." Fay wrapped his other arm around his stomach as the girl continued to cry. Yumi shook her head, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Th-they said I ....I have to do it.... I have to make you get rid of it..." She looked at Fay.

"If y-you don't... I don't know wh-what they'd do..." She swallowed hard, leaning over to the machine and turning it on. For a moment she looked like she was actually going to go through with it before she sprang to her feet, grabbing Fay's cheek to pull him close in order to whisper something to him.

"You h-have to have it out of your body... but that doesn't mean it h-has to d-die..." She smiled weakly before reaching under the machine's cart, pulling out a plastic container that was shaped like a kidney. Fay jerked backwards at the sudden movement, ready to fight the girl if he had to, but when she produced the odd container from the cart he hesitated.

"It will survive in this? For how long...I've never seen something like this before..." The blonde was reluctant to try and do anything that could possibly be harmful to his unborn child, especially to try something so strange to him. She shook her head.

"This is an artificial womb, created three months ago to use when a Minister's daughter was threatened by an illness..." She whispered informatively, allowing the machine to swallow up her voice before it reached the foot of Fay's bed.

"It's extremely effective, though it can only go for a week inside here due to nutrients... that's long enough for you to get an inspection from the Court and have it inserted again..." By then she had collected herself enough to stop stuttering.

"You're sure this will work?" Fay was still hesitant about the thing, his mind torn between his two options. He thought to what Kurogane would think about all this.

"How will you be able to hide the baby?" He moved his other arm to join the first around his waist. Yumi's face became serious.

"I would never do anything to harm Sir Fay, his lover, or child...." She blushed lightly and looked to the side.

"Why would I do that to my idol? I was in the same Academy before you left..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

"I will keep it with me..." She smiled all of a sudden.

"The 'android' arrived before I came here, I'll let her hold onto it while we wait to arrive."

"Kurogane will have to fix it to where she could hide it." Fay smiled before looking up at Yumi.

"I'm sorry...I didn't recognize you from before...I was a bit of a wallflower." He smiled sheepishly.

"But, if you suggest it's for the best, I'll do it." Yumi shook her head.

"Think nothing of it; I've met you now, haven't I?" She smiled wider, placing a hand on Fay's.

"I'll ask Zima to help with that, but we need to help the baby out first...." She let her smile falter slightly.

"I'm sorry... for making you go through this.... no one should have to deal with such pain... just because you love someone..." She faded off, staring sadly at the womb.

"Hopefully the Court will feel the same once we arrive..." Fay smiled sadly at the girl, grateful for her concern.

"How do I go about moving the baby?" She blinked out of her stupor, hands clenching tightly to the plastic in startled revelation.

"The baby! Right! Sorry!" She said, blushing for zoning out.

"Well, first... we... first you do the procedure as if you were to abort the infant, only I would take the embryo and fuse it with the nutrients inside this." She held up the womb.

"It would be safe from any harm, even being crushed and burned. No side effects come from being inside this, by the way. It's as if you're transferring the baby from your womb to a mother's. The only possibility that could go wrong would be for the embryo to split from the transfer and become twins, but that's only happened twice so far." She set the holder next to Fay on the bed.

"It can live up to a week inside this; as soon as you go through the scan at the Court's Moon, Edonis, I'll re-insert the child for you."

"How long will it take for us to arrive at Edonis?" Fay's hand moved subconsciously to his stomach as he listened intently to the girl's words. She shook her head.

"I'm not exactly sure, but I think it's another day or two, three tops." Yumi informed, thinking.

"They can't keep Sir Youou locked up for too long though, it would hurt his sanity.... and that wouldn't be good in the Court.... I'm guessing they're trying to make it as quick of an arrival as possible."

"Then shall we get started?" Fai smiled towards Yumi as his hands moved in front of his abdomen, fingers outstretched, as he summoned some of his restored energy. Fay concentrated as he slowly removed the orb inside him, careful to take the growing embryo with it as well. It felt strange for the blonde to see the same small ball of his own energy exiting his body just the same as it had gone in two days before. Yumi exhaled gently, staring at the beautiful purple orb. She blinked and caught herself staring, moving to press a button on the artificial womb.

It beeped gently, in a soft tune, and opened, showing the inside to be like a tissue laced with a wetness that one could assume to be nutrients. Yumi smiled and watched as the glow was attracted to the opened womb, slowly moving from Fay's hands to rest inside the fleshy tissue. The blonde watched as the orb was placed inside the incubator and closed.

"I suppose there's no way for me to tell Kurogane about this?" Fay could only guess at what his lover would do if he was told by the Court or some other stranger that Fay no longer carried the baby. Yumi shook her head, smile still present.

"Zima-san has told him about the situation, or at least he is now. I've told him that the 'android' has arrived and Zima-san was the one who came up with this idea." She smiled down at the plastic, raising it for Fay to hold before she had to hide it.

"Sir Youou has to make accommodations for your child to remain safe..."

"...This is very strange..." He contemplated the thing in his hands as he tried to wrap his mind around everything that was happening.

"But, I'm grateful for yours and Zima's help. There's no way either of us could repay you." Fay looked from the incubator to the girl that sat in front of him; he and Kurogane would owe them a lot if everything worked out, especially with the risks involved for them. Yumi smiled warmly.

"There's no need to thank us. Zima-san would do anything for Dita-san, and I for my love.... we can understand... and we want to help you two to be safe so you can be as happy as we are." She stood then, turning off the loud machine that sat behind her.

"You'll be taking him to his father now?" Fay smiled as he handed the machine to Yumi, who in turned placed in back under the cart, hidden.

"Yes, now I must take it to him." She stood straight again, looking at Fay with a quizzical gaze.

"You keep calling it 'him'... how do you know it will be a boy?"

"Kuro-tan says that boys run in his family, even though he secretly wants a girl." He laughed as the nickname slipped out and his previous thoughts of Kurogane with a little girl. Yumi giggled, placing a hand over her mouth cutely.

"O-Oh! I see! How... how cute!" She smiled, placing her hands behind her back.

"Well, whichever you two have, I hope he'll be there to help raise the child..."

"Yes...I do too." Fay smiled, glad for the change of mood as the healer walked out of the room, cart being pulled in front of her.

~Later~

Zima hesitated slightly, seeing Kurogane staring at him. He looked away and cleared his throat, blushing from awkwardness.

"...Ok... I... I guess I'll do it..." The red eyes didn't budge from Zima's face, studying him intently without a word. The officer reached over, hands going over to the taller man's neck. The door opened to reveal Yumi pulling a cart behind her. She blushed at noticing the two men in the room as the door closed behind her.

"I just finished with Sir Fay." The collar landed loudly as soon as the door snapped locked, Zima's hands retracting to rest at his sides. He smiled to Yumi, standing. Kurogane looked at Yumi, pausing before he too rose. The tan man turned to look at the pale one.

"Handcuffs too." He said gruffly, before returning his vision to the nurse.

"What happened? How is he?"

"I just extracted the embryo; he's doing fine aside from being a little tired." She pulled the cart closer to the two men as she smiled reassuringly. Kurogane narrowed his eyes a little as Zima moved behind him, key in hand.

"...Is he safe?" The dark skinned man jerked slightly with a grunt as a loud clop was heard, the bulky first piece of the handcuffs removed. Zima then placed his hand on the cuffs, twisting a knob on the side to separate the two links.

"For now he is, since the captains think the baby's been terminated." She watched as Kurogane was freed from the handcuffs as she moved the cloth over the cart to the side to reveal the incubator to both men. Zima peered out from behind the taller man and smiled in relief, clicking off the second layer of metal around the mismatched hands. Kurogane sighed, seeing the child's holder safely lying on a folded sheet. He grunted again as the third part was removed and tossed to the side. He looked back to see that there was only one part left. Zima sighed and stuck his finger in the lock hole, turning it slowly so it would register his print. It beeped, and the last part fell to the floor, it being the heaviest and making the loudest clink.

"Sir Fay said you would have to place this inside your machine to hide it properly." The girl blushed as she remembered the small tidbit the blonde man had shared with her about the baby. Securing the device in her hands she waited for Kurogane to reply. The half breed sighed as he was finally allowed to bring his hands around to the front, the metal one scraped white around the wrist while the flesh one looked like he had had a bracelet on that was too tight and then twisted until his muscle was visible. He grimaced at it, the blood dried and cracked and re-dried from him trying to break loose, before he looked back to Yumi.

"I planned to do that."

"Would you like to take him now?" Yumi asked as Kurogane examined his wrists. She would have to take a look at the injury later once they had re-hidden the incubator. Kurogane nodded, stepping forward. Zima then turned back around and collected the scraps of the handcuffs. The officer then discarded them to the side and walked over to the wall. He placed his hand against it and it revealed a secret door, showing Yuui wrapped in a plastic from transportation. He reached in and picked her up, turning to the other two in the room.

"This will protect the baby from any harm that could come to it and once Sir Fay passes the inspection we can reinsert the embryo into him." She smiled as she handed the plastic device to the taller man. The half-human held it gently, the blood from his wrist getting on it somewhat as he cradled it in one arm. He looked to Yumi before to Zima, who had set Yuui down on the ground and had begun ripping off the plastic that covered her. The officer's breath was caught in his throat when he saw Yuui's face.

"I-It... S-she...." Yumi smiled as Kurogane cradled the incubator, she turned to push the cart to the far side of the room until she heard Zima. Turning, she stared in surprise as the android's face was revealed.

"S-she looks like Sir Fay..." The girl was startled by the resemblance. Kurogane said nothing to this and knelt by Yuui, his hand deftly moving under her bangs to rest his palm against her forehead. Zima raised his eyebrows at this transaction.

"What are-"

"Be quiet. Yuui's not the brightest thing, so she'll most likely freak out when I tell her all this." Kurogane said lowly, eyes never leaving his creation whilst the womb rested safely in his metal arm. Yumi remained silent, hurriedly moving the cart out of the way before she returned to stand to the two men. She and Zima watched Kurogane check over the machine. Suddenly the girl twitched, making the officer jerk and fall back onto his behind. Yumi nearly jumped out of her skin because of it.

"A-ah?!" He squawked as Yuui stirred, and Kurogane raised his eyes to glare at the Ginryan so he would shut up. Blue eyes slowly opened to stare up blankly, and again Zima was perplexed at how much the doll looked like Fay. Yuui blinked and looked up at Kurogane. She smiled.

"Good morning, Master Kurogane." The tallest man let a faint smile graze his lips, seeing as his creation was performing ok.

"Maintenance Check, Yuui." He commanded softly, lifting her into a sitting position with his one arm. The girl sat up and softly sighed, her eyes blanking for a moment before she turned to the dark haired man.

"Status Report: 0% damage from body transfer, 0% damage from open stomach repairs. Systems running at full speed." She smiled and wrapped her arms around the raw neck.

"Thank you, Kurogane, for the repairs..." The half breed sighed.

"Oi, get off. That hurts, you idiot." Yumi and Zima both kept their gazes trained on Yuui, perplexed at the android's existence. She smiled slightly as the other girl hugged her creator; she was sure that once the Court saw this, both men would be able to be returned to their home safely. Yuui suddenly looked alarmed.

"Kurogane... Yuui can't seem to find our location... and...strangers are all over..." She let go of Kurogane obediently, but seemed she was frightened.

"W-where are we, Kurogane?" The taller man sighed.

"We're not on Earth anymore..." He held his wrist out to Yuui to show her his metal arm. She cried out, holding the hand in hers.

"What happened?! You said Kurogane was human!" Yumi wondered if she was able to talk or not as the android talked, obviously distressed by the new surroundings. Zima beside her was still silent, taking in Yuui's movements and words in amazement. The girl looked over to the other two in the room and squeaked.

"K-Kurogane!" She said in alarm, but the flesh hand came up to cover her mouth.

"Oi, keep it down. Remember what I said about going to jail?" She nodded. He removed his hand slowly and the robot looked back to Zima and Yumi.

"Friends?" Kurogane nodded and instantly Yuui smiled.

"Hello, I am Youth Under Uranium Ignition. Yuui. Nice to meet you!"

"Hello, it's nice to meet you too Yuui, I'm Yumi and this is Zima." The young healer pointed towards Zima who looked away awkwardly before he turned back and smiled at the android as he greeted her. Yuui's smile widened and she nodded her head.

"Yumi is very pretty and Zima..." She looked to said man and blinked.

"...looks like Kurogane. Is he your twin, Master?" Kurogane scowled.

"You know I'm an only child you dolt, and I said quit calling me that." The girl frowned, looking at Zima.

".... Zima is very handsome." She said softly, before looking at Kurogane.

"What did you wake me for?"

"T-thank you." Zima smiled sheepishly; still uncertain as to how he should interact with Yuui. Yumi, on the other hand, smiled at the girl's declaration as she wondered briefly where Dita was. Kurogane showed Yuui the little embryo carrier.

"This... this is my son..." He said, sternly looking at his android. She tilted her head in response, taking the plastic in her hands and looking at it.

"Yuui has recordings and programs that tells Yuui what children are.... this doesn't look like them..." She looked up.

"Is this another Yuui?" Kurogane shook his head.

"It's a holder for him. I need your help Yuui." Zima chuckled at the android as Yumi continued to smile. The healer turned to look up at the other man beside her; it seemed as if he was finally over the initial shock Yuui had produced. She just hoped that their idea worked and Yuui would be able to carry the incubator. Said android once again tilted her head.

"Yuui... doesn't understand..." Kurogane took the unborn child back, securing it in his lap and looking back at Yuui.

"You're... going to keep him safe... at least for a little while..." He explained, and the robot smiled.

"Oh! Ok! What is Yuui going to do?" Kurogane pointed to her stomach.

"I'm going to make room in there for this." She looked at the incubator and nodded.

"Ok."

"We'll have to keep her hidden until we can get the baby back to Sir Fay, hopefully it will be before she's to be inspected and after Sir Fay is." Zima said after Kurogane explained things to Yuui. He had hoped they would be lucky enough to be able to time both things right after the other. Yuui looked at him.

"....Zima sounds like Kurogane too...." she paused, then looked at her creator.

"But Yuui has wiring that would get in the way..." The human sighed.

"I know... those programs will either have to be rewired or un-optional for a brief time period." The android nodded.

"Yes, of course. Shall Yuui open her tummy?" Kurogane twitched at the childish lingo, but nodded. The other occupants of the room watched in amazement as Yuui's stomach opened to reveal wires and other components. Yumi looked on as the android seemed un-phased by its body being opened up. She actually smiled as Kurogane reached forward, pulling some of the wiring out or to the side.

"I'm going to remove your walking nerves, your feeling in the legs, and your hip and knee controls." Kurogane informed, pulling out certain wires and a big box that lay in the bottom of her stomach. She twitched slightly, whimpering.

"Legs shut down, unable to walk until reconnected." She said automatically. Zima was surprised to see so many wires and things come out of the android and it able to still function. Though, of course he had never witnessed such a thing before today so he had no idea of what to expect.

Once a space big enough to store the artificial womb was created, Kurogane gave the android the incubator, and she placed it inside her. She giggled and smiled, looking to the tanned man.

"It's warm..." The man smirked slightly and started to wrap the excess wire around his hand.

"Well, just keep it there and say nothing to hint that it's there, got it?" She nodded.

"Would you like for her to be kept in the room she came from or should we try and place her somewhere else? I don't think she'll go unnoticed if she's left where anyone could spot her." Zima said as he folded his arms across his chest. Yumi stood worried close by. The girl's stomach closed and it appeared like she was a couple months pregnant. Kurogane stood, holding the wire in his metal hand.

"Keep her where she was until we arrive, then take her to your chambers." Kurogane instructed as he picked up his doll. Yuui wrapped her arms around the sore neck, but the human didn't seem to mind that time.

"Alright then, would you like me to help her back?" Zima said offering to carry the girl back to the room.

"Sir Youou, you need your injuries looked at as well." The healer moved towards the cart securing a simple first aid kit before she turned back to the taller man who still held Yuui. The half-human seemed reluctant at first to hand over the robot, his face blank for a moment.

"Yes..." He answered to both in a mumble, his hands gripping the doll tightly. Yuui looked up to Kurogane with a confused expression.

"Does Kurogane not think Yuui will be safe?" He looked at her and shook his head.

"I know you'll be fine." He glared at Zima.

"You'd better be fine."

"We'll protect Yuui; after all she could help save not only Sir Youou and Sir Fay, but their baby as well." He smiled reassuringly to the girl. Yumi stood to the side of the others as she waited for Kurogane. Yuui smiled widely and then blinked, looking to Kurogane.

"Should I turn on standby?" Kurogane looked back at her and his frown increased.

"Hibernate. At least until you hear my voice reactivates you again." She smiled and leaned against her creator's chest.

"Ok, Kurogane." She closed her eyes and her arms went limp, sliding off from around Kurogane's neck and landing in midair dangling.

"Here, I'll take her and put her up, let Yumi check you out." Zima offered as Yumi stood by them, kit in hand. Kurogane nodded, finally handing over the girl whose belly button now flashed orange every now and then. Kurogane also handed Zima the wires and box that had been removed.

"Keep these with her." Zima nodded before he turned away and walked towards the room Yuui had come from earlier.

"Sir Youou, if you would sit..." She pointed towards a chair in the room. The hybrid agreed in silence, taking the seat. He paused and held out his wrists, and grimaced as he actually looked at them for the first time. He set the metal one back down on his knee, knowing it would not need wrapping.

"What was the point of me losing an arm?" He asked irritated.

"It's possible because of your earlier attempt to escape...the officers aren't lenient under any circumstances...to prisoners and personnel alike." Yumi spoke as she opened the kit and began to clean the wound, she grimaced at the severity of it as she dabbed disinfectant on it. Kurogane winced gently but paid it no mind.

"So they really haven't got a reason for it. Just punishment." He thought for a moment before looking at the healer.

"...When they remove things... like my arm... they don't usually use pain medication, do they?"

"No...it's supposed to be...a part of the punishment dealt out." She bit her lip as she spoke, before she gathered gauze and began to wrap it around Kurogane's wrist. The man looked ahead of him and thought again.

"They take away something of equal value to the crime, knowing the replacement isn't as good as the original." He said slowly, remembering how his left arm couldn't seem to move in the handcuffs like his real arm.

"They take away strength." He turned over this idea in his head, gradually figuring out the ways of the Ginryan race.

"Yes, we're a people who value strength over anything else." She smiled sadly as she finished wrapping Kurogane's wrist. She examined his neck before moving to add disinfectant to the wound as well. He looked at the nurse sharply.

"You know they'll wonder why you tended to my wounds." He said in a low hiss, his real hand twitching into a fist on his knee.

"They'll know I was out of shackles."

"We'll just say it was to insure you survived to make it to your trial." She smiled as she finished tending to Kurogane's wounds. She packed her supplies back into the case as she walked over to the cart to deposit it. The red eyes once again stared forward and Kurogane leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He felt the irritation of skin rubbed raw under cooling ointment on both his neck and wrist, but he kept silent.

He heard Yumi start to fix up her cart, making it look like it hadn't been used other than for what it was used for. The dark haired man looked down to his fake wrist, examining it more closely. It was like someone had taken a key and carved it around in circles on his arm. He growled at it in agitation.

"Is something wrong?" Yumi asked as she finished fixing the cart back. Zima walked back into the room looking a little tired as he did.

"No." Kurogane replied as he stood.

"You said three days would be the maximum of days traveled to get to Edonis-or-whatever, right?" Zima nodded.

"Yeah, we're actually already more than halfway there."

"Sir Fay will be taken first to be examined and once he's finished, there should be a brief window before both of you are taken to face the Court." The young healer turned to face both men as she spoke. Kurogane folded his arms.

"They're examining him for pregnancy, I assume?"

"Yes, I was told to use this..." She motioned towards the bulky machine behind her.

"…to extract the baby from him under the pretense of an examination." She frowned, thinking about what her superiors had demanded her to do. Kurogane stared at the machine.

"....He said that you had no way of removing an infant unless the parent saw it fit to."

"Sir Fay wouldn't know about something like this... it's used only under extreme circumstances." She frowned at the thought. Zima frowned as well, placing his hands in his pockets.

"I'm glad it's not used as often as it should be...." Kurogane looked at him for a moment before to his metal arm.

"...Skin." Zima glanced at the prisoner.

"Huh?" Kurogane looked up again.

"Will I get a skin covering for this?"

"It's an option, though it's more of a latex solution that's molded around it." Zima ran a hand through his spikes as he answered Kurogane. The other man continued to frown.

"...Tch. I guess if the chance of me going home came to be I would have it covered to make sure I don't remember at all..." He said walking over to where he had been chained up beforehand.

"Consider it done then if you manage to persuade the Court into letting you and Sir Fay live." Zima smiled, curious as to what Kurogane was going to do. The human turned and leaned against the wall, his arms still folded.

"Hnn..." He subconsciously glanced down to his pocket where, luckily, the discus with the nullified spell still rested. He didn't think it would work against Ginryans, considering his dad had held it, but he didn't know who would be doing the memory wipe either.

"...What if there was a device that could counter the mind wipe?"

"I've never heard of one, usually a mind wipe is permanent. Though, if you somehow managed to restore your memory after you were back on Earth, the Court wouldn't be able to do anything...they couldn't punish you again for the same crime." Zima pondered Kurogane's question, trying to think if there was such a thing. Yumi looked questioningly at the taller man from her cart. A wicked grin came about Kurogane's lips.

"...Is that so?" He closed his eyes and sighed, unfolding his arms to reach down in his pocket.

"...I have one more thing I want you to hide with my android." Zima gave him a flabbergasted look, jaw dropping slightly.

"You aren't saying you have this device, are you?" Kurogane shook his head.

"It's something someone gave me; I don't want to lose it."

"Yeah, I can place it with her." Zima smiled, shocked by the humans ingenuity. He was curious as to how all of this would play out and smirked. Yumi found herself looking between the two smirking men, confused as to why they were both smiling smugly. Kurogane pulled out the discus; it's fluorite dusting still present under his metal fingers.

"Be careful, don't let touch water." He warned, handing Zima the bottle cap sized charm.

"This is what will stop a mind wipe?" Zima held it up and examined the charm between his fingers.

"When did I say that would stop it?" Kurogane asked, placing his hand back in the pocket. Yumi smiled and looked at the charm fondly.

"It's nice that Sir Youou would want to hold onto something like that." Kurogane looked away, frowning.

"..."

"Hmm...if you say so." The officer pocketed the charm, making a mental note to place it with Yuui before he left.

"I suppose one of us should go back to Sir Fay, he probably needs something to eat..." Zima lost himself to his thoughts, knowing he'd have to inform Dita on everything before long.

"Hn. You're going to have to chain me back up before you leave." Kurogane said blandly, not liking the idea of handcuffs over already irritated flesh.

"I'll see if I can't make them a little looser, but it won't help if you try to break out again." Zima moved to gather the pieces that would go back around Kurogane's wrists. The other growled.

"Don't piss me off and I won't." His frowned deepened.

"I've already made it worse once..."

"Then ignore everyone, it makes things a lot easier for everyone and if you do anything like before again... they may give your punishment to Sir Fay." Zima said as he placed the handcuffs back around the taller man's wrists. Yumi watched them as she stood off to the side of the room near the door. Kurogane grimaced at both the thought of making Fay go through more suffering and the handcuff's tightness. He sighed, closing his eyes.

"...The sooner we get there the better." He heard the cuffs connect and the second layer attaching itself painfully, hiding his hands that were balled in fists.

"It should be soon." He sighed and noted how painful it must be for the other man to be re-cuffed. Yumi nodded absentmindedly in agreement, holding her hands to her rather large chest. She hoped silently that Kurogane's wounds wouldn't be rubbed a lot. The half-human sighed, feeling the weight of the entire cuff against his hands. He looked to the chain that would go around his neck and sat cross-legged against the wall.

"You'd better tell me the minute we arrive."

"Of course...though, I'll have to ask Sir Fay if you're always so demanding." Zima grinned, knowing the other man would be riled by his words, as he placed the metal collar around the human's neck. The human growled dangerously, but let the comment slide. Yumi smiled and opened the door and held it open so Zima could exit when she did. Kurogane watched them go, a frown set on his face. He closed his eyes and drowned out all that was around him, taking the advice of the officer by meditating.


	11. And began to march to our doom

**Mirika-rin:** Okidokie! back sooner than expected with another angst-filled chapter of kurofay~! be warned, whenever I write a story I seem to make my OC's infiltrate it and eventually try to take over. =_= they're definitely ones to do so...

**Ashine-chan:** w but we throw in kurofay sex so it makes up for it... ^__^ Finally getting closer to the trial lol and we get to introduce some news characters and a few minor things that will be really important later on. Still angsty, but probably not as much as the last few chapters have been.

* * *

Fay stirred awake, eyes blinking away sleep as he turned over on the simple cot so he could look around the bare room. A hand moved subconsciously to his stomach, he felt strange knowing he wasn't carrying a baby anymore. Fay sighed and sat up, his hand moved to brush through his hair as he thought back to yesterday's events. Yuui was now carrying the baby for the jailed couple; Zima had told him so when he came by the night before. When the blonde thought about it, he didn't even know what day it was, or how long they had travelled. Space and time was different when travelling between worlds across the galaxy, and with suns moving differently it could only guessed at how long they'd been.

He sighed and sat up, moving his legs off the side of the bed as wondered what would happen once they came face to face with the Court. And if both he and Kurogane managed to avoid being executed they would have to regain their memories. Fay frowned thinking of the plan they had, hoping it would work, after all he still had to transfer the baby back to himself once they landed.

A thought wandered into his mind. Since Yuui was carrying the child now, did she also have the charm Kurogane had? Pondering on it some more, Fay was struck by a stream of brilliance; if Yuui had the charm, even if both Fay and Kurogane had lost their memories, she could be programmed to activate the charm! But he didn't even know if Kurogane had the charm or if the android did...

The blonde could only hope that Zima or someone would come soon so he could at least ask them to ask Kurogane for him. He placed his hands on his lap, contemplating their options. If Kurogane _did_ have the charm still, at least the Valerian could give him a message to give it to Yuui. He was sure his lover was smart enough to understand what he was trying to do. What if they were separated as soon as their memories were erased? Then the spell would only be broken on Kurogane. Then again, if just having the charm had made Fay sick on Earth, it was plausible that just being near the trinket could nullify the mind wipe.

Fay frowned as he thought of all the possibilities that could arise from this. There were so many factors to plan for and consider. He stood and walked about the room, as he tried to clear his mind. It was then that a melodic beep filled the room, letting Fay know someone was coming in. When the door moved aside it revealed Zima coming in, a covered tray in his hand. He smiled and showed it to the blonde.

"Thought you'd want some breakfast."

"Thank you." Fay returned the man's smile as he realized he hadn't eaten since he had been brought abroad the ship. The officer snapped, and the floor wiggled in the middle of the room. Sharply and fast, the floor lifted and molded into a table. Zima smiled when the lithe man had given him a strange look from this.

"There are certain things that the room has; a table, a bath, a chair. These things can mold from the center of the room. It's why your chair couldn't be moved." He explained while setting the tray down.

"Are you the only able to do that?" Fay looked on as Zima placed the tray on the newly formed table. The officer shook his head.

"Ginryans can all do that on these ships. Since they're Ginryan-made, they activate to Ginryan DNA and such." Snapping again, two chairs appeared. Zima sat down and took off his glasses.

"I didn't tell you about this earlier because it was trivial to the problems you're having now..." Fay nodded in understanding.

"Have you spoken to Kurogane today?" He walked forward, taking the chair that had appeared from the floor. Zima again shook his head.

"The man was asleep when I entered last. He seemed too tired so I didn't wake him." He folded his arms.

"Though I talked to him not too long ago, maybe 7 hours, 6?"

"Did he place the incubator inside Yuui?" Fay took a fork and began sifting through the food Zima had brought him. The officer raised an eyebrow.

"I already told you yes to that." He leaned on an upturned palm while his elbow rested against the table. He reached over suddenly and placed a hand on Fay's forehead.

"You feeling okay? Physically, that is. Maybe the removal of the infant wasn't such a good idea."

"It feels as if I've not slept in days, I used more energy than I had to spare..." Fay looked down at the foreign food with a frown. He was overly exhausted, the baby being more of a drain on him than he had thought, though it could have been due to the embryo having to use his energy to grow since he hadn't eaten to provide it with any energy of its own. Zima sighed, returning his hand to rest against the table surface.

"Well, I suggest you eat and then go back to sleep. It won't do you any good arriving and appearing to the Court by falling asleep." He looked at the bed.

"When you go to bed, I'll check up on Sir Yo-....Sir Kurogane." He caught himself again trying to say the Ginryan given name for the half breed.

"I've only been awake for a few minutes, I don't know if I could go back to sleep anytime soon." Fay smiled tiredly, as he began to eat. The other sighed.

"Well, we'll be arriving shortly, so it's up to you if you want to grab more sleep or not." Zima closed his eyes.

"I unfortunately can't be there at the trial."

"You'll be staying here then or will you be doing something else?" Fay rested his cheek against his upturned hand as he ate slowly.

"Neither." He opened his eyes again and frowned.

"They won't let Koryu, Dita, or Kokuyo in either. They say it's because we've had contact with you and we have biased opinions now. The only reason Yumi and Ueda aren't being held from the trial is because they have to give medical information about the infant and Sir Kurogane's arm."

"So I take it we might not see each other again." He smiled sadly before taking another bite of whatever it was he had been eating.

"Most likely not. I'll be there to escort you to get ready for Court, but I won't be present when you're in trial." Zima's eyes landed on Fay's food, staring at what the blonde was choosing to eat.

"We've planned for everything we can think of...we just need things to work out in our favor." He sighed, his eyes moving down to the tray. Zima nodded leaning back in his chair.

"This is true..." He paused, looking up to the blonde slowly.

"...Is.... Is there anything I can do afterwards....? To help...."

"You and everyone else have done more than enough." The fork was set down as Fay smiled at the taller man, knowing he could never repay their kindness. The dark haired man found himself smiling back, but he turned his head, a mechanical ear twitching.

"Hn. Dita's here." He said, and no sooner after that the door beeped. Fay straightened a bit in his seat as the woman entered the room; he smiled to her in greeting as Zima smiled as well. Dita decided to stand next to the table, folding her arms with a frown.

"What is it?" Her lover asked, sitting up in his chair. The woman shook her head.

"Nothing big, just wanted to tell you Koryu is aggravating Sir Youou once again."

"The both of you need to hurry and keep him from trying to kill your commander." Fay tensed as he sat in his seat. He wanted to rush over to Kurogane, but knew he couldn't leave the room without inciting a punishment for it. His lips pressed into a thin line as he worried. Dita looked to the Valerian.

"It's strange; usually I would agree and force Zima to come with me... but..." She looked back to the table.

"Sir Youou is doing nothing. He's just sitting there with his eyes closed. I know he's awake and that Koryu is bothering him something fierce..." She looked at Zima and blinked, for he smiled knowingly.

"He's ignoring him like I suggested then." Fay smiled as he felt proud of his lover's self restraint, knowing how Kurogane's temper could escalate. Dita looked with raised brows to both the men.

"Is that possible? Sir Youou has a Ginryan temper, it couldn't last long." Zima stood then, picking his glasses off of the table.

"Yes, but he also has human will. There are benefits as well as downfalls to having two races for parentage."

"We have his mother to thank for it; she really is a very kind woman." He smiled fondly as he thought of Tsumebe.

"And besides, Kurogane wouldn't want to risk anything else happening when we're so close to Edonis." Zima nodded.

"Sir Kurogane might be temperamental, but he has his wits about him." He looked to Dita, who had a doubtful expression.

"But if you want, I'll go check up on Sir Kurogane." He said finally, leaning down to kiss the top of his lover's head. Fay watched as Zima left after kissing Dita, he made him wonder briefly if he'd be able to do the same with Kurogane next time they saw each other. Dita turned to Fay when the door shut and locked again. She hesitated before sitting down across from the man.

"...Have you eaten your fill?"

"Yes." Fay looked down at his half eaten food before he smiled up towards Dita. Despite needing to eat, he just didn't feel up to the task. The woman nodded and set her hands in her lap.

"....You... I don't know how you put up with it...." She said referring to Kurogane's temper.

"I've seen him being sweet as well; it balances out any of the small tantrums he throws." It brought a smile to his face as he thought of Kurogane and the side of the man few had ever really known to be there. The dark haired one raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"...I see..." She looked down to the ground.

"You realize the chances of him living are slim. There's no guarantee that the 'android' will save his life..."

"...I know, but aside from Toshihiko he's all I have left." Fay's hands clenched into loose fists on the table as he frowned.

"If it comes down to him not being able to live...I'll at least try and give him a fighting chance." He smiled; knowing that he'd rather try to fight on the slim chance Kurogane would survive the ordeal. Dita frowned deeper, looking back to Fay.

"They'd kill him after you lost your memory to prevent that. I've seen and heard it done before on greater cases in Court. They aren't as merciful as they appear." She said sadly, though her facial expression didn't change once.

"Then I can only hope he'll live regardless of everything." Smiling tragically Fay kept his gaze lowered to the table. The girl grimaced, knowing she would not be able to put up with the pain of being in Fay's circumstance. She looked to the table as well.

"...That is the only ally at this point, isn't it? Hope...."

"Yes..." Fay felt his chest constrict at the thought of loosing everything again, though he knew if he lost both his son and lover, it would devastate him. Dita kept silent, unable to think of anything comforting to say. All of the future looked grim; they might've thought of anything and planned ahead for certain things, but there could be so many other things the couple hadn't thought of. She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead.

Fay watched Dita, knowing she thought they didn't have much of a chance of surviving.

He had to agree with her, but it still didn't keep him from wishing otherwise. The woman stood then, gathering Fay's unfinished food on the tray and straightening again.

"I can assume the child being removed has left you drained. If you can..." She smiled faintly.

"If you can, please rest, you don't have to sleep. Just rest." She said as she turned on her heel.

"Thank you..." He smiled, grateful for her concern as he watched her gather the tray and head towards the door. She paused before opening it and looked back.

".....I have faith in it... you'll both be fine..." She said with a pained expression, before unlocking the door and leaving. Fay crossed his arms to lie on the table before resting his head against them. His eyes remained open as he lost himself to his thoughts wondering what would happen once they arrived.

~Elsewhere~

The chained man growled lowly to himself, cracking an eye to see Koryu lounging in the chair, eating a weird fruit in front of him. The officer smirked and reached out, holding the fruit.

"Want some? I know you haven't eaten in a while." He said tauntingly. Kurogane didn't budge, knowing the other would pull away if he attempted to take a bite. True, he was extremely hungry, but he wouldn't admit it. Koryu frowned and sat back in the chair, munching on it again.

"Meh, you're no fun today." The other just stared, ignoring the painful lurches in his stomach as he watched the fruit being consumed. The officer felt himself grow angrier the longer it was silent, until he finally sat up. Kurogane grunted as the fruit collided with his cheek the juice splattering over the side of his face and trickling down his neck. Koryu swooped down and fisted his hand in the spiky hair, making Kurogane look at him.

"You're a troublemaker, and yet here you are not making trouble! Entertain me! I can see you're angry, break free from the shackles, let me see blood fly!" He commanded, but Kurogane didn't budge. He only stared at the other's large eyes. Koryu's vision shifted from one red eye to the other, face twisting slowly as fury began to boil his blood.

"You're a prisoner! Let me see a rebellion! Let me see you give a damn!" Kurogane continued to be still, and the officer violently tossed his head away. Koryu growled at his prisoner's lack of an outburst, wanting the other to at least attempt to break free again so he would have an excuse to see him punished once more before he would have to turn the human over to the Court.

The half-human's lack of response wasn't exhilarating or anything; he just sat there and took it, the entire time! The red eyes stared vehemently at him, but the prisoner did nothing to back up that anger! Kurogane was half Ginryan; he should've at least pulled the chain taunt or spit in the officer's face. But nothing? He didn't even care that Koryu had thrown fruit in his face!

"Why won't you do anything? It couldn't possibly be because you saw that lover of yours while you were loose, could it?" The captain spoke aloud as he tried to figure out Kurogane's sudden passiveness. The other sat still, not caring that the juice was stinging his vision or that the stickiness was irritating his bandage under the collar. He simply kept his eyes locked on Koryu, silently wanting him to leave.

"Maybe I should pay him a visit instead; he was pretty feisty when I had him pinned to the window..." He gave a toothy grin as he locked gazes with Kurogane. The other growled, a soft spot being hit. He moved slightly, making the chain drag against the metal floor loudly. He didn't lurch forward though, trying to keep himself calm.

"Hit a nerve? Maybe I _should_ pay him a visit, after all he's not chained up like you are....perhaps I could get him riled up enough to put up a fight." His smile widened as his prisoner was getting angered. Kurogane smirked, closing his eyes. He didn't voice it, but he knew Fay was even less aggressive than he currently was. He relaxed a little more, the chain clanking again. Koryu frowned as his taunting caused the opposite effect. The officer thought for a few moments as he tried to think of something as his own anger rose.

"Valerians aren't too bad a race to look at; perhaps once you're dead and your little lover's mind is wiped I could get my hands on him." He knew Fay was the other man's weak point from earlier; he just had to say the right thing to provoke him.

"After all it would be a waste not to." Kurogane let a chuckle escape, the thought to him was laughable.

"You really think he'd go after the likes of you?" His eyes rose to look at Koryu.

"He wouldn't bother to look at you twice."

"Who said anything about him having a choice in the matter?" Koryu glared, silently fuming at Kurogane's smugness.

"I'd doubt he'd let something like that happen again." Kurogane replied, his smirk not leaving his face.

"A pathetic ass like you has nothing on him."

"If there are restraints able to keep you in check then there will be ones to work for him." Koryu looked down at Kurogane.

"Maybe there's even a way I could force a child of my own on him...wouldn't that be lovely?" The officer refused to let the half-breed get the better of him as he glared.

"He'd get rid of it easily. He wouldn't want to shame any other world with more sorry lives that just need to be gotten rid of anyway." He paused, and smirked again as he looked at Koryu.

"You're a disgrace; when I'm chained up you try to aggravate me, but when I'm let loose you hide someplace so you can't be harmed. He wouldn't allow another one of you to live inside him."

"That's it, it seems in order to let you know who's in charge around here, you won't stop until you're shown what will happen." Koryu produced a pair of handcuffs that possessed two small lights on either end.

"Not only will I punish that bastard, I'll chain him with these and make sure he'll not be able to move by the time the two of you arrive on Edonis." He twirled the cuffs on one finger as he locked gazes with Kurogane.

"After all I'm told he's been exceptionally weak after having the infant removed from him, and once I'm done with him he'll be fair game to anyone who wants him." The chain clattered dangerously.

"Don't you dare." Kurogane hissed out, eyes boring into Koryu's painfully with more hatred that the officer was expecting.

"I'll do more than that if you keep spouting off at the mouth." He grinned wickedly before slowly walking towards the door.

"I do hope he puts up some sort of a fight." It was then that he heard the chain swiftly rattle; Kurogane was standing. A low growl filled the other's ears, and it was like a flip of the switch for Koryu.

"Calm down now, wouldn't want to loose another arm or have that blonde of yours to be punished for it." He smiled brightly, as he tried not to show any fear from the other man's sudden change. The other's frown deepened.

"I won't loose anything before you do." He warned, fist clenching in the cuff. He remained standing, the chain scraping the floor somewhat.

"We'll see about that." Koryu laughed as he made his way towards the door, he turned to look over his shoulder back to Kurogane with a smirk on his face. The huge metal links were now straining, the half breed gritting his teeth in anger. Koryu could hear metallic scraping as the handcuffs slowly began to unravel from the tanned hands. The smirk dissolved from the other man's face as his ears picked up the screeching of the metal.

"We'll be arriving soon do you really think it'd be smart to try and break free again?" Kurogane didn't answer as the clawing against metal continued. His eyes stared vehemently at the other until a loud metal thud resonated throughout the room as the first layer was removed.

"Sir Kurogane stop!!" Came a familiar voice as the door opened. The person entering ran right into Koryu, tumbling over into the room.

"Get the hell off of me!" Koryu pushed at Zima with one hand as he growled dangerously at the lower officer. The mechanical eared one smiled and didn't move for a moment before he noticed what Koryu was holding. He picked the cuffs up, looking at them.

"What's this for?" Kurogane in the background relaxed, ignoring the pain he had caused from picking the locks from the inside.

"Their energy constrictors for the other prisoner." Koryu hissed as he glared at Zima. Said man looked back, staring sharply at Koryu.

"Sir Kurogane is already in restraints." He blinked and then sat up, holding the handcuffs tightly.

"You were planning on doing something to Sir Fay to provoke Sir Kurogane weren't you, you sick little imp?"

"I'll do whatever the hell I want!" Koryu snapped as Zima held the handcuffs in one hand. The taller man twitched from the yelling and stood.

"No, you won't; next time I catch whiff of you trying to provoke Sir Kurogane I'll report you and have you demoted." Zima smiled gently, though his eyes warned the smaller to not tempt him to just go ahead and do it. Koryu growled and stood up, pushing Zima away from him as he did.

"The captain will hear of this." Koryu said as he stomped out of the room, furious. Zima just smiled and waved as the door closed. He sighed and looked at the handcuffs, closing his eyes shortly afterward. They slowly dissolved in his grasp and the dark haired man dusted his hands together as the last of the metal vanished. He then smiled and walked over to Kurogane, who was now leaning against the wall with a glare.

"..."

"He won't be back for awhile now, so you and Sir Fay should be safe from anything he has cooked up." Zima continued to smile as he made his way over to Kurogane. The other sighed, closing his eyes. He felt like an idiot for reacting to such an empty threat. He blinked when he heard a drip echo in the room.

"What was that?" He asked looking around, shifting his hands slightly. The drip was followed by another, and then two at once. Zima frowned and moved closer to the taller man, looking down he saw what had been causing the sound.

"You're bleeding, I'll have to remove the cuffs and check your wrist." Kurogane blinked and looked over his shoulder. He hadn't realized it from the adrenaline of anger, but whilst undoing the lock on his handcuffs from the inside had tore open the tops of his flesh hand. He grunted and pulled away from the wall so Zima could free him again.

"The wrist is fine." He said, rubbing his sticky face against his shoulder once again. The man removed the layers of the handcuffs tossing them to the floor. Zima grimaced at seeing the torn flesh of Kurogane's hand.

"I'll have to get something to wrap your hand."

"It's fine..." He said vaguely, bringing up his metal fingers to wipe the leftover juice and pulp from the side of his face. He would've fisted his real hand, but the fingers stung too badly for doing so.

"Don't bother."

"You don't want Sir Fay to worry, do you?" Zima shook his head at the other. Kurogane paused and looked at the shorter man, before sticking a metal finger in between the collar and his bandages.

"What does he gotta do with anything? I'm just saying I don't need bandages for flesh wounds."

"I would think he wouldn't like seeing you injured anymore." Zima shrugged as he stepped away from the other man. Kurogane frowned, pulling his hand up to examine it a little better. It wasn't as bad as it had looked, but it certainly wasn't going to stop bleeding by staying unwrapped. He looked over to Zima to notice his ear was blinking.

"What....?"

"I'm getting someone." The taller growled, wiping his neck next.

"I ain't gunna convince you am I?"

"I'll have someone bring in a washcloth for you as well." He had noticed Kurogane wiping at his face and could only imagine what Koryu had done this time.

"Hn." The other grunted as he flicked his metallic wrist to fling away the excess fruit juice in disgust. He paused before repeating this action, his stomach protesting slightly. He glanced up at Zima quickly before looking at his fake fingers.

"O-oi... what does it take to get some food around here?"

"I should have remembered that, after all I just gave Sir Fay food as well." He smiled sheepishly at Kurogane. Said man blinked, thoroughly not amused. He lowered both hands, not wanting to be tempted to lick the liquids from either of them. He stood in silence as he waited for whoever it was to arrive to bandage him. It took only a few minutes before the door opened and the healer from before came in bringing in a small cart. He smiled and shut the door behind him. The half breed watched him carefully before looking at Zima, who walked over to the healer.

"He's hurt his hand...." He looked over to Kurogane before remembering something and looking back to Ueda.

"Oh. He also needs his neck brace undone so he can clean his neck bandages. I unfortunately must go fetch something for him, will you be alright with him alone?"

"Yes, Yumi informed me of the situation." The doctor smiled as Zima left. The healer turned and brought a table and two chairs up from the floor. Once finished he took out a medical kit and set it open on the table top.

"Does your neck injury still hurt after Yumi treated it?" Grabbing some disinfectant and bandages, the healer moved towards Kurogane. The half breed watched him hesitantly, slowly remembering who the healer was.

"...It doesn't hurt... that other officer threw fruit in my face and the juice made it irritable..." He saw the shorter man's gesture and held out his hand, allowing the other to see.

"It will have to be re-wrapped then." He said as he applied the disinfectant to Kurogane's hand. Ueda wiped away most of the blood before he turned and applied the bandage to Kurogane's hand. The taller man watched as his appendage was taken care of, the chain unmoving and silent. Kurogane grunted softly when the wrap was applied tightly to keep the blood from continuing to rush.

Ueda finished with Kurogane's hand and moved to take off the chain around the other man's neck. He quietly began unwinding the soaked bandages as the door opened and Zima came inside, a tray and cloth in hand. The officer came forward and looked at the wrap, seeing that whatever liquid that was on the tallest man's face was darker than he had originally thought. Kurogane growled slightly as his healing skin was shown to the air. Zima gently smiled when he noticed that the wounds were indeed healing and he walked over to the healer.

"A rag to wash with."

"Sir Youou would probably prefer to do that himself." The healer smiled before handing the cloth to Kurogane. Ueda turned to gather more bandages from the opened kit. The prisoner took that opportunity to clean his face and neck, promising himself mentally to somehow get revenge on the littler officer. Zima sat down at the table, folding his arms.

"Did you get word of how long we'll be here, Ueda-kun?"

"A few hours at the most." The healer secured some gauze before closing the first aid kit. He turned to Kurogane once the man had finished cleaning himself and rewrapped the neck wound. Red eyes shifted to the shaded man, staring at him.

"We'll be arriving at that place soon then?" Zima took a deep breath and let it out slowly before nodding.

"When we get there, you and Sir Fay will be taken to different holding areas. My guess is that Sir Fay will be held under arrest at the Wizard's Prison under watch from someone of the Court. You, however, might just stay under special watches."

"Sir Fay will be examined first." Ueda added as he placed the kit back onto the cart. Zima frowned smoothly.

"Yes... then there will be a break so Sir Fay can be ushered back, and then you'll be examined...." He noticed Kurogane staring at him and the man had to look down to avoid the gaze.

"...since you're a high-class criminal, they want to make sure they have the right spell to nullify any dangerous actions that you could revert to... like your temper...." Kurogane's eye twitched before he looked at the healer. Zima continued.

"I suppose the best place to transfer the infant back into Sir Fay would be as soon as he leaves.... I'll still be ushering him then..." He looked at Ueda.

"You know of the scandal, don't you? Yumi's told you, right?"

"Yes, she said he was a bit tired from the transfer and he will be once the baby's taken back. At least one of us will try to check on him if possible before he's taken to a cell." He turned to look over to both men. Zima smiled wider and he leaned forward.

"I'm sure everything will go accordingly; we've planned everything so well." Kurogane sat down at the table as well, enjoying not being chained up like a dog. He looked down at the food that Zima had brought and, too hungry to care, he began to eat whatever was visibly food. The officer looked at Ueda.

"Is the 'android' still safely away?"

"Yes, no one's discovered her, though it will have to be taken along with Sir Fay in order to give him the incubator." He glanced over briefly to see Kurogane eating before he returned his gaze back to Zima. The officer sighed, placing a hand to his chin.

"I was there when... 'Yuui' had 'her' walking controls taken out..." Kurogane looked to Zima, who looked back.

"She can't sneak out on her own... Someone will have to carry her..." He folded his arms and leaned back in the chair.

"Maybe Yumi and I could sneak her in under a cart." Ueda added as he leaned against the cart. Zima smiled suddenly.

"That seems to be how we're getting away with a lot of things of late, isn't it?" He shook his head, smile still present.

"It would be possible, but more difficult, since 'Yuui' is a lot bigger than the incubator or an aid kit." Kurogane stared at Zima for a moment, contemplating his suggestion.

"Her body bends like any other humanoid; she could curl into a ball on the cart."

"There's a lower level she could fit into, we would just put a table cloth over it." Zima sat in thought for a moment as he contemplated the idea.

"Being healers we could get past any guards with fairly easy." The officer slowly smiled, the plan becoming pleasing.

"Fine work. We'll do that then... if it Fay's, I'm sure you could try to wheel her in as one of the wounded soldiers that were harmed on Sir Kurogane's rage." He said with a smile to the now glaring Kurogane.

"Yes, that will work; I'll leave and inform Yumi." Ueda smiled after he nodded to both men.

"Sir Youou's wounds should be healed before too long as long as he doesn't worry them anymore. If there is anything else needed, don't hesitate to call one of us." The healer turned to his cart and once the door had opened, pushed it out the room. Zima kept the last sentence in mind, just in case that were to happen as he looked back to Kurogane. Said man had now finished the food, not realizing just how hungry he was until he was done. Kurogane frowned and looked at Zima.

"...I heard.... I heard that my father was supposed to be at the Court too...."

"Yes, as the Chancellor of Earth he's to try and explain why things happened as they did." Zima matched Kurogane's frown with his own as he thought of Toriho and how he would have to try and persuade the Court to let his son and lover live. Kurogane lowered his gaze.

"....He never explained any of this.... I'm assuming that was for a damn good reason..."

"He should have been able to determine Sir Fay wasn't from the planet and took appropriate measures." The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Kurogane folded his different arms.

"He didn't know that I had taken him in." The taller man closed his eyes.

"I guess this is all my fault then."

"But he knew the two of you had started a relationship." Zima smiled halfheartedly; he hadn't wanted Kurogane to blame himself for everything, after all the man had no clue about any of this. The human scoffed, standing.

"It doesn't matter now. We started things and now we're on our way to end things. The past is the only thing someone cannot change." He said as he walked over to the shackles.

"True, but now you have a chance to change things for the better, after all either one of you have a lot to lose." Zima closed his eyes and sat back in his chair as Kurogane stood from his own seat. The other man looked back, not saying anything for a moment before looking at the mostly dried blood on the floor.

"Maybe we can, maybe we can't." He sat down against the wall, not bothering to place his cuffs or neck brace on.

"You have several things going in your favor, and while the Court is critical they wouldn't punish someone undeserving of it." He glanced down at the blood, thinking it would have to be cleaned, before moving his gaze towards Kurogane. Said man nodded in agreement, though he highly doubted they would go easy on someone of his standards.

"....Oi.... I'll be fine here. You go check up on that idiot and make sure that imp hasn't bothered him."

"I'll tell him you were worried." He smiled trying to lighten the mood before he stood. The other shot a glare, but felt that if Fay knew he was thinking of him it might help with some morale. He bent a knee and set his elbow against it, cupping his chin with an upturned palm.

"Hn." Zima shook his head and chuckled as the door opened and he stepped outside. He worked his way away from Kurogane's cell, but not before telling the guards that waited on either side of the door that no one but Zima or Dita or the doctors were allowed in due to Prisoner Taunting. He strolled down the silent hallway, hands in pockets until he was in front of Fay's door.

Fay stirred when he heard the now familiar soundings of the door to his room being opened. Zima walked in, and blinked when he saw the Valerian in bed.

"Oh! I'm sorry Sir Fay! I didn't mean to have woken you."

"It seems all I've been doing is sleeping...I'm feeling much more refreshed though." Fay stretched his arms out as he sat up on the bed. The officer smiled and leaned against the still present table.

"That's good news...."

"Have you seen Kurogane yet?" Fay shifted to look at Zima as the man stood.

"Yes, I have. I just came from there actually." He replied with a soft smile.

"He's worried about you."

"I take it he didn't actually say that though." Fay smiled thinking of how Kurogane would be embarrassed to admit it to anyone. Zima continued to smile as he shook his head.

"No, but I know he is." He thought for a moment before speaking again.

"Has Koryu been in here yet?"

"No, why?" Fay was sure the officer hadn't been in the room; at least he was sure Koryu would have woken him up if he had been. The taller man sighed in relief.

"That's good. He had been bothering Sir Kurogane and threatened to come in here and mess you up in order to rile Sir Kurogane's anger up..."

"I'm sure I could at least fight him off." He smiled as he placed his hands on his lap. He knew that he would be string enough to handle Koryu as long as he wasn't caught off guard. Zima smiled wider.

"That's also good to hear. I'm sure Sir Kurogane thought the same thing, but I don't think he'd appreciate just sitting there and taking it." He said, the thought of the half breed's hand came back and he frowned.

"Is something wrong?" Fay had noticed the other man as he frowned, his thoughts immediately going to Kurogane. Zima blinked and then shook his head, smiling again.

"No, nothing's wrong..." His smile became sad.

"Sir Kurogane is just so willing to protect you..."

"He's been hurt again hasn't he?" Fay bowed his head as he hands clenched the thin cover draped over his legs.

"It's nothing serous. He hasn't lost any other limbs if you're wondering." Zima laughed halfheartedly, trying to make Fay feel better.

"It's his hand, it'll heal soon enough."

"Do you know how long it will be before we arrive?" Fay relaxed marginally at Zima's words.

"Yes, a couple of hours at most. I'll be there to escort you to your holding cell." He took off his shades then.

"We've already figured out what to do to transfer the child back to you, Sir Fay."

"That's good...it's hard to wait for something like this." He smiled sadly, not looking at the other man as he thought of what was to come.

"I'd believe that any day...." Zima said with a sigh as he folded his arms.

"Sir Kurogane.... he thinks this is all his fault.... since he took you in on Earth..."

"I was the one to push him...he didn't want anything to do with me in the beginning." Fay sighed as he thought back to him teasing Kurogane and how he had been the one to admit to anything even if the other man was the one to have initiated their first kiss. Zima smiled.

"Then you're both equally to blame." He closed his eyes.

"And once this is all over, both of you can continue things as they were."

"At least someone's optimistic." Fay chuckled lowly as he thought of Kurogane. Zima joined in the soft laughter.

"I try." He then stood straight, looking at the door.

"I... I think I heard about Sir Kurogane having a spell breaker device or something?" He looked back to Fay.

"Is this true?"

"Yes, it was able to break a spell I had cast as well as causing nausea." He smiled as he looked over to Zima from his seat on the bed. The officer placed a hand on his chin in thought.

"I see... And since you know Valerian magic is used for memory wipes you knew this material could've broken the spell? What spell did it break?"

"A transformation on my ears, I had to make them look human." He ran a hand deftly through his hair. He traced his fingers along the length of an ear. Zima watched him do so and grimaced.

"Such a small spell... are you sure the strength of that charm can break such a complex spell as a memory wipe?"

"The second time I became ill...it was after only being near it for a few seconds. If Kurogane or I had it for a prolonged time it could erase the effects of the mind wipe." Fay brought his hand back to his lap as he contemplated the charm's effects. The dark haired man nodded.

"I'll take your word for it. If it doesn't work, would there be any other way to strengthen the power of the charm?"

"I don't know, it was Toriho who gave it to Kurogane." Fay's lips drew into a thin line as he thought about what could possibly help if the charm failed. Zima squawked indignantly and withdrew his arms from folded position.

"_He _gave it to you?!" He smiled widely and raised a fist.

"Toriho, you bastard! You're such a sly dog!" He beamed at Fay.

"If he's the one who gave it to you, I _know_ he'll have more of that material if it doesn't work!" Fay was startled at the noise.

"He works with space technology..." Fay smiled as he watched the other man. The taller man nodded.

"He's the one who invented the transporter; no doubt he'll be on Edonis sooner than we will." He blinked.

"Which always made me wonder; why not use the transporter for one-by-one transportation instead of using these bulky old ships?"

"Is that what he used to show the Court in order to stay on Earth?" Fay asked as he thought of the other's question. Zima nodded.

"He created both ends of the transporter on Earth. It was a shaky invention at first, but it was enough."

"I see...do you think Yuui will be enough then?" Fay turned his gaze towards Zima as he asked.

"Oh, for sure. The closest thing we've gotten to Yuui's high class of technology is song birds and house pets. We've yet to convert that into humanoid form." He smiled.

"The fact that she could simply move so smoothly was enough, but the fact that she can interact and shows emotions is incredible."

"She'll save Kurogane, but she probably won't be enough to keep us from having our memories taken..." He smiled briefly as he thought of Yuui and how she had helped them.

The taller man frowned slightly.

"I'm afraid that sentence is set in stone, even if your trial has yet to be had."

"Then I'll just have to find a way back to Kurogane." He thought of his earlier plan of securing a ship and leaving once more.

"Since the charm is with Yuui as well as the incubator...will I be the one to have my memory restored first? Because I would suspect Kurogane would be taken back home once he was taken care of." Zima once again placed his hand on his chin.

"Actually, the baby will be transferred as soon as you're scanned when we arrive, that way it'll still be healthy for the both of you." He rubbed his brow.

"I think she'll be with you until Sir Kurogane goes home... I assume...."

"She'll be in the hands of the Court wouldn't she? If that were to happen then either I or someone else will have to hold the charm until it can be used." He hoped things would go according to plan, but with this new detail it seemed that things were getting harder. Zima sighed and looked to the ceiling.

".....I suppose the charm will be given to you when you have the incubator...." He looked back to Fay.

"..." Suddenly his face brightened.

"...Archellevon... of course!"

"Who?" Fay swung his legs over to the side of the bed as he heard Zima's exclamation. The officer leaned against the table again.

"He's from Jade. The people from there are called 'angels'. He was given the title 'angel of faith' for a reason... I'm sure he'd help us out..." He slapped his fist down on his other hand in revelation.

"I got it! The Court will put you under the watch of one of the Court members; I'll tweak the system and make sure he's the one watching over you. Then you can ask him to help."

"Do you really think he would help? It's too much of a risk to ask a member." Fay sat uneasy at Zima's plan; he didn't think there would be someone like that willing to help complete strangers. Zima smiled wider.

"Archy is wise beyond his years; you'd be surprised at just what he knows." He folded his arms again.

"If he doesn't help, I know he won't go blabbing our secrets; he's very loyal when you tell him something and if you say not to tell he won't."

"If you believe in him this much then I can't not agree to try and see if he'll help." Fay smiled, thankful for Zima's help. The officer stood straight once more.

"Good. I'll go reprogram the locations now." He said, making his way over to the door.

"Thank you... Zima." Fay looked up towards the man and smiled as he walked towards the door. The dark haired man froze in his step and looked at Fay in surprise, before his expression softened.

"You're welcome any day, Fay-san." He said before turning back and leaving. The blonde sighed and stood. A yawn escaped his lips as he stretched. He smiled to himself as he thought back to Zima's words on Kurogane. He was glad his lover was safe.

Pondering over the other prisoner brought the attention back to the latest wound received. Fay hadn't been told details about it, but it wasn't life-threatening. And then the thought about this 'angel' fellow; just who was he? How much did he 'know'? He sighed, things had gotten complicated, much more than he had ever imagined they would be.

Fay walked around the table and took a seat, leaning back as he wondered when they would leave. It was then that he felt something shift in the ship's pull. He felt a rumbling underneath his feet and the alien could see his bed rattling slightly. They were breaking through the atmosphere of the Edonis Moon.

Fay steadied himself in the chair as the ship shook with the force of landing. It didn't take too long for the rumbling to subside as he heard a faint hiss of air pressure being released by the ship. He stood; ready for whomever would come to take him.

Soon enough the door beeped and moved aside to show Koryu with a smirk and handcuffs. Standing behind him were Kokuyo and nameless guards. The smallest of them stepped forward, twirling the cuffs on his finger.

"Protocol, lovely." Fay glared, he refused to move forward for the officer, especially if he was going to try and anger him. Koryu's smile faltered when he saw that the Valerian was being stubborn and he growled. Walking forward, he moved to place the cuffs on Fay.

"I have a name and it would be wise to use it." He nodded towards Kokuyo in acknowledgement, knowing the other officer wasn't as bad as the shorter one that had walked towards him. Kokuyo nodded back before moving forward as well.

"Let me." He said simply, holding his hand out to take the handcuffs. Koryu frowned more so and looked at the Valerian.

".... Fine...." He said in aggravation and he set the metal in Kokuyo's hand. He looked at Fay and nodded again. Fay smiled, knowing it would anger Koryu as handcuffs were placed securely around his wrists. The other officer looked in infuriated surprise at Kokuyo then to Fay.

"How the hell do you get him to obey you!?" Kokuyo shrugged and turned.

"Sir Fay is of noble blood; treat him like it you twit." Koryu growled and turned on his heel as well, leading the blonde out.

"He's a prisoner; nobility ain't got nothing to do with it!" Kokuyo sighed.

"You're too young to understand."

"You'll never get anywhere with a temper like that, no matter who your prisoner is." Fay said as he was lead forward. Koryu snapped toward Fay.

"What was that!?" He shouted, but Kokuyo slammed his palm into the smaller man's face as he tried to tackle Fay.

"Stop. You'll be taken off duty if you attack the prisoner." He looked at the younger.

"You should already be taken off for both the incidents with Sir Youou." Fay's gaze turned cold as he watched Kokuyo handle the shorter man. He hadn't forgotten what Koryu had done to Kurogane and he had hoped he would be able to see the officer under different circumstances. Koryu smiled wickedly when he saw Fay's reaction to what the other officer said. He took Kokuyo's hand and leaned against him.

"But Kokuyo, he looks _just_ like you~ And you know how much I like you~ I can't _help_ but tease him~" He smiled wider, glancing back to Fay.

"And when he was chained up, I did anything I wanted...."

"You should really think of something better to say, Kurogane would have broken free again if you had tried something." Fay said as he continued to glare at Koryu. The smaller man chuckled happily.

"I have my ways of convincing." He said in a singsong voice before licking his lips.

"Did you try to convince him of the same thing when you last saw him?" Fay smiled sweetly, as he tried to ignore Koryu.

"As a matter of fact, I tried...other things... You'd be surprised what a little magic can do...." He giggled some more before Kokuyo shot him a glare.

"Why don't you just say what you did? I'm sure Kurogane would love to know what you're saying." Fay walked forward, Kokuyo beside him as he continued to smile. Koryu bit his lip through the smile and looked away.

"...Details are so overrated, if I just let your imagination wander it's so much better.... let's just say it was hard and juicy...." Kokuyo sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets. Fay grimaced, he knew better than to believe Koryu, but now he had the image stuck in his head. He shuddered.

"I doubt Kurogane would do anything with you that didn't involve him trying to kill you." Koryu just smiled and turned back around to face where they were headed. Kokuyo looked at Fay, watching him slightly. The blonde took a calming breath as he forgot about Koryu, he closed his eyes for a moment to see how much of his energy had been restored. He smiled seeing he was back to a normal level.

Kokuyo blinked when he saw the smile and then turned his head back, knowing he now had nothing to worry about from Koryu's taunting. They stopped suddenly, having arrived at the head of the ship.

"We should be greeted by one of the Court's members shortly." Fay nodded in understanding and stood straight as he waited for the Court member to appear. The platform that they were on suddenly shifted, and a mechanical humming was heard. Slowly the platform lowered, and was set on the ground of what looked like a busy airport. There stood a dark haired man who wore glasses similar to Zima's. Fay studied the man in front of them, curious if this was the one Zima had told him about before.

The man had black floppy hair that barely touched his shoulders, but one of his side locks was grown out to dangle around knee length. His ears were pointed, and two long horns extended from the top of his head. Sharp and vibrant red eyes danced about Fay's face once the glasses were removed, and he scoffed as he folded his arms. He was dressed in royal robes, or that of great importance. Kokuyo and Koryu bowed as the man stood in front of them.

"This is the prisoner Sir Fay Fluorite." Kokuyo straightened to look the man in the eye as he spoke. Fay kept silent as he studied the man. A smile spread about the pale face.

"I see..." His voice was deep, almost as deep as Kurogane's. It was clear then that this man was a Ginryan. He took a step forward and looked down at Fay.

"I am Edameonus, High Court Representative of Ginryuu. I'll be taking you to be scanned." The blonde bowed respectfully, not wanting to anger a Court member before he was even sent to trial.

"Under normal circumstances I would say it's nice to meet you Sir Edameonus, but as you can see they're not." Fay smiled as he held up his chained wrists for emphasis. He nodded to Fay, and then to Kokuyo and Koryu, who nodded back and turned back to the ship. Edameonus looked down to Fay again and smiled.

"I understand, Sir Fay, but there is no need to be happy to see me." He said simply with a snap to the guards. He moved to stand next to the blonde and placed a surprisingly gentle hand against the other's shoulder blades.

"Let us go now, shall we?"

"Of course." Fay walked forward, gently led by the Ginryan down the busy corridor. They turned down a nearly vacant hall containing several doors. The taller man sighed in frustration, obviously not liking going through procedures of getting prisoners.

"Now let's see, which one was assigned for Sir Fay?" He asked himself, looking at the alien numbers above the doors. Fay waited patiently for Edameonus to figure out where he was to be taken. He scanned their surroundings taking in the bland hallway and the few people that walked past them. The dark haired man finally snapped and pointed to the one on the far end.

"There we go!" He said triumphantly before leading Fay toward it. The Valerian smiled as he was lead into a room. It looked similar to the room he had been kept in on the ship, but cabinets lined the walls with several machines atop the counters. Edameonus closed the door behind him and sighed again, leaning on it.

"Go ahead and take that seat, Sir Fay..." Fay nodded and walked over to the seat the man had pointed to. Sitting down he waited patiently for what was to happen next. The previous smile was wiped away and Edameonus's face was now firm and serious.

"You know about what I must do, don't you? Check and see if you're healthy and... childless?"

"...Yes, I was told." Blue eyes gazed down towards the floor. He knew the baby was safely hidden, but it hadn't made giving him up any less painful for Fay. Though, it did leave him with the hope that soon he would be able to have the baby brought back to him. Suddenly he saw the shadow of Edameonus over him, but when he looked up a forceful kiss was planted against Fay's lips, a tongue inserting itself aggressively. And just as quickly as it had come, the Ginryan pulled away, spitting into a small beaker.

Fay pushed at the Ginryan as he was forcefully kissed. He glared at the man once he had pulled away, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. Edameonus smiled ashamedly before placing the beaker on a small box. Once the beaker was set, the box glowed. He turned back around and looked down.

"Sorry about that... the machine only works with my genetic code... and it has to be mingled accordingly with the prisoner's DNA.... It's a complicated process..." He explained with a faint blush.

"I didn't want to, that is..."

"You at least could have asked." Fay kept his gaze on the now glowing box, feeling a violated from the kiss. He was at least grateful Kurogane hadn't been present to see it.

"Well... Something tells me you would've said no anyway...." He frowned slightly, having a distant look about his face.

"...." He shook his head and the box beeped, showing more alien numbers. Edameonus bent down and looked at it.

"7....83...4.... Alright...."

"So does it prove I'm not carrying a child anymore?" Fay frowned, angry at what had almost happened to him for real.

"....Actually it's saying the child is still alive." He looked back at Fay with a scrunched up face.

"But... didn't they get rid of it?"

"That's impossible...I know the baby was taken, I haven't felt it." Fay's mind raced; surely it wouldn't be able to detect something in his body that knew the baby hadn't been killed. Though, he began to panic as Yumi's words from earlier echoed in his mind. Something couldn't have gone wrong and he had been left with twins. Fay stared wide eyed at Edameonus in shock. The other man grimaced with wide eyes. He sighed, feeling something hard drop to his boot. He flagged to Fay.

"Un...Unbutton your shirt then..." He said, throat becoming dry. Fay slowly unbuttoned the shirt, revealing his abdomen to the other man as he wondered what the test could possibly mean. Edameonus approached Fay, taking a leather glove off his hand. It showed that his nails were unnaturally long for a male. He grimaced again as his hand was set against Fay's stomach. It was like ice.

"Hnn.... I'm feeling for an aura, by the way... this is also procedure..." His stomach muscles tensed at the cold hand placed on his skin. He could only silently wish that the Court member would find something wrong with the machine's results. He was at least sure the other man wouldn't suspect what they had really done. Edameonus flinched before drawing back. He looked at his hand, then to Fay, then to the machine. He paused and then smiled.

"Y....You don't have anything in there.... It was a machine mix-up....." Fay sighed in relief, thankful that it hadn't been something that could cause problems for the plans, though he would have to ask Yumi, if he saw her after all this, what it could mean.

"I'm glad..." Edameonus frowned slightly, tapping the machine.

"I was afraid for a moment that there was a twin, but I'm relieved you two didn't have THAT much sex." He said lightly, as if it was an everyday conversation piece. The machine beeped again and the Ginryan looked at it.

"78....33. There we go." Fay blushed as he buttoned his shirt. He was at a loss for words at the taller man's explanation. The other wrote down what he read and smiled a toothy grin.

"Now then, for your physical health." He reached for another box.

"…all you have to do for this one is place your hand atop this box." He watched as the Ginryan grinned curious as to why exactly he was. Fay cautiously put his hand atop the machine as instructed. It glowed a light pink. He noticed Fay's curious gaze and he blinked.

"What is it?"

"I don't know if I should be worried about this thing or if you're just grinning about what you said earlier." Fay blushed a bit more before looking away from the man. The other blinked again before he too blushed.

"U-uh! This machine is harmless!! I-I was just smiling because of the turn of events!" he babbled, stepping back somewhat.

"Just as long as you don't try to take advantage of me," Fay thought back to the kiss.

"then I won't worry about the rest of the examination." He noticed how the man had seemed flustered. Edameonus froze, eyes staring at Fay. His face softened into a sad yet blank tone.

"No... I'm not like that...." He looked down.

"I... I already have interest in someone...." He sighed and smiled again.

"Now then! Let's continue!" Fay smiled as he sat still, his hand still placed atop the box. It seemed Edameonus wasn't as bad as he had previously thought. The officer clicked his tongue and the box changed from pink to green. His face scrunched up again and he bent down to look at it on the table.

"Is all my machinery screwed up? Gods.... this is saying you're a sixty-seven year old Angel. You're much older than that and you're a Valerian, right?"

"Eighty-eight, and yes, I'm Valerian." Fay wondered if it was him that had caused the machines to not work properly. Though the only thing he had thought of would be the baby and that couldn't possibly be why.

"Well then, my machines are fucked up." He said, eyebrows raised. He leaned against the counter, looking back at his scanning material.

"Guess it would be pointless to continue. I'll just tell them that you checked out fine." He shrugged.

"Otherwise they'd think I scanned the wrong person."

"Are you going to take me somewhere else now, or wait here?" Fay removed his hand. He then crossed his legs and sat back in the chair, his hands resting atop his lap as he waited.

"We'll wait here for a couple more minutes... the scanning would take a little longer than this...." His lip twitched slightly and he licked a sharp fang, looking at one of the machines.

"....Did you love him?"

"I still do..." Fay frowned and looked down to his hands, thinking of what Kurogane must be going through.

"Heh.... it's a stupid thing... love...." He said, dropping the metal with a loud clank.

"It can get you into so much trouble."

"He's worth it." Fay smiled up to the taller man, his mind drifting to Kurogane once more.

"You said before you were interested in someone, you don't have feelings for them?" The Ginryan's hand absentmindedly went to fist the cloth in front of his chest.

"So much that it hurts..." He said forlornly.

"I could never feel this way for anyone else... Not even if all sorts of spells were cast on me..."

"Then you know how I feel for Kurogane." He smiled sadly, he knew what the other man was saying.

"Oh, I have no doubt about that...." Edameonus said with a chuckle and a smile. It faded though, his eyes glassing over once again.

"Though I can't say we're suffering in the same way as you and Sir Youou...."

"No one should have to suffer for simply wanting to be with someone...or for trying to start a family with them." Fay subconsciously wrapped an arm loosely around his waist, he was anxious as to when he would be taken to another cell where Zima could bring Yuui to him.

"....Yes.... No one should..." He said before bringing his hand up to wipe his mouth. His hand stayed where it was, hiding his lips for a moment before he stood straight again and smiled.

"Well then, let's take you back to the ship!"

"Alright." Fay stood from his chair and walked towards the door, happy to finally leave. The officer allowed Fay out first then walked out himself and closed the door. He led the cuffed man back to where Zima now stood. He waved.

"Yo! Ed!" He said with a smile. Edameonus smiled back and waved curtly with his ungloved hand.

"I'm assuming you'll be going with us to the Angel?" Zima nodded.

"That I am! I'm bringing along a healer, though, if that's alright." The Ginryan raised an eyebrow the approaching Yumi who was pulling a cart.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, slightly panicked. Zima shook his head.

"No, no, nothing's wrong." He smiled sadly to Edameonus, who frowned.

"I'd tell you immediately if something was wrong." Fay listened with interest to the two men before he smiled at Yumi who stood off to the side with the cart. She winked when neither one of the men were looking, letting Fay know everything was going accordingly. It was then that Edameonus turned.

"We should go then, wouldn't want to keep another Court member waiting, would we?"

"No, it would be disrespectful." Fay smiled, happy to know everything was slowly coming into place. The horned one smiled at Fay and walked alongside of him.

"If we'd met on different circumstances I'd say I'd want to be closer to Sir Fay." Zima nodded.

"He's sincere and nice; would've been a great drinking buddy." Yumi blinked and blushed, looking down.

"Come on, you two, must you talk about such things?" Edameonus laughed airily.

"Oh, Yumi-chan, you know it to be true."

"Hmm… I've never really been out drinking before...if things had been different I think I would have enjoyed that." Fay smiled as he thought of what could have been. Zima glanced at Fay before smiling secretively.

"...Maybe things can change? Who knows?" He said softly, making Edameonus raise an eyebrow. He smiled at Zima and looked ahead.

"Things can always change. I'd be happy if they would." Yumi smiled as well, glad to know Edameonus was a friendlier than he looked.

"It makes me hopeful..." The blonde said quietly as he turned his eyes towards the ground. Seeing at least one of the members wasn't as cold hearted as he had expected brought a smile to his face thinking he and Kurogane had a chance. They arrived at what looked like an apartment building, only the entrance was as wide as the bottom floor. Edameonus entered first and then Zima held the door open for Fay and for Yumi to wheel in the cart before he too entered. Edameonus went to the ladies at the desk, who smiled up to him.

"Hello, Edameonus-sama, may we help you?"

"Yeah, Room 346, is he in?" The girl looked at her table, which glowed green. She smiled and looked back up.

"Yes, but you can't enter; you know the rules, sir." He nodded. Fay didn't speak, though he was curious as to what the girl had meant, surely two of the Court's members could see each other. They all headed to what looked like an Earth's elevator, only it didn't have walls around it.

"I'll take you to him, but I can't go in." He said with a sad smile. Zima placed a hand on the taller man's shoulder.

"We'll look after Fay-san until we're supposed to. And.... we'll give him your regards." Edameonus smiled wider before looking at Fay.

"You'll like him." Fay's eye widened as he realized that who they were about to meet must be the same person Edameonus had mentioned before. Fay smiled and bowed slightly to the taller man.

"Thank you." The horned man shook his head.

"Don't thank me. I'm just doing my duty." He said with a faint blush. Zima smiled and looked at Yumi.

"I'm assuming you'll go as soon as what is to take place takes place?"

"Yes, I'll have to head back to the ship." She returned the man's smile, hoping things would go without a hitch and Fay could be reunited with his child. Zima nodded and they arrived at the top. Edameonus led the way, stopping at the first door to appear. He hesitated before sighing, a shaky hand reaching up to gently tap the door knocker.

"We....We've arrived." He said, frowning. He reached down and turned the doorknob. The room was white and had huge windows for walls on the other three sides. In the middle of the room sat a man playing a deep blue harp that was made of energy. He stopped and looked up to Fay, showing equally blue eyes.

He smiled with thin lips and leaned back, showing his nearly white skin was draped in only a long silk cloth. His hair was the longest Fay had ever seen on a man, falling around the bunch of pillows which where he lay. He had wings too, sprawled out over the pillows as well.

"Hello Fay." He said with a smooth and light voice, and then he looked over to Edameonus, smile never faltering.

"Thank you, my secret one...." The Ginryan stared before he nodded, turning to Zima.

"He's... he's all yours now..."

"Hello." Fay bowed, flustered at the name given to Edameonus. He had no idea that such people were on the Court. The angel waved to Fay.

"Come now... no reason to be formal..." He said languidly, eyes looking back to Edameonus, who had yet to leave. Zima smiled to the one clad in dark.

"We'll take care of them both...." He said, and the other man nodded. He looked back at Archellevon before turning to leave. Yumi sighed, unhappy that they could not be together. Fay walked timidly towards the other man, not knowing what to expect. Yumi pulled the cart to the side of the room as Edameonus left. The winged one smiled at the Valerian and then looked to the other man.

"Close the door, Zima, then the transfer can go peacefully." The man was about to comply when he froze, actually, he wasn't the only one.

"How did you know?" Fay spoke suddenly. His eyes wide, fearful that their plans were known. Yumi's hands clenched tightly, around the bar across the cart, thinking the same. The angel simply smiled wider.

"I know of a lot more than you think, young one..." He let go of the harp and it vanished, showing that it was just energy.

"For example, I know of the child yet to be born and of the charm...." His eyes rose to Fay's face gently.

"...of your plans...."

"Are you going to tell the other members?" Fay bit his lip, thinking of what would happen to Kurogane and Toshihiko once word spread. The man tilted his head to the side, his eyes half lidded.

"Zima, the door, please." He said sharply, still staring at Fay. Zima finally shook from his stupor and shut the door.

"Lock it as well; we wouldn't want anyone to intrude." He did so. Fay looked forlornly to the ground, not wanting to think of how things were going to turn out.

"Fay.... you shouldn't worry about things too much...." He heard the angel say finally.

The white haired man sat up, ignoring the drape around him as it slid down his body slightly.

"No one knows that I have foresight... your secret is safe with me..." He looked to the door, to where Edameonus had stood.

"....As long as my secret is safe with you...."

"Of course." Fay smiled weakly at the man, grateful that he could be trusted. The other man smiled widely.

"Good. I'm Archellevon; I know you know me already, but it would be rude to not introduce myself." Zima walked over to Yumi and reached down, pulling the cover off of the cart and off of Yuui, who was lying curled up on the bottom of the cart.

"Fay Fluorite." Fay nodded in acknowledgement, but his eyes drifted over to the other two in room removing Yuui from her hiding place.

"Now, would you like to have Toshihiko back inside your first, or would you like explanations?" Archellevon said, looking over to the android as well.

"If you wouldn't mind, I'd like my son back." He knew he had no need to worry about the embryo being harmed while it rested inside the incubator, but he would feel relieved once the baby was back with him. The angel nodded and looked to Yumi.

"If you would." She smiled and Zima lifted Yumi out of the cart, holding her in his lap as he sat down.

"How did Sir Kurogane initiate her?" Fay moved closer to Yuui, lifting the shirt she wore, he could see the light on her stomach blinking orange.

"Hmm...I not entirely for sure..." He looked her over once, noticing her protruding stomach.

"Yuui, initiate start up." He hoped it worked; after all they couldn't wait for Kurogane to come. The doll twitched and opened her eyes sharply, hand going forward to grab Fay.

"Initiation Terminate. Identify." She said robotically, her brow furrowing and her eyes glowing. Her hand raised, fingers pointed toward Fay as she held his shirt.

"User Fay." He was a bit unnerved when the android had grabbed hold of his shirt, but knew it must have been a self defense mechanism Kurogane had installed in her. Her hand dropped automatically, and she fell forward somewhat, before leaning back up. Her eyes were wide.

"User Fay..." She looked around.

"Zima.... Yumi... where are we?" Archellevon continued to smile, keeping himself from being noticed. Yuui turned back to Fay, her lip trembling.

"W-where's Master Kurogane?"

"He's not here right now, you'll see him later..." He tried to comfort Yuui as best he could under the circumstances.

"But right now we need Toshihiko from you." The girl blinked and tilted her head.

"Toshihiko...? You mean baby-chan?" Zima smiled to himself, adoring how child-like Yuui was.

"Yes, I need to put him back inside me." Fay smiled at Yuui's words. Yumi held a hand over her mouth to suppress her giggles at the name. Yuui smiled and looked at her stomach.

"He's going from my tummy to yours! We both carried you, baby-chan!" She said happily before pressing her naval button.

"Master taught me how to do things on my own in case I didn't work right when he's not around." She said with a smile as the incubator was exposed. She reached inside and showed it to Fay.

"Here you are!" Fay continued to smile as he gingerly picked up the incubator.

"Thank you Yuui." He turned to Yumi in question.

"Do I just open it and reabsorb the energy?" Yumi shook her head.

"Press that blue button on top, the child will automatically go back to you." She explained, kneeling to join the group on the floor. Yuui smiled as her stomach closed back up, her body going back to normal. Fay pushed the button on top of the container as told. Slowly the lid rose and a familiar purple light faintly illuminated Fay's hands. As it opened fully the orb rose and moved back to Fay re-absorbing itself into his body just as Yumi had said.

The feeling of the baby being back inside him was tiring and wonderful at the same time, and all together it was warm. Yuui smiled and took the incubator. She looked it over before placing it on her head.

"A hat." Zima blinked before laughing. Archellevon smiled wider.

"Ah, Yuui, I don't think Kurogane would like seeing you with that on your head." He chided gently as he smiled warmly at her. She blinked and pouted, taking it off her head as if it was the worst thing she had ever done. She looked down.

"I'm sorry, User Fay." She blinked again and tilted her head.

"You said 'Kurogane'....Don't you mean 'Kuro-san'? Don't boyfriends call boyfriends nicknames?" She gasped.

"Is that why Master isn't here?! Did you not boyfriend anymore!?"

"No, not at all...he just wouldn't like everyone knowing that I call him that. After all you know how he gets embarrassed." He smiled at Yuui trying to fight of the own blush dusting his cheeks. She giggled and nodded fervently.

"So it's a se-cret~!" She said in a singsong voice, winking. Archellevon leaned forward, slightly amused.

"Yes." Fay chuckled at Yuui's behavior. Zima smirked as Yumi blushed, thinking about the pet name. The doll laughed again and looked to the other man, suddenly frowning.

"User Fay, stranger detected." She said, recoiling slightly into Zima's lap. The shaded man blinked and raised an eyebrow, smirk not fading.

"Yuui, that's a friend." He said. She shook her head.

"User Fay, Clarify Friend or Foe."

"Friend, there's no need to worry." He tried to reassure the girl as she looked to the long haired man behind them. Yuui relaxed and smiled.

"Good morning! I'm Youth Under Uranium Ignition!" The angel nodded.

"Charmed. I'm Archellevon." The girl smiled wider at the introduction before blinking.

"Incoming message from Kurogane." Zima blinked.

"What was that?"

"Play message Yuui." Fay didn't understand how exactly Kurogane could be sending them a message, he just wished it wasn't bad news.

"...." She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Suddenly her eyes began to water. She shifted her body slightly with her hands behind her back. The android looked to Fay and twitched slightly.

"....Oi.... idiot...." A tear fell.

"Message terminated." Zima raised an eyebrow.

"What was that all about?" Archellevon looked away, a knowing frown streaking across his face.

"It was a message to me..." Fay frowned, trying to think of something.

"Yuui, can you tell me the transmissions location?" He was startled to see the android cry, his stomach churned at what it could mean. She wiped her face and hiccup.

"M-Message location... area unknown...." She said robotically, even though her hands were still wiping away the blue liquid.

"M-Master Kurogane..." Archellevon sighed.

"It was a message from his sleep." Fay turned to the court member.

"W-what do you mean?" Zima tried to comfort Yuui as she tried to wipe her eyes. Yumi moved forward helping the man with the android.

"Sir Kurogane doesn't know it, but the material used to counter the spell on the charm was able to record; it's a very advanced material, hardly used or seen. This message was recorded when he was dreaming of you in his cell." He looked over to Zima.

"The message was terminated when Zima awoke him." The officer started.

"I-Is that when he was...?" Archellevon nodded.

"So there's no way to hear the rest of the message?" Fay frowned and drew his knees up to his chest, worried about what would happen.

"That was the message." The angel frowned.

"The only reason it played was because Yuui's body finally transferred the message from the charm hidden away in her chest to her player." He looked back to the door.

"If there would've been the rest of the message, he would've said something about never wanting it to end... I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, Fay."

"...Yes." Fay smiled sadly as he remembered that night. Now it seemed as if it had happened ages ago. He wrapped his arms tighter around his legs, comforted slightly by the energy of the baby growing inside him once more. Archellevon sighed again, looking to Yuui.

"Please tell her to rest again, she'll need to be able to work in front of the Court." Yuui tilted her head and looked at Fay, wondering what the angel was talking about.

"Yuui, go into hibernate mode." He smiled as he turned to look at Yuui. Yumi stood off to the side allowing the android room as she still sat with Zima. The android nodded, closing her eyes. She gently fell back into Zima's arms, her stomach blinking orange once again. Zima sighed and set her back on the cart, her body automatically curling into a ball on it. Archellevon leaned back onto the pillows.

"Now then."

"I'm sorry for the delay...you said you wanted to explain things." Fay un-wrapped his arms from his legs and turned to face the man. The other man shook his head.

"No delay, just taking care of things that need to be taken care of." He said with a warm smile. He then sat up, wings folding up behind him.

"Earlier you were curious as to why I have my secret. You never voiced this once, I read what you thought." He smiled secretively.

"Also you're wondering why I am choosing to turn away to what just happened."

"Yes." Fay sat attentive as Zima and Yumi did the same. He had his own guesses about Archellevon, but kept them to himself.

"I'll explain my secret one first, so it will be out of the way of any later conversations." He said, folding his hands in his lap.

"Our situation is much similar to yours; our being together is illegal."

"For the same reason's Kurogane and I can't be together?" Aside from Kurogane parentage, there had also been the tension between their home planets. Archellevon shook his head slowly.

"You see, Fay, we are members or the Great Galactic Court, High Superior positions. We are two of the ten judges who sentence people and criminals accordingly. We must have unbiased thoughts and untainted will powers. If any obstacle was in the way of our clear thinking and judgment, we'd either be removed from Court or the obstacle would."

"So in order to keep your position you can't be with the one person you love?" Fay glanced towards the ground thinking of how sad it must be to have to keep your love hidden from everyone.

"Not quite." Archellevon smiled, though Fay could tell he was extremely upset by the circumstances.

"If I was in love with an average citizen, it would be allowed.... but since he too is on the Court, it would tamper with my judgment. For example, they'd think I'd choose the same verdict as he would. And since he loves me back, it only makes things worse." He sighed and closed his eyes.

"We're not even allowed to stay in the same room unless it's a trial."

"I couldn't imagine what it must be like to not even be allowed to be close." He closed his eyes, putting himself in the other man's place. It was painful to think of only ever being able to look at your precious person and nothing more. Archellevon giggled and smiled wider.

"Yes, well, there's nothing stopping us from touching each other on the Outo Moon." He opened his eyes and the smiled faded slightly.

"I am not allowed to be pregnant though. I'm never allowed to have a child under any circumstances while under the title of High Superior of the Galactic Court." He looked to Fay.

"I envy you."

"Surely you wouldn't be on the Court for that long." He blushed faintly his hand moved to his stomach; his fingertips tingled at the sensation of the baby's energy growing slowly inside him.

"Being on the Court is a lifetime thing, Fay. The only way you can quit is if you are killed or move to a different galaxy." He frowned and closed his eyes again.

"I've tried to frame my death several times, but they always find me. I've even had a couple of children taken." He looked to Zima.

"You were there for one of them." Zima's jaw clenched in memories as he nodded.

"I...there's nothing I can say to express how tragic that is...I couldn't imagine loosing so much. You are much stronger than I could ever be." Fay met blue eyes solemnly; he knew what it had felt like when he had been told Toshihiko would be taken from him, but to have it done over and over again. He frowned at the thought. Archellevon smiled again.

"You get used to it after a while. Living forever gives you a long time to cope with things." He laced his fingers together.

"Unfortunately, the spell placed over one of us to keep the other away also prohibits us uttering the other's name, which means we cannot perform any magic spells to bring us closer. Many spells use names to have one brought to your location."

"You already know of our plans don't you?" Fay watched as Archellevon calmly laced his fingers together. He had another plan formulating in his head as he waited for the answer. The white haired man looked to Fay and smiled wider.

"Yes."

"Would the spell placed over you be broken if you were given the charm? Zima's told me that since it was given to Kurogane by Toriho that it's powerful." Surely once Kurogane and he were safe, they could find a way to send the charm to Archellevon or Edameonus. His brow furrowed in thought as he tried to think of a way around it. The other man chuckled and shook his head.

"That thought is a sweet thought, but it wouldn't work for two reasons. One, I would still be a member of the Court, and so would he, so the spell would simply be replaced. And two, it's not Valerian magic." He looked to the flowers outside his window behind him.

"Besides, we would have nowhere to run to or hide.... or to die..."

"It's cruel...the laws should be changed, it shouldn't bind people to such...sadness." Fay tightened his hands into fists. Zima behind him frowned as Yumi wiped at her eyes.

"Oh, Fay, there are just some things that must be the way they are." The angel said with a sad smile.

"I will simply kill myself in the end. Then my secret one will fall in love with my reincarnation." He smiled wider.

"I've almost got it down to where it looks like an accident." Fay was lost for words as Archellevon explained his own plans to them. He shut his eyes tightly at thinking of the other man killing himself simply to be with his lover in another life. A smooth hand rested atop Fay's clenched hands.

"Please, Fay, do not feel bad for us." Archellevon said quietly, his pale features set in a soft frown.

"There are so many people who already do; I do not want more unhappiness to fill the galaxy..."

"It makes me hopeless to think of how the two of you can't be together just because of your positions...I wonder what will happen to us." Fay couldn't help feeling saddened by the man's story, to have suffered for so long. A vague smile caressed Archellevon's face and his and moved from Fay's to the blonde's face, fingers on his cheek.

"This is why I'm doing what I'm doing; I want you two to have the happiness I could not." His hand moved to Fay's lips.

"....He kissed you...."

"Yes...he had to make sure I wasn't carrying Toshihiko...but the machines were off." Fay frowned as he thought back to the strange occurrence. Suddenly, Fay could see gold brimming Archellevon's eye as the other smiled wider.

"No... He did that because you look so much like me...." He placed his fingers against his lips as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"He remembered.... remembered that I can feel other's experiences.... gods he still kisses the same too..." The tear fell from the angel's face to land on the floor. From there it dropped, and green started to bloom, revealing a flower blossoming from the fallen tear. Fay watched amazed as the tear formed a flower. He looked up to Archellevon, not knowing what to say. The angel waved his hand.

"I-I'm sorry. I just got caught up in memory." He said as he wiped his face with a smile.

"....Anyway, let us continue answering your questions."

"I know I could never ask for you to let Kurogane live...but I would like to know if you think he has a chance of surviving this?" Fay asked hopefully, he knew how bleak it seemed for them, but he still wished for the best. Archellevon's expression returned to the smooth smile as he looked to Yuui.

"With that girl, there is no way we'd kill him, even if he is considered such a high level criminal." He smiled.

"He has knowledge too valuable to get rid of."

"Then as long as he lives I'll be happy...it's all I can really hope for." Fay smiled grateful for the news.

"Hmm... I don't know if taking his memory would be the best either." He placed his hand under his chin.

"Yuui would remember you, since we've only said to take away Kurogane's..."He smiled to Fay.

"And your plans tell me that wiping his memory would be pointless." He frowned.

"If I told the Court, they would come up with a different yet equally grave punishment."

"There's nothing I can do to stop you...but that doesn't mean I won't try to find a way around it." Fay gave the man a halfhearted smile as he tried to think of what they could do if Archellevon told the rest of the Court about their plans. The angel shook his head.

"Revealing your secret about the charm would be giving away my secret about the foresight. Court orders say I'm not allowed to have any powers that can tell the future unless I let the Court manipulate it. I'm sure you know Yuuko and Clow? They're both Court Superiors, and they both had to tell the rest of us that they could see certain things in the future." He smiled sadly.

"I'm sure they already know about us speaking, but have no idea what we're speaking about."

"Yuuko...?" Fay had heard the name Clow before in passing at the Academy but the other name had surprised him. He shook his head; it couldn't have been the same woman.

"But it is, Fay." Archellevon said, seeming to have read the blonde's thoughts.

"Yuuko is the one who gave you that earring. She was the one who knew about the transmission you and Kurogane sent out before it was even thought of by either of you." He leaned back on the pillows, looking forward again as he subconsciously fingered the daisy's petals.

"And yet she didn't tell us what had happened.... how odd..."

"But, I thought she was only a fortune teller...I would have never thought she was a Court member." The blonde thought back to the encounter, he had known she was strong by her words and the aura that had hung thick in the air of her home. Though it was a shock to learn just how powerful she really was. Archellevon smiled and looked back at Fay.

"Yes... It's quite sad though.... all the Court Superiors who can see the outcome of yours and Kurogane's fate are envious, and the ones who can't assume they should feel the same. You see, I and my secret one are not the only ones on the Court who are in love." He smiled.

"As a matter of fact, we're all in love."

"If the Court shares the same feelings then why not change the laws?" Fay frowned thinking of what a terrible thing it meant to hold such strength. The angel laughed airily.

"We can't change what is set in stone. We can break the stone, melt it, wash it away, but what was once written there was still once written there. Just because our generation of Court Superiors have fallen in love with each other doesn't mean that the next will." He looked back to the door.

"And if I always fail in suicide, I will be there to govern over all the new ones so they don't suffer the same fate as I."

"When do Kurogane and I face the Court?" Fay said softly as he took in the man's words.

Archellevon smiled, relieved to have a subject change.

"Tomorrow, if everything goes smoothly. But, if you bring Yuui to our attention today, we'll have to postpone it until a later date." The angel then took that moment to stand, not bothering to catch the silk that fell from his body. It wouldn't have mattered though; he had nothing to cover, he was like Yuui, only flesh. Fay blushed as Archellevon's body was shown to them.

"I suppose we'll wait until the trial tomorrow to bring her." The other smiled down at Fay, not seeming to mind the blonde's blushing face, nor Zima's or Yumi's. He held out a long-fingered hand to Fay.

"Please, if you'll walk with me." He looked to Zima.

"Would you mind escorting Yumi to the ship again? I'd like to talk with my guest." He said, smiling never wavering as he looked at the Valerian.

"Of course." Fay took the offered hand and stood, only turning his head to look briefly to Zima and Yumi as they left. The angel didn't look twice and didn't let go of the blonde's hand. He listened for the closing of the door before he actually started walking, his wings folded against his back.

"I want to show you something." He said before scooping up the flower that was in the middle of the room, making his way to the glass windows. Fay watched as the man took the flower in his free hand before he was lead towards the window. Archellevon touched the glass and the window swung open slowly, revealing that they were on the top of the building. Across the small roof showed a well built garden of all sorts of flowers. The angel smiled at the dancing colors.

"Beautiful isn't it?"

"Yes...it is." Fay looked on as the scent of flowers invaded his senses. It truly was something to look at and Fay found his cheeks heated at the other man's hand still holding his own. Archellevon noticed this and let go, his hand joining the other in holding the red blossom. He walked forward and set it next to an identical patch of the same flowers.

"It's wonderful in a way... This way, we have children." He said with a wide smile, his eyes narrowing as if he had just said the meaning of life.

"Since all these flowers came from us both..."

"They're lovely." Fay smiled as he watched Archellevon plant the flower with the others. He took in the entirety of the garden, seeing just how expansive it really was.

"Well, this is the third generation." The white haired one said with a sigh, standing back up. He turned back to Fay, his eyes more emotionless than Fay had seen anyone's, though his smile was still present.

"Thank you. I don't mean for them to be lovely, but they turn out that way anyway...." Fay returned the smile, disheartened by the other's gaze somewhat. He turned and looked towards the flowers, admiring them. Archellevon looked at them again as well.

"Fay.... I don't want your children to be the same as mine... only flowers.... nothing to hold... nothing that you outlive... Nothing that you have to keep having because you have to, but because you want to..." The angel bent down and kissed a blue rose.

"One that will reply to your touches and your soft words... I want you to have something an angel could not."

"I've only ever thought of having children when I was younger, before my parents were killed....I had thought that dream died along with them." He smiled fondly at the memory of him telling his mother he would like to be a parent.

"I hadn't really thought of them until I explained to Kuro-min that I could."

"Fay..." Archellevon said quietly. He looked up to the blonde with sad eyes, knowing the other could see through his smile still present.

"Please....don't let the memory wipe take your baby too..." He said still holding the rose. He smiled wider and closed his eyes.

"Toshihiko loves you already, don't forget that he's important."

"I know I'll panic when I realize I'm carrying a child I have no memory of it, but I couldn't bring myself to get rid of him. His precious to me... and even if I forget him I'll know he's at least mine and that will be enough." His hand moved to rest over his stomach as he thought of his son.

"Good." Archellevon said even softer as he looked back to the rose. He then stood, looking out to the long garden.

"I know the memory wipe is inevitable..." The wind picked up then, tousling both their hair, and the angel closed his eyes.

"...But now I know nothing bad will become of it..."

"I'll forget Kurogane and the time I shared with him...the only thing I can hope for is to either remember him somehow or to find him again." He stared solemnly at the flowers as they swayed gently in the breeze. The angel smiled suddenly, walking over to Fay.

"Come to me. Come to me, Fay, when you're in a room with guards and machines, and you're lost and frightened, but you want to act strong so you're not hurt. Come to me and I will have what you want." He said in a low voice, blue eyes focusing on blue eyes.

"I will...thank you for everything you've said, for everything you will do." He smiled as he locked gazes with the other man.

"I would have it no other way, Fay." The angel said with a soft grin. They stood in silence for a moment, before Archellevon looked away, wiping his eye slightly.

"Now then, shall we get you cleaned up?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful." Fay smiled as he stood beside the other man. The white haired man smiled back wider, turning back to the inside of his supposed home.

"I'm sorry, but I only have my clothing. I'm sure it will fit you though."

"They'll fit fine." Fay nodded in agreement as he followed Archellevon back inside. The angel took a left when he got in the big room with the pillows, knowing that Zima wasn't back without looking. He opened up another set of glass doors and walked in.

"Here is my wardrobe." Fay looked on with wide eyes as the other man opened the doors to reveal an expansive room filled with clothes. The winged one walked into the room, going over to a set of blue clothing.

"Would you like to choose your robes, or shall I have my helpers do it?" He asked with a smile as he looked back to Fay.

"I've never really been good at picking anything to wear, back on earth Tomoyo bought all of my clothes." Images of the girl ran through his head, saddened by the knowledge he would soon forget her as well.

"Yes, Tomoyo was very tasteful." Archellevon said as he looked back to the rack.

"I'll have my helpers choose for you." He said with a smile. He blushed, remembering that the man already knew about his life back on the now distant planet.

"Yes, she did." The other went to the window that was in the room and opened it to the outside, causing a strong wind to enter. He smiled and spread his wings with closed eyes, enjoying the warmth of the fading day. He placed his hands on his chest and began to sing.

Fay's ears twitched at the sound and he turned to watch in surprise as Archellevon sang out the window. The sight took place in slow motion, almost as if the other's voice was slowing time. The blonde was startled once more when he saw birds starting to land on the angel, making him giggle.

"Now then, shall we help you? Ladies..." He said, watching as the birds changed one by one into cherubs, all repeating the same phrase.

"Yes, Sir Archellevon, we'll help!" Fay blushed as the small creatures flew past him and started sifting through the clothes. The angel smiled as he too was clothed in the finest silk Fay had ever seen, his hand being held out to hold three birds that hadn't changed.

"I'm sorry if this is a bit strange, but you see, I am one of the only members on the planet Jade who don't like calling my helpers servants and let them fly freely." He closed his eyes to emphasize his smile.

"Another secret, I guess!"

"You're secret's safe with me." Fay returned the smile as the helpers came back with a long deep blue robe.

"I knew it would be." Archellevon said with a softer smile, walking over to the blonde even as the cherubs continued clothe him. He reached up and touched Fay cheek again, staring at the equally blue eyes.

"I know a lot of things I can trust you with, Fay." His face heated once more as he felt the other's hand against his cheek as Archellevon's helpers finished removing his clothes and redressing him quickly. The deep blue eyes narrowed and the smile grew. The expression shocked Fay, for it resembled someone he had learned to hate. It vanished though as Archellevon's brows arched and the smile fell.

"Fay.... I love him... but I can't end it myself... I have to have someone not related to him or I in any way do the job...." He caressed the blonde's cheek with his thumb.

"But I can't have you do it..."

"What you ask is a heavy burden someone will have to carry." Fay's eyes were downcast as he spoke softly.

"But the burden doesn't have to be carried intentionally." The angel spoke, his voice breaking from agony and determination mixed.

"Who will you ask?" Fay was compelled to help the man, especially after all the help he had given him so far.

"I will not ask it of anyone.... it will just happen...." He swallowed harshly, looking down and removing his hand.

"When you go to Kurogane, there will be a security breech and the security will be after you... Kurogane will get angry, but not angry enough." He looked back to Fay.

"He must be the one to kill me. He's the only one who can."

"How will he be able to then?" Fay frowned not liking the idea of Kurogane possibly being punished again for trying to protect him.

"His fury is the only thing able to get the guards to use their weapons; don't worry, he won't be harmed anymore than he has." Archellevon smiled for reassurance, before it faded again.

"The weapons are made to pierce anything, including angel skin." He closed his eyes.

"If Kurogane's anger gets them riled up, I can plan it just so to protect you two from the shots."

"If I'm able to see him beforehand I'll tell him." Fay felt uneasy for agreeing to the man's plan, but as he thought of everything Archellevon had told him since arriving here, Fay knew that he could at least try to help him.

"There will be no need to tell him." The angel said languidly, turning to see his concerned cherubs. He smiled and held out his arms and they went to him.

"It's alright, little ones, I want this more than anything.... You will know how I feel when you grow to become real angels...." Fay watched as Archellevon comforted the small beings. He was anxious no more so than he had been since first boarding the ship.

"You know Fay, worrying does no good for Toshihiko." The white hair said over the small voices as blue eyes glanced over to the Valerian.

"Now, young ones, let us part until bedtime." He said sweetly, cooing to the cherubs. They all kissed him on either the cheek or the hand before changing back into birds and flying out the window. He giggled to himself as the last one left.

"I know, but it's hard not to." Fay moved a hand to his stomach, the growing embryo's energy making itself known.

"I can understand your apprehension, dear one..." The other said with a sigh, walking over to close the window.

"But I really see no reason for it." He smiled over his shoulder.

"That is, if you don't think about what you have to do too much."

"It seems I worry almost as much as Kuro-san..." Fay said as he stood by the glass doors and watched Archellevon walk towards the window. The angel giggled again at this, and his wings curled again.

"Maybe so..." He looked to the planet hovering in the sky that Edonis moon was circling.

"I just wonder what it is.... what is he up to?"


	12. We were greeted by the judges

**Mirika-rin: **Uh... no idea what to write. hurhur. We're on a roll with the editing. and boy, did I warn you about my OC's. hate them, love them, I don't mind either way. Kurofay's still the main focus on this story. Also, just because Tsubasa's ending soon (-WEEP-) doesn't mean we're also going to stop on this story. It's going to continue for a good amount of more arcs. We've got a lot planned. Kukuku

**Ashine-chan:** Getting closer to the end of this arc! Though it seems that more was revealed about Kurogane's father and his past than anything else. lol ^^ should be only a few more chapters left until we're done with the angst. XD

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The man sneezed, looking up to the ceiling. Just who the hell was talking about him? He sighed in aggravation, looking back down to the dried blood on the floor. He had been there for an hour after the rumble of landing had shook his cell, and he hadn't bothered to sit back up. Instead he lay on his side, staring at the blood that was his and listening to his stomach complain for more food. The sound of the door opening was heard with the noise of boots hitting the floor.

"Sir Youou, it's time for you to be escorted off the ship and to your cell." Kokuyo said as the door closed back behind him. Kurogane made no move to give the other recognition, hardly breathing in boredom. He finally tilted his head so he could see the standing man, a firm frown set on his face.

"....Is he ok?"

"Sir Fay was escorted to see Sir Edameonus to be examined from there he was sent to another Court member." Kokuyo stepped forward to stand in front of Kurogane, waiting for the man to sit up. The half-human sighed heavily, tilting his head back to stare at the blood.

"So that imp didn't harm him...." He closed his eyes for a moment before looking at Kokuyo.

"You really plan to take me still chained to this wall?"

"Koryu knows not to actually go through with most of the things he says." Kokuyo moved towards the wall were Kurogane's chains were still attached and swiftly removed them. The man on the ground finally sat up, looking sluggish and tired. He sighed again, before getting to his feet.

"....It must be hard dealing with that ignorant ass all the time." Kurogane mumbled, trying to get his mind off Fay and the baby and the plan.

"You have no idea..." Kokuyo sighed as he removed the outer layers of the handcuffs and unthreaded the chain from the metal collar around Kurogane's neck. The other man cracked his neck, grunting as the heavy weight was removed from the brace. He looked at Kokuyo, seeming to be eye level with the officer.

"...Do you know of the test results?"

"Sir Edameonus had first believed there were twins, but another test proved otherwise." Kokuyo said as he stood, waiting for Kurogane to stand. He had been given the examination results, not long after they had been finished and was glad that everything has checked out as they were supposed to, after all he didn't need anymore problems to arise.

"Sir Fay is healthy nonetheless." Kokuyo could've put money on the thought that Kurogane had just smiled. Whether he had or not was not determined, for his face was now set in stone again. The man stood slowly, his body groggily complaining from not having a nice bed to lie on. He ignored it of course, and looked to the officer once more.

"I guess I'll be scanned too? Or will I be thrown into another empty room and told to be good?"

"Your injuries will be taken care of, and then you'll be placed in another furnished room, so it'll be some incentive for you to behave." Kokuyo smirked as he ushered Kurogane forward. The other's frowned deepened and red eyes shot a glare at the Ginryan. He scoffed and reluctantly obeyed the officer, walking out of the room.

"I'll be the one to escort you to your room, I didn't think you'd want Koryu to tag along, but once there your wrists and neck will be taken care of." The officer walked beside his prisoner almost casually as they moved past the rooms and towards the ships exit. The half breed continued to walk as if knee high in jelly. He didn't want to go, both physically and mentally. His body was tired and his mind was torn in millions of pieces that he had yet to pick up. He looked at Kokuyo, who didn't look back. He narrowed his eyes and continued on ahead; ignoring the frightened stares he received from any officer or guard who had heard of the infamous Kurogane.

Once outside Kokuyo eyes narrowed at the sunlight attacking his senses. He hurried along with Kurogane in tow, walking past the corridor Fay had been taken to earlier. Kurogane had to flinch away altogether, not remembering the last time he had seen daylight. He growled darkly when Kokuyo tugged him along, feeling more and more like an animal that was about to be put to sleep because it bit someone for harming its only caring companion. He grunted when they stopped, seeing a man with light hair awaiting them.

"Ah, hello Kokuyo, I see you have the prisoner with you." The man smiled slyly as he looked over both men.

"I can take him from here, Hisui was asking about you earlier." He smiled innocently as the Ginryan blushed and looked away. Kurogane's face fell as he glared at the other dark haired man, envious and angry that he was allowed to be happy with someone. He gritted his teeth and stayed quiet, not wanting to start anything so close to the trial. Instead, he turned back to the man and looked him up and down.

"I'm Kakei by the way. Now, if you'll follow me we'll get you something to eat and then head towards your room." The smile never left the man's face as he met Kurogane's gaze. The prisoner didn't react, staring blankly at the brunette. He looked at Kokuyo one more time out of unspoken hatred before following the new man, feeling more and more like a dog.

"There's no need to scowl so much, after all it's not as if I'm treating you like I probably should be." Kakei waved goodbye towards Kokuyo before he turned on his heel and began walking away.

"What makes you think you're so damned special as for me to change my expression?" The man muttered lowly, finally speaking. Kurogane looked to the people busily walking in the streets, noticing some of them were picking up children and running from the spiky haired man. He raised both eyebrows at this. Did he really look that bad? Or had word spread? He shrugged; whatever the reason, it would be solved soon enough.

"This is the last day you'll have your memories intact and you want to waste it by being furious at everything?" Kakei smiled sadly at the man, noting that the people around them could see how angry the man was.

"Now who's fucking fault is it that I'm pissed? This stupid Galaxy's rules are a bunch of bullshit that needs to be rewritten. How do you expect a new society to function properly on a destroyed ruler's say?" Kurogane spat, feeling the anger start once again to boil inside him. He looked away, closing his eyes as he tried to contain himself.

"Besides, I'm always thinking of one thing, no matter how angry I get."

"For the most part they help put away those who would otherwise pillage and destroy planets, your case is a very rare one." Kakei smiled knowingly at Kurogane's words.

"How do you know you're accusing them correctly? Because someone else's laws say so?" He had to bit his lip in order to keep himself under control.

"You might come up with the final say, but what exactly has persuaded your choice?" Kurogane felt the bubbling of his blood continue and he began to gently panic. Why the hell couldn't he calm down?!

"We have dream seers and cognitives who can see things others cannot...that is how we determine how to judge them." They walked into a rather large room set up with numerous tables. To the side people were ordering meals while cooks behind the long counters and shelves prepared the food. Kakei smiled as they closed the distance between the door and one of the shelves.

"The Court cannot be biased and do what is best for everyone involved. Hopefully you will come to see that. Now, what is it you would like? I can't imagine you enjoyed the food you were given on board the ship." The other didn't reply, feeling like if he did he would bite the man's head off in a righteous fury. His stomach was churning for something, anything to merely subdue the hunger pains. He gritted his teeth again, growling in between them as he told his body to shut up while glaring at the cook for just being there.

"Well then is there anything you don't want?" Kakei waved reassuringly at the cook.

"I don't want a damned thing." He finally hissed, his hand twitching in the handcuff.

"Just take me to my cell..."

"Two containers of whatever you can fit inside them then." The dark blonde smiled as the cook went to work gathering the food. He leaned back against the counter as he waited.

"I realize you're angry, but it won't do you any good to starve yourself, you'll need your energy for things to come." Kakei's eyes were downcast, his glasses slipping a bit down his nose as he spoke. Red eyes glared sharply at... more like _through_ the other. He parted his lips to reveal an angry maw of now sharp teeth, a growl emitting from between them. The owner of this gruesome mouth was startled with himself, but couldn't stop his demonic entourage. Instead he turned on his heel, wanting to walk back the way he had come. Kakei's smile left him as he quickly gathered the containers the cook had given him.

"Come, we wouldn't want anyone innocent being hurt if you go into another rage." Dark eyes turned their icy gaze towards Kurogane, the kindness shown earlier slowly leaving the shorter man. The other paused, staring down into the dark eyes. His expression was hard to read, but if you just happened to walk by, you would've thought him insane. Kurogane bent a little lower to become eye level with the Court Superior.

"Keep talking and watch me." He whispered vehemently.

"Then I suppose we'll head to your new room." Kakei seemed un-phased by Kurogane's threat and began walking away, back toward the door they had come in from. Kurogane, no matter how angered, followed, grumbling to himself. He shot glares that could kill to any onlooker that dare stare too long. He sighed, pleading to himself to calm down, for the sake of the two other people who were at stake here.

It didn't take long before both men stood in front of an expansive complex. Kakei nodded to a couple exiting the building before the door opened automatically and he walked inside. Carrying both trays in one hand, Kakei dug in his pants pocket for a few seconds, before pulling out a keycard. He smiled as he turned and went down an empty hallway. Sliding the card in and swinging the door open, Kakei moved towards the small table in the corner of the room.

"This will be you room for the remainder of your stay here." The other didn't reply, but simply moved to stand in the middle of the room. He took in his surroundings, his nerves calmed by seeing that it looked like an average apartment room, only slightly bigger.

"Both trays are for you, there is a bedroom and a bath through that door." Kakei pointed idly behind Kurogane as he took a seat in one of the table's chairs. The other's eyes returned to Kakei, a frown set on his face.

"You don't expect me to clean myself up with my hands behind my back, do you? I'm not that talented."

"Of course not, just explaining things before I took your handcuffs off and checked your injuries." Kakei's smile returned as he watched Kurogane. The dark blonde stood languidly before moving behind Kurogane and freeing him from the handcuffs. Kakei slipped them inside another pocket before he returned to his seat and pushed the food containers towards Kurogane. The half-Ginryan grimaced, still not wanting to eat. He rubbed his flesh wrist that was in a dirty bandage. There was no more blood for the prisoner hadn't struggled as frantically since it were last wrapped, but it still hurt like a bitch. He moved to sit in front of Kakei, slumping tiredly in the chair.

He closed his eyes for a moment, assuming the reason he was so easily angered was because he was drained. He hated the thought, but he knew Kakei was right; he would have to eat if he wanted to keep his temper in check.

"There's a fork already inside for you to start eating and then once your done I'll fix your wrists." Kakei propped his chin up against his linked hands.

"Wrist." Kurogane corrected.

"The metal one is just scraped." He mumbled, opening his eyes to look at the food in dismay. Slowly he raised his fake hand and reached forward, opening the first container. The food was weird looking, but it pleased him physically to see at least that. He reached forward and grabbed the fork, beginning to eat.

"You shouldn't have been punished so severely for wanting to see your lover." The shorter man's smile faded as he turned his gaze away from Kurogane. The other paused in chewing and looked at Kakei, an eyebrow rising faintly.

"...." He swallowed and looked back down at the food.

"Thought you said you weren't treating me like I should be." He glanced back up at the Court member.

"Where do you get off at telling me things like that?" His voice was low, but not dangerous.

"It wasn't the Court decision to have your arm taken, that was the ship's captain. And just because you're here doesn't mean there is no one who can sympathize with your situation." Dark eyes turned back to Kurogane studying him as he ate.

"I'm assuming you're talking about yourself." The other said, taking another bite. He ate it slowly, swallowed, and then took another bite. He seemed to be purposefully taking his time eating.

"Your sympathy is not wanted. Not with me. I'd do anything for that idiot, including losing my arm. If it works, then there's no problem. At least with that."

"Which is one of the reasons why I wish the two of you the best come tomorrow." Kakei ignored the earlier words as he smiled, leaning back into his chair. The red eyes looked at the food again, though his mind was somewhere else, or at least with someone else.

"Hn...." He stood suddenly, not even halfway through the first plate. Kakei watched as Kurogane stood curious as to what he was going to do. The dark eyebrow rose again.

"Uh.... I know you're supposed to be keeping an eye on me and all, but do you really have to watch my every movement?" Kurogane asked, before pointing to the collar.

"Can you take this off too?"

"Have to make sure you don't try to sprint out the door." Kakei stood and made quick work of the collar, clutching it in his hand as he moved to place it on the table. The neck was the same way as the wrist; dirty but not bloody.

"Hn... I'm short-tempered, not idiotic." He rubbed the side of his neck and looked over to the shower room.

"Am I going to have to put on the same clothing?"

"Saiga was nice enough to drop off some clothes for you beforehand; they should be in the bedroom." Kakei smiled brightly as he spoke to Kurogane. The other grunted again, noting the smile.

"He's the person who puts you in the same boat as me, huh?" He asked cryptically, before turning on his heel.

"You can bandage up my wounds when I get back out." He said nonchalantly, heading for the bedroom before the bath.

"We have more freedom than others do, but it's not like we can behave like we used to." Kakei smiled as he watched Kurogane turn towards the bathroom. The half breed paused, his hand on the open door, and looked at Kakei.

"...." He then walked into the bathroom and closed it, leaning against the cold metal. He sighed and leaned his head against it with eyes closed. He had time to think about it all, but it was still so overwhelming. He was going to die, huh? If Yuui were to stop that, he would still lose his memory. He shook his head, undressing himself quickly before stepping into the shower.

He saw that it was very much like Earth and could bathe easily. Kakei remained in his chair as he heard the shower start in the next room. A light sound distracted him from his thoughts as he heard the door to the apartment opening. He smiled as he turned in his chair to face the door.

"Hey, heard the new prisoner was here already." The shower stopped just as abruptly as it had started. A few minutes after Kurogane reappeared, shirtless, walking down the corridor. He was rubbing at his neck, the skin still visibly raw there. He had taken off the bandages to shower, and Kakei could clearly see that there used to be bandages around the human's torso from the entourage of bullets hitting him. They had healed, but they were still there.

"So is this the guy, babe?" The taller man pointed at Kurogane as he entered the room and adjusted the sunglasses on his face.

"Yes, it is, Saiga, meet Sir Youou." Kakei kept his smile in place as he tried to cover his laughter at his lover's surprise. Kurogane shot a glare over to the other man, noting that even though his eyes were hidden, he could feel them run over his bruised but still very captivating body. He looked back to Kakei and frowned.

"You gunna treat my wounds now or what?"

"Of course, Saiga did you bring what I asked?" The dark haired man turned his gaze to Kakei.

"How could I forget something you ask me to bring?" A large hand moved to cup the dark blonde's cheek as Saiga's other hand held up a small kit similar to the one Kurogane had seen on the ship. The man raised an eyebrow at the transaction and scoffed, looking away as he placed his mismatched hands on his hips. He hadn't been surprised when his fake arm could work with water well, but at the same time he was shocked it was waterproof.

"Now let's check your injuries." Kakei stood from his seat and Saiga stepped back.

"Come sit down, so I can have a better look." The man smiled as the other dark haired man sat in the previously occupied chair. The prisoner obeyed, his eyes never leaving the new member to their party.

"....and just who the fuck are you?"

"Saiga, another Court member." Said man grinned at Kurogane as Kakei inspected his wrist and neck.

"You shouldn't be causing any trouble." He chided gently towards his own lover. Kakei sighed, seeing the still raw skin on Kurogane's wrist. The red eyed man twitched slightly when he felt the smooth hands against his torn flesh, though his eyes never left Saiga. From the position he was in, Kakei could see every wound that the half-Ginryan had received while being prisoner on the ship. The bullet wounds on his back, the rubbed raw skin on his arm and neck from restraints, the lack of a real arm and the scraped metal wrist, and finally the shredded fingers.

Bandaging on the bullet wounds was now unnecessary, but his arm and neck still needed treatment. He was healing like a human; Ginryan's wounds by now would've been gone.

"Seems you don't possess any of the healing attributes of your race." Kakei said as he turned and grabbed a small bottle of medicine from the table. Gently he rubbed in the ointment, confident it would speed things along. Once done he wrapped the injuries securely, hoping they would have time to heal before Kurogane was placed back into any restraints.

The tanned man hissed softly, the cold healing lotion sending unfriendly jolts up his arm and down his neck. When the wrap was placed around his neck, he felt like he was being strangled. Instead of complaining, he simply swallowed, looking back to the collar then to Kakei.

"Am I not being put back into the handcuffs and neck brace?"

"You'll have the handcuffs back on when you're escorted to the trial and for the remainder of it. The collar isn't necessary anymore." Kakei turned to put everything back into the kit.

"By tomorrow you should be nearly healed, Kakei makes the best medicine even if it does sting like a bitch." Saiga smirked as he noticed Kurogane's discomfort. The other growled lowly under his breath, not moving to finish clothing himself. He slumped down in the chair, closing his eyes tiredly, even though his anger and dissatisfaction kept him alert.

"You sure flatter each other a lot."

"You don't do that with your lover?" Saiga tilted his head to the side in confusion as Kakei shook his head a faint smile on his face as he moved to sit in another chair between both men. Kurogane folded his arms.

"We don't need words to explain how we feel." The tall man said, a hint of affection or pride in his relationship waving in and out of his words. He looked at the still not finished food and wondered if he felt like finishing it off.

"As Court members words are about all we have to express ourselves." Kakei smiled as he watched Kurogane eyeing his barely eaten meal. The half breed gritted his teeth behind his lips, looking at the wall then.

"Hn." He closed his eyes again, sighing.

"What are we supposed to do now?"

"We're to keep watch on you for a little longer, talk, make sure you're at least healthy enough to go to trial tomorrow. Several things really." Saiga chuckled as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"We need to make sure you won't try to escape either, but you seem to be a pretty alright guy." The other dark haired man opened his eyes a crack to stare at Saiga, but it came off as a mad glare.

"Why the hell would I try to escape? I'm seeing the idiot at the trial, and I'm assuming that's close enough." He closed his eyes again and let out a heavy breath.

"Healthy or not, I don't give a damn. Things will work out the way they must."

"Someone seems a little frustrated." Saiga grinned as he sat back in his chair.

"Sir Youou doesn't enjoy being teased, even if you are trying to be friendly." Kakei smiled trying to stop his lover from agitating Kurogane. Said man bore an angry set of teeth in a low growl.

"Damn straight." He said darkly, before standing. Even if he was still hungry, he was tired more so, and sleeping on the cold ship floor did nothing for him.

"Too bad we couldn't sneak the other one here for a little bit." Saiga clutched Kakei's smaller hands in his own above the table as he looked to the dark blonde.

"You know they're to be separated until the trial tomorrow; to offer anything otherwise is cruel and the risks would outweigh the positive affects of it." Kakei smiled sadly at the other man's attempt to be kind.

"Besides, Sir Fay should be with Archellevon now and you know we couldn't get him away from the man." Kurogane looked at Kakei with narrowed eyes.

"Who's that?"

"A Court member, he's probably offering Sir Fay clothes right about now." Kakei sighed as he thought of the long haired man.

"He's a good guy, though if you ask me being dressed by birds aren't something I enjoy." Saiga shuddered as he thought of the experience, not liking the idea of the little helpers dressing him.

"It was amusing to see you though." The dark blonde chuckled at the same memory.

"That's only because you're sadistic." Saiga brought a thin hand up to plant a kiss on the pale skin. The other dark haired man's eyebrow twitched, a brain cell exploding as he tried to make sense of what the others were saying. He decided to turn away, saying 'fuck it' mentally and he began to move toward the bedroom.

"We'll just be staying here for a little longer if you plan on sleeping." Saiga smirked as he continued to look at Kakei.

"Whatever." Kurogane replied.

"Just keep it down."

"You shouldn't imply that we're going to have sex, it makes us look bad." Kakei smiled as he removed his hands from Saiga's. The half breed then closed the door behind him, looking at the bedroom. It was quaint, a bed, a nightstand with fake drawers that didn't open, and a chair in the corner. He sighed and fell back on the bed, almost instantly falling asleep against the fabric that felt like cotton.

"It got him to shut the door." He paused for a moment as he sat back against his chair.

"Have you read their files?" The dark blonde's smile faltered at his lover's words.

"Some of the members are talking of reducing Sir Fay's punishment, because he wasn't involved in the attack on board the ship." Kakei placed a hand against his chin, face contorting with thought.

"I see... But he was indirectly involved; he was the reason Sir Youou when berserk in the first place." The other man folded his arms and looked toward the door where Kurogane had vanished from.

"I don't think that matters. The physical killings were by Sir Youou's hand alone, not Sir Fay's."

"Yes, I know...but both were punished already for that, their child was taken and his arm was replaced. Originally they were to be left alone until they reached here." Kakei looked over to Saiga as he frowned at what the files had said. The other pushed up his shades with his middle finger, contemplating his lover's words.

"Yeah, I read the report. Do you think his title as Highly Dangerous will be overlooked in the trial? Since the punishment was already dealt?" He frowned, refolding his arms.

"Honestly, they shouldn't have done that without all of us agreeing on it. Who said to cut off his entire arm anyway? Clow? Yuuko?"

"Clow is too kindhearted to order such a thing, Yuuko would be a good bet, but it would be either Fei Wang or Edameonus who would most likely have that decision since they're representatives of Ginryuu." Dark eyes closed in thought as Kakei leaned back in his own chair. Saiga frowned deeper.

"I don't think Edameonus would've ordered his entire arm. Maybe his hand or up to the elbow." He looked to his companion.

"So.... Fei Wang?"

"The punishment had to be equal to his crime, but I would guess it was him." Kakei opened his eyes to smile at Saiga as he crossed his arms. The other smiled back.

"Grand. We'll have to reinforce that giving orders separately is usually detrimental." He leaned forward, placing his hand on Kakei's once again.

"I suggest we tell the others to not give any more orders to either of these men until tomorrow."

"Yes, it would be best." Kakei sat up his chair leaning forward as he rested his chin atop his palm.

"Should we leave now or wait until he wakes up?" Saiga looked to the door again and shrugged.

"He ain't waking up for a while. I guess if we made a quick run to deliver the message and then came back it'd be ok." He said before moving to stand. Kakei nodded before standing. The blonde smiled up at his lover after he had gathered the small medical kit.

"We should probably take this back to our room as well since we're going out." Saiga nodded and planted a random kiss against his partner's forehead.

"Yupp. Let's go then." He said, looking back to the door again after he had opened the front entrance.

"We'll be back quickly, he has too much at stake to try and run away." Kakei smiled as he placed a hand against the other's arm. Saiga nodded and led his lover out, turning to lock the door from the outside before escorting Kakei out of the complex.

~later~

The dark haired man stirred slowly, wondering why there wasn't another person next to in bed. He looked over his shoulder to where this person was supposed to be and blinked, finding the blonde wasn't there. He sat up quickly, looking to that side of the bed. He blinked again and looked around. Placing a hand on his face he sighed, remembering that he wasn't at home anymore. It was then that he heard the front door open. Saiga held the door open for Kakei as the shorter man walked inside towards the table.

"Now that that's taken care of, what would you like to do?" Kakei smiled as he took a seat at the table once more. Before the other could answer they heard a light sigh come from the bedroom before a shuffling of fabric. Kurogane opened the door, having pulling on his shirt finally. He looked a little better than before, but it was still obvious that he had gone through a lot recently.

"Oi. Where did you two go?"

"Just to take care of some things." Kakei smiled reassuringly as Saiga smirked and walked over to the table. Kurogane looked from one to the other and settled with keeping his slight curiosity to himself. He rubbed the back of his head with the metal hand as to not agitate the still bandaged fingers and took his earlier seat at the table. He then took the started case of food and pulled it closer to him, fork ready. Screw the stubbornness, he was hungry now dammit.

"It's good to see you finally eating without having it forced on you." Kakei smiled as he watched the other eat.

"Looks like the clothes I dropped off earlier fit too, glad I didn't screw up on them." Saiga said as he sat beside his lover. The other grunted as he swallowed.

"You two talk too much." He said dryly, looking up to Kakei first and then to Saiga.

"He just as blunt as Rikou." Saiga laughed as he stared at Kurogane through tinted frames. A dark eyebrow rose slowly at the mention of a different person, but nothing more was said as he continued to eat. He had no concept of time, but he could easily guess he hadn't slept for very long, but at the same time he slept enough.

"Oi.... what time is it?"

"Evening, the sun set not long ago." Kakei said as he turned to look at Saiga.

"I suppose there's some resemblance, but I would think he's closer to Kazahaya." The prisoner twitched, feeling agitation well up as they continue to compare him with people they knew but he didn't. He finished off the first container, setting it aside. He debated on whether or not he should eat more, and eventually he decided to not push it. After all, over feeding a starved person will only make them regurgitate. He wasn't necessarily starved, more like kept away from food for too long of a time.

"Seems we've made you angry again." Kakei turned his gaze to Kurogane as he felt the other's glare on him. Said man scoffed, leaning back in his chair and placing his hands in his pockets. He didn't really care about the other two in the room who insisted on being lovey dovey in front of him. Instead he let his mind wander back to his lover and asked himself rhetorically if he was ok.

"Anything you'd like to ask us, kiddo?" Saiga asked as he adjusted his sunglasses. Again, a twitch. Kurogane looked at the other dark haired man with a set frown.

"Kiddo?" He asked skeptically, obviously not approving of the nickname.

"I don't mean anything by it." The man smiled and waved it off.

"What he's trying to ask is if you have any questions about things." Kakei smiled faintly as he tried to keep the peace between both men. Kurogane folded his arms and looked at the table.

"My mind's bogged down by so many things I can't really come up with a single question that makes sense...." He frowned deeper, almost grimacing, as his mind raced back to Fay.

"........Did you guys say that his punishment wasn't going to be that bad?" Saiga flinched then laughed sheepishly.

"O-oh... you heard that huh?"

"It will have to be put to a vote once we're all gathered, but yes...seeing as how your child was taken from him and it wasn't a Court's decision, we've had to reanalyze things." The dark blonde thought back to their previous conversation, wondering what the other members would decide on the matter.

"I thought it was." Kurogane said gruffly, looking at the long haired man.

"They said the message came from the Court. And wasn't the infant illegal anyway? You wouldn't let him have a child from an 'Abandoned' world; that'd be contradicting yourself."

"A member of the Court did order your punishments, but it's supposed to be agreed with by the majority of the other members." Kakei sighed as he tried to explain things.

"The baby was to be left because of Sir Fay's bloodline...though its fate was to be solely on his hands once his memory was taken. The charges against you are from being together, not conceiving, but that is going more into your father's own trial." Saiga said as he rested against the chair and looked over to Kurogane.

"My father's trial...." He said slowly, looking down to the table.

"He was on trial? For what?"

"Before you were born he was a chancellor for the Court, he took a human wife, which was against the law, but he managed to get out of trouble by producing technology from earth. The Court allowed him to stay on earth and produce one child with his wife." Saiga ran a hand through his hair after he had explained things. The half-human stared for a moment before closing his eyes and sighing.

"So this entire thing was fucked up from before my time, eh? Terrific." He said in distraught. He opened his eyes again.

"He's not human. That means I'm half human. What else am I?"

"Ginryan and human is all." Kakei smiled reassuringly.

"And Ginryans have bad tempers, I assume?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow, looking at Kakei.

"What other things are they infamous for?" He looked down to the table, the reason he and his father where the way they were clicking into place like a puzzle.

"A hardheaded bunch, who're able to keep their tempers in check unless their fighting. They're pretty determined and strong willed too." Saiga said as he began listing off traits before he was interrupted by Kakei.

"Ginryans are very strict when it comes to their laws."

"Explains the arm...." Kurogane grumbled sourly, his metal arm becoming subconsciously heavier. He sighed again and closed his eyes.

"Great. My whole life as a normal human's been a lie. That's just what I needed to hear." He said before standing again.

"It wouldn't have done any good for you to know, you're father was to never tell you about your heritage." The dark blonde said solemnly as he watched Kurogane stand. The red eyes looked down at Kakei and another curved frown was set in place.

"Was that also the Court's decision?" He sneered angrily, metal hand clamping down on the back of his chair. All his problems seemed to revolve around the Galactic Court's decisions.

"Yes, in order to keep you and your mother." Kakei sighed and propped his arms up atop the table, lacing his fingers together as he spoke. Kurogane blinked before looking once again to the table.

"It seems like time is repeating itself. Only this time the person who could've prevented anything terrible from happening was oblivious until it was too late."

"Like father like son they say." Saiga said as he pushed his glasses further up his face as he looked to Kurogane.

"Hn." Said man agreed curtly, his vision becoming blurred as his eyes unfocused with thought. He couldn't help but worry, or rather, think intently, about Fay. He wondered if he had slept yet, or eaten? Who was the man watching over him? Was he really safe? And the baby? And Yuui? Were they all ok?

"Is my dad coming here?"

"Yes, he should actually either be here now, or will be soon." Kakei peered over his clasped hands to Saiga silently asking if he had seen Toriho. He closed his eyes for a moment mulling over the trial that would happen tomorrow and the consequences of what could happen.

"Why didn't he just come with us on the ships?" Kurogane asked. He suddenly felt something move oddly in his wrist and pulled his arms out of the hold, inspecting the scraped metal. He moved his hand experimentally, but the feeling didn't happen again.

"It was a containment ship, besides he was probably trying to find a loophole or something to get at least you out of trouble." Saiga slouched in his chair seemingly tired as he spoke.

"Then wouldn't he take longer getting here? Or does he have some other way of transportation?" Kurogane asked, returning his arms to their folded positions once more.

"He has his own methods of getting here; he's invented of few of the ships that are used around the galaxy." Kakei looked over to Kurogane with half lidded eyes as he thought of the man that would be arriving soon and what it would entail.

".... Is he the reason the trial didn't take place today?" The dark haired man asked as he looked to Saiga. He wondered why the officers seemed to be falling asleep. Either that or they were severely bored.

"Don't mind him, he always naps." Kakei chuckled as his lover grinned at the remark.

"As for the trial it was needed to check yours and Sir Fay's health and to make sure he wasn't still with child before you were to see the Court. Though we are also waiting for your father to arrive, after all he has to explain why he didn't intervene before things escalated." Kurogane scoffed and sank slightly in his chair, muttering.

"S'not like he could've... we were only together a week...." Saiga made a whistling noise as he sat up in his chair.

"Damn! And I thought I worked fast." Kakei turned to give his lover a smile that caused the taller to pause. The half-human shrugged, looking down to the ground across the room.

"It felt like weeks though... months even..." He blinked slowly, remembering some things more so than others. He rubbed his eyes and the bridge of his nose and sighed. The couple across from Kurogane smiled knowingly.

"It's easy to see you were happy."

"Were." Kurogane repeated viciously, glaring at them both.

"Until this bullshit came into play."

"Things can't be unchanged...if the two of you survive this encounter you'll be stronger for it." Saiga remained silent as Kakei spoke; he covered eyes trained on the man beside him.

"That still doesn't change my want to kill a mother fucker!" Kurogane snapped suddenly, glaring at the dark blonde before he sighed again.

"Anyway, what exactly is going to happen in the trial?" Saiga frowned and tensed at the outburst directed at Kakei, but kept silent.

"You and Sir Fay will be brought in and stand before the entire Court to give reasons as to why the two of you shouldn't be prosecuted for your crimes." The smaller man said softly, his tone darkened by Kurogane's words. The prisoner looked to the second officer.

"Are you going to tell us what we did wrong and things like that?" He stared heatedly at the shades, glaring at whatever eyes would be behind them.

"You'll be told of your crimes, then both of you will try to persuade the Court otherwise. Then once that's done we'll see what your punishment will be." The shorter man said simply as he noted the glare Kurogane directing towards his lover.

"So it's like trial on Earth? Eh, that doesn't thrill me anymore than actually going..." The tanned man said vehemently, closing his eyes and successfully breaking the stare.

"You should be happy, the sooner the trial is the sooner you get to see Sir Fay, a lot of people would be glad to have the chance to see their lover despite where they were." The dark haired man turned his gaze away from Kurogane as he frowned, thinking of some of his fellow court members.

"Who said I wasn't happy about that?" The man growled.

"Can't a person be pissed off and happy at the same time? Or is that against the Court law too?!" Kurogane clenched his metal fist and let out a heavy hiss. Calm the fuck down, he thought to himself, you won't solve anything by taking your anger out on them _now_.

"....Nevermind. The sooner this is over with the better, forgetting or not."

"You have every right to be angry, but if you can't keep yourself under control you'll put you and Sir Fay in even more trouble." Saiga said sternly as he tried to talk calmly to Kurogane.

"You think I don't know that?" The other man replied, frowning deeper.

"With how much shit we put up with in the ship because of me, you'd think I'd get it by now." He said sarcastically, clenching and spreading his metal fingers wide over and over again.

"It understandable that your angry, but know there are others in far worse situations than your own." Saiga said resolutely as he sat straight up in his chair.

"Saiga." Kakei placed a hand on his lover's arm to stop him from causing anymore damage. Kurogane growled and was about to make a nasty comment back, but decided to recoil with the statement and seethe in silence. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes with both arms draped over each armrest.

"I'm gonna go out for a smoke." Saiga stood abruptly and left the apartment. Kakei sighed as he looked to the door.

"I'm sorry, he doesn't think sometimes before he talks." The other scoffed lightly, looking at the other tray of food with disinterest.

"Wouldn't be the first one I've met. Usually I'd hit them by now." Kurogane said nonchalantly.

"He's just upset. You see, the two of us wouldn't even be allowed to be alone together if it weren't for us being together before becoming Court members." Kakei tried to smile at Kurogane as he tried to calm the other.

"Really. Why's that?" The prisoner asked, looking at the light haired man to humor him.

"We follow the rules established by the first Court; it was thought if two members were lovers then their views and decisions would be biased. We are extremely fortunate..." The dark blonde smiled sadly as he thought to Archellevon.

"....So you're not the only ones who're having... 'troubles' in the Court?" He could almost laugh at the idea. Suits the bastards right.

"No, some have had children taken from them, others are not allowed to be alone with the lovers. To hold power is to invite disaster, but such sacrifices are necessary for the good of the whole." Kakei could feel the other wasn't exactly upset by the news, the dark blonde's eyes turned cold as he thought. Kurogane could hardly hold a smirk back in a sadistic satisfaction. He had to look away to conceal half of it.

"Ah..." He sighed, knowing now that the blonde couldn't try to gain sympathy from the Court members by the baby like he would've tried.

"You must find it amusing to see the people who are to be judging you and your lover's fate have such things happen to them." Kakei smiled sadly as he saw the look in the other's eyes.

"I didn't say it was amusing." Kurogane said, the frown set back into place as he looked back.

"I just find it ironic."

"I suppose it is, as members we'll be here until we die....at least you were able to hold your own lover even if it was for a short time." The dark blonde smiled as Kurogane glared.

"I guess we're not much different then." He retaliated.

"Seeing as I'll die, or forget, whichever suits your fancy first, and will cease to love all the same." He said simply, looking to the wall across from him.

"We all die being held back from what we want."

"That's something we can both agree on then." Kakei turned as Saiga came back into the apartment and sat back down at the table. Kurogane watched him with careful eyes, his arms slinking to fold themselves again.

"It's dark already...we should leave soon." Kakei could smell the faint scent of smoke that still lingered on Saiga's clothes.

"Is there anything else you would like to discuss or something you need?" Kakei asked questioningly as he turned to Kurogane. The prisoner shook his head, casting a sidelong glance to the two who were now moving to stand.

"I'm guessing you'll return when the trial's going to take place?" He asked, resting his chin against his metal arm which now leaned against the table.

"No, an officer will come to escort you." Kakei stood, Saiga following suit as the dark blonde looked at Kurogane worriedly. The dark haired man raised an eyebrow, looking back at Kakei in return. He remained silent, simply nodding in recognition.

"Despite everything I wish you luck...regardless if you want it or not." Kakei offered the man a smile before he walked towards the door. Saiga waved nonchalantly as he followed the shorter man out.

"Goodnight kid, see ya tomorrow." Both men left, the door locked as it was shut behind them. Kurogane growled angrily at the nickname, but let them leave without another argument. He sighed, looking at the table again. The silence in the room was earsplitting. He sat forward and placed his folded arms on the top, resting his head in the fold with closed eyes.

~Elsewhere~

Fay sighed as his mind went back to Kurogane, trying to think of what his lover could possibly be doing at the moment. He was currently lying on a very large bed. It was draped in silk with a canopy, very fancy for anyone, especially the supposed criminal. The room was only slightly larger than the bed, enough room for Fay to pace successfully around the bed without running into anything. He had given up pacing an hour ago, and now he was just sitting on the bed, lost in thought.

He moved his hand to his stomach his fingers tingling at the sensation of the baby's energy meeting his own. He smiled warmly, glad that nothing had happened to his son. The infant was still so small, hardly being worthy of the title of 'child'. It would still be a very long time before Fay started showing, or even feeling Toshihiko. He had to wonder if Yuuko or anyone else would notice his energy still being colored differently. Yes, his energy had merged with Kurogane's, but the baby's was still there too.

Sighing, Fay lay back against the bed, his other hand moved through his hair as he thought about someone discovering the baby. Surely they wouldn't try and take him again. Remembering what the officer had said, he felt secure knowing that if they did find out they would leave the child's fate in the blonde's hands. And he knew himself well enough that the only reason he'd have a baby inside him would be for a good reason. The blonde turned onto his side curling up on the soft sheets as he thought of tomorrow and finally being able to see Kurogane again, despite the trial and the things it entailed.

A soft knocked resonated throughout the room, and Archellevon opened the door silently.

He smiled when he saw Fay.

"Good evening Fay. I just wanted to make sure that you were comfortable." Fay sat up and smiled at the other man.

"Yes, thank you." The angel hovered in the doorway for a moment as he formulated a sentence to say.

"...Toriho will be here shortly to pick up Yuui. I'm afraid I would like you to be asleep when he comes though." He said with an apologetic smile.

"I'll be able to keep him away from you. You see, he has a very sharp sense of the quantity of souls. He'd know about Toshihiko if you got too close."

"I understand." Fay was still a little weary of Toriho, but pushed the feeling aside as he nodded. Archellevon's smile faded.

"What else is wrong, Fay? There are only so many problems that I can foresee...." He walked forward a little, holding his elbows with cupped hands.

"Is it something about that man?"

"I don't think he would do anything, but before I was told he killed Kurogane's previous lover and unborn child because of the conditions the Court gave him." The blonde frowned; knowing he was unjustified in thinking the man would actually do the same again after everything. The angel looked to the side of the room, face smoothed into a blank sadness.

"Yes, this is true. Toriho didn't actually mean to kill her, just damage her enough so that the baby wouldn't make it." He sighed, closing his eyes.

"The man's heart is in the right place, but his bloodline makes his thinking blunt and easily broken. Very much like your lover..."

"It still doesn't completely make me feel better that he might try it again." He felt guilty, but couldn't help being concerned over his child.

"It doesn't surprise me that you feel this way, Fay...." The angel said softly.

"...So if you would comply with what I say, we'll try to avoid any dangerous risks that could take place...." He gently smiled.

"Sleep now, you and Toshihiko need the rest anyway. I'll talk with Toriho about presenting Yuui in you and your lover's favor; I'm sure he wouldn't like his only son dying, would he?"

"No, that's why I worry most...if the Court won't allow Kurogane to have a child of his own, despite my heritage; Toriho may take things into his own hands." Fay grimaced at the thought; he didn't think he'd be able to put up much of a fight while he was carrying a child; most of his energy was already devoted to the growing embryo. Archellevon gave a pained look to the other.

"I'm sure that if you cannot fully protect him, Kurogane will." He walked back over to the door.

"He and his father were in the same shoes; both trying to protect the one they love and the child they carried…both going to save their own life by showing the machinery created on Earth." He bowed his head.

"Both losing their memories...."

"Lost memories?" Fay looked up towards the other man surprised by the revelation. The angel nodded, tilting his head back to look at Fay.

"He didn't remember Tsumebe for the first three months of the pregnancy. If it weren't for a mechanical shock he received during his transportation back to Earth, he would've never remembered her." He smiled.

"There is more than one way to shock a memory of someone back; a charm, a kiss, a jolt... so many things one cannot always predict."

"I'm afraid of forgetting and being forgotten....but I'm reassured by knowing that I can never truly forget, only misplace the memory." Fay smiled sadly as he spoke, his eyes downcast as he looked at the sheets below him. The white haired man nodded.

"I'm sure you're not the only one who is thankful for that fact." He walked over to Fay and placed a gentle hand against the blonde's forehead.

"Sleep now, young one, for he shall be arriving soon." He smiled.

"The sooner you sleep, the sooner Kurogane will be near to you again."

"Thank you." He smiled softly towards Archellevon as he moved under the thin blanket. The angel pulled away and allowed Fay to settle in the bed. He knew that the blonde would remain awake throughout Toriho's visit, both from anxiousness of his visit and from curiosity of what the angel and Ginryan would talk about. He smiled wider as he flicked off the light and closed the door. Fay sighed as he heard the door close as Archellevon left. He knew he would be unable to sleep, afraid Toriho would find him unguarded. A pang of guilt ran through him as he thought of the man that way. The man outside the door suddenly looked up, a stern expression set on his face.

"He's here." He said to himself, sighing before he walked to the other room. He stood in front of his clump of pillows, folding his silk clothed arms.

"Enter." He said simply, knowing that a hand hovered right over the wood, about to knock. Toriho opened the door and walked in, a weary smile on his face as he saw the pale man in the center of the room.

"Hello, Archellevon, it's been awhile." The angel smiled back, only smoothly.

"Yes, it's a shame it couldn't have been a little longer."

"I guess I deserve that." The man stepped inside, the door closing behind him quietly. The angel let out a soft laugh.

"Considering how you left me last time." He said haphazardly, a wing twitching from lack of being spread.

"But the topic of today is not about us, is it?"

"No, I suppose not...there are a lot of things I have to think over before tomorrow." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The angel waved his pale hand toward the Ginryan, his other hand sending out a small jolt to lock the door from a distance.

"Tomorrow shall be a very... breathtaking day, wouldn't you say?" He then sat himself down in the pillows, leaving room for Toriho to sit next to him. Toriho took the offered seat.

"You could put it that way, my son's attained the status of a high level criminal in the matter of days, he's had sex with the one person he probably shouldn't have and to top it off he got his boyfriend pregnant. I swear he's going to give me gray hair..." The Ginryan said as he was hunched over his crossed legs, supported by his arms resting against his thighs. The other man's blue eyes opened a serious look on his still smiling façade.

"You did not receive word of the baby being removed on the ship?" He felt his heart stop once, the fear of Fay's baby already being found out panicking him somewhat. If he did know, how? He could only count the souls in one room, not a house....

"No, I wasn't told anything that went on during the ship ride." Toriho frowned as he brought his gaze towards the other man. The angel looked away, the dread slightly lifting.

"Well then, you're going to have to brace yourself. They've been through a terrible lot." He looked over to Toriho again, a sad smile on his face.

"Shall I tell you the bad news? Or the worse news?" Toriho brought his fingers up to pinch the bridge of his nose as he felt a headache coming on.

"Worse."

"The temper your child has...." Archellevon began, leaning on his hand.

"... has proven itself worthy of a full blood Ginryan. Full blood, violent, blinded by rage and ready to kill worthy. On the ship, you know it was ritual to separate the prisoners, correct? Well our dear friend Koryu was instigating a fight and almost got himself killed. Unfortunately, others were not as lucky as he."

"How many?" The man's hands tightened into fists as he listened to what Kurogane had done. The other frowned.

"Seventeen, twenty-three are currently healing." He blinked.

"Know now it was not your son's fault for losing his temper. Koryu knew which buttons to push and Kurogane was having the well-known Ginryan separation anxiety. If Fay hadn't been walking with Zima Kurogane would've eventually destroyed the ship and everyone on it until they were either all dead or he found Fay."

"That will add on to whatever punishment he has waiting for him then?" He closed his eyes in anger; he hadn't thought Kurogane would lose control in such a short time.

"I'm afraid that the ship saw it to fit to punish him themselves." Archellevon's frown turned into a grimace.

"With the help of one of the Court members." He placed a soft hand against Toriho's for comfort, for both what he had said and what he would say next.

"Toriho... they cut off his arm." Toriho gritted his teeth, refusing to voice his anger.

"I take it they replaced it as well?" He glared at the door, as he wondered who could have ordered his son's sentence.

"Please calm yourself, Toriho. I don't wish to continue and anger you so much as to have you hurt someone." The angel rubbed his fingers soothingly over the other's tan hand.

"And seeing that I'm the only someone around, it wouldn't be good since the trial will be tomorrow..."

"What's the bad news then?" Toriho sighed, as he tried to sooth his anger. Archellevon retracted his hand, folding it with his other against his cheek.

"His arm was indeed replaced. But also he was placed in restraints, so he was wounded from the chafing on his wrists and neck. He was famished and exhausted, from what I heard from Kakei." He closed his eyes.

"As for the bad news, Fay's baby was extracted. He's going through the separation pains unexpectedly..."

"He more than likely wouldn't have kept it for long anyway." He spoke solemnly, his hands clasped together as they rested against his chin. It pained him to think about the loss of another grandchild and how the blonde must have reacted to the entire thing. The angel was silent for a moment.

"Yes... Fay was scared before he met Kurogane. Once the memories are gone of him, I expect the child to find himself sobbing and hurt. If he had the baby inside him, I assume his mind would register it as Ashura's child, and he would rid of it immediately. He would not remember sex, but not because he doesn't know he hadn't had any, but because he 'blocked out' the traumatic experience. The wrong man would be blamed and only pain would come of it."

"I take it this Ashura is why he crashed on earth?" He closed he eyes in thought, he hadn't really known anything about the boy, but it seemed there was a lot more to it than he and possibly Kurogane had been told before they had been taken away. Archellevon looked at Toriho blandly.

"Ashura almost raped Fay on Valeria. The baby still inside him would be assumed aftermath of it." The angel looked down.

"Fay would think the whole ordeal would've been blocked out." His blue eyes danced back up to Toriho's.

"Toriho.... I told Fay that I wanted him to see me after the memory wipe, so he could recollect himself from Ashura's approach."

"He'll need it then." The headache he had predicted before was slowly starting to surface. Toriho glanced at the man beside him from the corner of his eye.

"Is there anything else I need to know before tomorrow?"

"...Let's see.... ah yes, the whole reason I wanted you here." He said, moving to stand. He smoothed out his robes quickly before offering his hand to the Ginryan.

"She's in the other room."

"She?" Toriho took the offered hand and lifted himself off the ground.

"Or it, whichever you prefer." He smiled, holding Toriho's hand in order to guide him to the next room.

"After all, she was built from your technology on Earth." Yuui was sleeping on the smaller bed in the next room, silk draped over her in a new outfit and sheets. The only things that told Toriho that she wasn't human were her small cat-shaped ears and the blinking orange light under the cover.

"Well I'll be damned!" Toriho moved over to the android pulling the sheets off the small frame as he examined it. Even though he had seen it when watching Kurogane's message, he couldn't believe it was still really there.

"Youou made this I presume?" His hand ran down Yuui's face, amazed at his son's work.

"We believe showing the Court this technology will save Kurogane from the death sentence that is still so ominously hovering over his head." Archellevon said, walking over as well. He placed a hand on the girl's forehead.

"She doesn't react to anyone but Fay or Kurogane. I was told she's in Hibernation now."

"This is a lot more complicated than what I gave to the Court, when they see this..." His voice trailed off as he surveyed Yuui.

"He'll still have his memories taken then." He smiled sadly as he thought of both Kurogane and Fay. Archellevon pulled back away from Toriho so he couldn't see the smile that accidentally slipped on his lips.

"Yes..." He folded his hands in front of him.

"But would you rather they kill him or make him forget? You know the chances of remembering...." He nodded to the other man.

"Just look at what happened to you."

"The odds of that happening to him are slim...and even if he does remember it's not like he could leave and hunt down Fay-chan." He turned his head towards Archellevon as he spoke. The angel sighed sadly, closing his eyes. He felt bad for lying to Toriho, but also felt it was for the best.

"Yes. And there's the ever racketing chance that he'd go mad for not knowing where he was... it might be too dangerous to take his memories..." He placed a hand on his mouth in thought, eyes now staring into ruby.

"You will have returned to Earth by then... I suppose.... we'll just have to take our chances...."

"I'll make sure to watch him once he's handed over." Toriho's glared, he knew he would have to keep watch over Kurogane so he wouldn't remember Fay or their lost child again; he couldn't let his son go through the same thing as before. His eyes scanned over Yuui as he hoped she would be enough to help.

"Toriho..." Archellevon said softly, his heart leaping into his throat.

"...There is always a possibility of more people dying.... I fear I see myself trying to stop him and failing...." He walked over to the other side of the bed, standing next to the dark haired man with his hands in front of him.

"... I fear your son shall be the one to finally end it for me...."

"If you've seen it, then this means this'll be the last time we talk?" Toriho smiled sadly at the thought of the other man killed by his own son's hands. The angel closed his eyes, though he kept his head tilted toward the taller.

"I have seen it.... and unfortunately so, this shall be the last time we talk...." He opened his eyes again and smiled half-heartedly.

"At least on informal terms...."

"Yeah..." He turned his attention to Yuui.

"Will I be taking this with me?" Under other circumstances he would have been proud of Kurogane's creation, but he was just worried if Yuui would be enough to change things. The blue eyed man looked to Yuui as well.

"Yes. You will need to show her to the Court tomorrow, if you do so you'll postpone their judgment." He looked back to Toriho.

"I will have to judge unbiased on this too, I assume you know."

"Yes, I know...none of you can be asked to show sympathy despite everything." Toriho sighed and ran a hand through his hair at thinking of the trial tomorrow. The pale hand came up to rest against the pointed chin, holding his own head as he frowned.

"I would really love to feel something for you.... I really would.... I mean.... after all we've been through and all that you've done for me.... and your child and Fay are innocent, young, and in love. They shouldn't be tried for something so pure...." He felt heartstrings pulled.

"And I know what it's like to lose children...."

"There's nothing either one of us can do about it, it's the entire Court's decision...do you think I would be able to talk to my son or even Fay-chan beforehand?" Toriho eyes were downcast, thinking back to his years working for the Court and the things he had seen because of it. The angel smiled sadly and glanced to Yuui.

"You cannot speak to Fay. He's slumbering now, and that is what he needs the most. It would be cruel to awaken him, which I'm sure would be very easy to do." He folded his hands in front of him again.

"After all, his body is still adapting to the lack of child inside him." His smile turned warm.

"But... I think I could arrange for you to see your son."

"Thank you." Toriho wondered how Fay was handling all of this, despite the blonde having undone all the work he put in to keeping his son safe. He sighed again and smiled tiredly to his friend. Archellevon turned toward the exit, walking back to the living room.

"Leave her. I'll have my helpers bring her to you later." He said over his shoulder as he held the door frame. Toriho gave one last look towards Yuui before he nodded and walked towards the door. The angel returned to the seat in the middle of the room, smiling to the other man before sitting.

"So, Toriho, would you have anything you'd like to talk about before we go see your son? I imagine he's talking to Kakei and Saiga at the moment."

"I should have been able to see this coming, when I was told Youou was seeing some mysterious person right when there was the crash near his house being investigated." His brow furrowed in thought and frustration.

"There are some things we stay oblivious to even if clues are given, dear one." The other smiled fondly in recognition.

"This was going to happen, whether you found out sooner or not."

"He should have told me...I could have tried to help." Toriho gritted his teeth, at thinking of how Kurogane hadn't been able to confide in him. The other looked to the door, frowning slightly.

"He didn't feel like you could've handled it... Kurogane, similarly to you, tries to depend on no one but himself, in order to not burden others with his problems. If you had been there when Fay first landed, no doubt he would've called to you for help. But by the time you arrived, his heart was claimed; he didn't want Fay to be hurt like the others."

"Then there really was no helping him..." He sighed as he rubbed his temples. There were a lot of things he needed to say to his son.

"Can you take me to Youou now?" The angel smiled softly before rising again.

"Your patience has gotten thinner on Earth." He said smoothly, moving his hair to one shoulder gently. He then began toward the door, but paused. He wondered if Fay would be ok alone, but realizing he would be, the angel picked up where he had left off, reaching for the doorknob.

"I'm sorry, Toriho, that this last meeting couldn't have been more pleasant."

"There's no need to apologize...you said it before, this was inevitable." Toriho offered the other man a smile. Archellevon turned his head and smiled back. He turned slightly and stood on his toes, planting a soft kiss on the taller man's jaw line. He pulled away, smiling still.

"A parting gift; a kiss from an angel is said to be good luck on Earth.... at least that's what I've heard."

"Yes, but hopefully it's just as lucky here...we need all the luck we can get." Toriho smiled at the gesture, his mind going to Kurogane and Fay. The other man's eyes closed to emphasize his agreement.

"Yes." His body fondly remembering similar kisses delivered, his heart fluttering in commemoration. He opened the door, the smile fading slightly when he saw how late it was.

"Oh dear, maybe Kurogane would be sleeping as well?" He looked to Toriho.

"You still want to go, nonetheless, hm?"

"Yes, there some things I need to talk to him about...and I don't think I'll be able to see him right before the trial." Toriho's eyes glanced towards the windows, noticing the sun had already set while they had been in Yuui's room.

"Yes, I suppose so." The angel moved and spread his wings suddenly, stretching them.

"Shall we take our leave then?" He asked, smiling back to the other. Toriho grinned and nodded to his companion as he stepped forward.

~Elsewhere~

The man sitting at the table gripped the fork in a bent shape in his metal hand, seeing how strong that arm really was. The fork was now arched, the handle against his thumb, the stem draped across his index finger as the prongs were held under his other three. He blinked, wondering why his hand was stronger than the other, yet his arm was weaker than his real one. He dropped the fork suddenly, hearing a rattle against the door as someone unlocked it.

The door opened, Archellevon stepping forward followed by Toriho. The latter closed the door quietly behind them as they walked inside. Kurogane raised an eyebrow to the angel, wondering if his sudden appearance meant that he was now dead. He started when he saw his father, standing immediately.

"Dad...." He said, expression mixed between relief, horror, and hatred. The white haired man moved aside, folding his arms languidly.

"Sit down Youou." Toriho stepped from behind Archellevon just as Kurogane stood. The other man grimaced angrily, more hatred burbling up out of nowhere. This man, even if it was against the law, hadn't told him about what he really was. This man was the one who had started it all. His hands clenched, but even despite his anger, he obeyed his father, sitting slowly without removing his eyes from the elder's.

"Alright, I can see you're angry...so just tell me what it is you wanna get off your chest so we can talk about tomorrow." Toriho moved to take the seat across the table from Kurogane.

"Fucking bastard..." The other slipped out under his breath, though he just folded his arms.

"What I'm angry at has already been explained to me. That doesn't mean I can't be pissed at it...." he looked at the lithe man cautiously, curious as to why he was there.

"I deserve that for keeping things from you. But there was a lot you were keeping from me too.... I could have tried to help Fay-chan before anything happened, not to mention that android of yours." Toriho mimicked his son and gave the younger Ginryan a glare to match the one being given to him. Kurogane's frown deepened.

"You've seen her then?" He said before a sigh.

"Yeah....since last year...." He admitted, closing his eyes. He opened them with a full blown anger.

"You weren't there. You never answered when I _did_ call, so I gave up trying. I couldn't have told you if I wanted to."

"We're both partially to blame then. That still doesn't explain why you tried to keep Fay-chan a secret when your mother and I visited... and you tried to bring a child into all of this as well." Images of the Claudina flashed into his mind as he smiled sadly to his son.

"Same reason I was brought into the world....worlds...." The other grunted, looking at his dad with a softened expression.

"You said to me once I was there to protect mom if something ever happened.... well, unlike you, something is going to happen to me." He said gruffly, the frown curving more so.

"I kept that idiot a secret.... because I.... I don't know...." He confessed, looking down.

"I don't think badly of Fay-chan, but you've known him for what...around a week? If Yuui doesn't change the Court's mind, you're going to be killed for someone you barely and you've already lost another child despite if you survive all this or not." He brought a hand up to rub his eyes, trying to sooth the headache that was beginning to show. Kurogane felt a vein throb on his temple.

"And how long did you know mom before you asked her to marry you?" The son spat, leaning back in his chair.

"I didn't know how long it had been! Time for me vanished altogether when he was around, I don't _care_ how long it was! A day, a week, a month, _whatever_!" Archellevon flinched slightly at the raised voice, reminded with a smile of Toriho.

"I don't remember having a kid on the way after a week of knowing your mother and I didn't propose to her until months later." Toriho spoke slowly as he tried to prevent himself from getting angry. It wouldn't help anyone if he became just as mad as Kurogane.

"Besides, last time I checked you weren't married, let alone one for long term relationships." He knew it would only make his son angrier, but he had to be sure of Kurogane's choice.

"That's because I hadn't found him yet." His son hissed through his teeth.

"And FUCK Earth traditions! To Hell with being married! What's with your obsession over Earth's policies?!" Kurogane kept his arms crossed, knowing if he unfolded them he would try to at least maim his father in some way.

"It's my obsession with them that have kept you and your mother safe and alive." His hands clenched into fists as he looked angrily over towards his son.

"Tomorrow you'll forget all about Fay-chan and everything else and go back to how you were before you met him, that is if the Court doesn't decide to execute you instead."

"Kill me then!" Kurogane shouted, leaning forward again.

"I'll REMEMBER! Not with my mind, but with my body! I'll REMEMBER that there was someone who I loved! I'll REMEMBER there was someone who was annoying as hell but still made me feel like no one else would! That ALONE would be death!" He glared threateningly at his father.

"It seems like either way, you'd lose your son." Toriho closed his eyes, thinking for a moment relieved before opening them again to look at Kurogane.

"Then it seems we have a chance if you're that stubborn about it." He smiled as his child glared murderously at him. The other's glared intensified as his eyes narrowed. Archellevon then approached, smiling softly down to the two men.

"Toriho...." He said, letting the other know they were getting short on time.

"It's late," Toriho stood, his gaze looking down to Kurogane.

"The next time I'll see you is when you and Fay-chan will be in front of the Court." He smiled, hopeful about tomorrow.

"...You only came in here to piss me off? Some dad you are." Kurogane said, raising his eyebrow. He seemed to calm down slightly, seeing his father was just trying to see how much it would matter if he lost Fay. The angel looked down at Kurogane.

"Kurogane." The man looked to him.

"I am watching over Fay... I wanted to let you know Toshihiko is safe." The tanned man blinked and sighed, nodding.

"Toshihiko?" He looked between Archellevon and Kurogane questioningly. The angel smiled wider and placed a gentle hand on the taller man's arm.

"It is something you do not need to know about until the time comes, dear one." To this, Kurogane raised an eyebrow and looked at both Archellevon and Toriho with a suspicious glare.

"...Fine." Toriho sighed letting the issue drop for now. He looked to Kurogane.

"Good night Youou." His son nodded back to him, still looking at the other two as if they were up to something.

"Night." Archellevon smiled wider and placed his hands in front of him as he began toward the door.

"Stop frowning all the time, don't want your face to stay like that do you?" He leaned over quickly to ruffle his son's hair.

"Fay-chan may not want to kiss you if you get stuck with such a grumpy face." He chuckled to himself before moving towards Archellevon and the door.

"Ay! Dad!" His son complained before rubbing his head.

"You aren't worthy of a smile yet." He grumbled as he refolded his arms. The winged man giggled at the father-son transaction, opening the door.

"We shall see you tomorrow, Kurogane." Toriho waved goodbye before he opened the door and walked out. He smiled to himself, knowing that both boys stood a fair chance tomorrow.

"Pleased?" Archellevon asked as the door was locked behind them by guards.

"Yes, I'm glad to know he feels strongly for Fay-chan. Gives me hope that they'll make it through this." Both men walked away from Kurogane's room. Toriho chuckled glad for the change. The other joined in the soft laughter.

"Any gray hair yet? You seemed a little flustered when Kurogane started to raise his voice..."

"If I don't yet I'm sure I'll have some to show before all of this is over with." He ran a hand through his hair idly as he walked beside the shorter man.

"That's the third time you've done that..." Archellevon said with a wry smile, pointing to his hand sifting through spikes. The smile died away as his voice became serious.

"...What did you think of his injuries? Do you think they'll heal soon?"

"He heals like any human would, but with the medicine here he should be good as new in a day or two." He had noticed the bandages wrapped tightly around his son's wrist and neck as well as the mechanical arm he had been fitted with. The angel looked forward as he continued to walk.

"The mechanical arm... if he is not killed it will be placed in a skin, to prevent his memory from coming back right away, if at all."

"I figured as much, after all it wouldn't do to have him question why he's missing an arm with no recollection of it." He frowned, thinking of the trial.

"Yes... You of course would have to keep Fay and the lost child a complete secret. You would also have to inform anyone else that something had happened to Fay and that

Kurogane doesn't want the blonde mentioned.... some sort of fib to make sure that Kurogane wouldn't be slowly reminded of his forgotten lover. You know the drill still, of course?"

"Of course." He smiled halfheartedly towards Archellevon as they walked. The angel returned it just as sorely.

"I doubt it can happen any other way.... there is nothing as severe a crime for breeding with a class 'A' planet..." He remained silent as he thought of the second grandchild he had lost and of everything both Kurogane and Fay would lose come to tomorrow. The thought grew, and Toriho began to wonder how Kurogane would turn out if he became a father himself. Had he really loved Fay that much in such a short amount of time? Well, that video recording he had found in Kurogane's computer room had explained that...

"There are a lot of things that can go wrong tomorrow, I can rely on Fay-chan not to do anything to hurt his case, but Youou's another story." He kept his eyes trained to the floor as they turned a corner and continued down another hall.

"He will keep his temper in check for the sake of Fay. Him simply being in the same room as Kurogane calms him tremendously. Also, he will still be in restraints, so the only thing that will infuriate him is if instigating takes place." He sighed.

"And something tells me it's going to anger him enough just being there." The angel folded his arms tiredly, wings fluttering in disuse.

"At least he'll calm down when he sees Fay-chan tomorrow..." Red eyes glanced over to the shorter man as he thought back to what Archellevon had told him earlier about his death. The angel kept his eyes in front of him yet smiled softly when he felt the other man's gaze upon him.

"...What troubles you now, Toriho?"

"You said Youou would be the one to kill you...he'll go into another rage." He frowned at the thought. The white haired man's smile curved lower slightly, his eyes falling to be half lidded.

"Unfortunately so.... This is also becoming inevitable...."

"It's something you want to happen..." Smiling sadly, Toriho continued to walk by his friend's side.

"You've known how I felt about this for a long time, dear one..." Archellevon said with a distant voice, his hands being clutched tightly in front of him.

"It's the only way I can think of to make both him and me happy..." The angel looked at his companion finally, eyes dry and a small smile reappearing.

"You wouldn't miss me for long... maybe not at all.... after all you have Tsumebe and Kurogane..."

"We've known each other for a long time and I'm sure I'll miss you for just as long." Toriho smiled reassuringly to his friend. The other man's smile twitched, before he looked away.

"You're so hard to predict..." He said softly, smiling to himself.

"Always have been...." He looked back to in front of him.

"I wouldn't be gone that long, though. Angels' souls are never lost. Who knows? Maybe I'll be born on Ginryuu this time..."

"I can't imagine you from Ginryuu." He smirked at the thought of a dark haired Archellevon. The angel raised an eyebrow, the smile still.

"Oh? What are you implying?" He said playfully, exiting the building into the cold night. He quivered, the wind rustling his feathers smoothly.

"Can't see you being all dark, tall and menacing is all." Toriho shivered at the sudden temperature drop as they exited the building.

"Haha! Who said my attitude would be different?" He said with a light smile.

"I would look a little like Koryu, I'd imagine."

"Please don't say that." Toriho smiled as he imagined what his friend would look like. Again, Archellevon giggled.

"Alright, I'll spare you from the image." He said lightly, folding his arms again.

"Are you escorting me back to my room?" He asked nonchalantly, noticing they had walked passed the corridor where Toriho would've turned.

"If this is the last time we get to talk then I can at least walk with you a little more." They continued forward getting closer towards Archellevon's room with each step they took.

"Then shall we walk slower?" The angel suggested, knowing they were taking their time as it was.

"Should we reminisce a little? A sort of pre-wake between the two of us?" He said with a smile.

"It's too sad when you think of it like that." He returned the smile as they continued walking side by side. The other slowed his pace though, looking at the blossoming plants against the walkway.

"There's no need to be sad about it... Which memory should we recall first?"

"Hmmm....there are a lot of memories to choose from." He smiled sheepishly as he kept his gaze forward. The shorter man grinned wider, shooting a wry look over to the other.

"Have any specific ones come to mind? We've both been alive for a very long time; it doesn't surprise me that there are a lot."

"Let's see...there was the time we first meet after I started working here." The memory was a bit fuzzy after so many years, but he smiled all the same towards his friend. The angel's smile grew ten fold, closing his eyes.

"Ah yes, that day was a sunny day. We were walking in opposite directions in such a hurry." He giggled and brought a clutched hand to his lips.

"I never knew what hit me. Literally. You ran right into me and knocked me over."

"You were missing a few feathers from that too if I recall." He chuckled a little too loudly in the empty hallway. The pale one laughed again, nodding his head.

"Yes, yes, and it's all your fault. I was lucky enough that it was only the inside feathers." He smiled, lacing his fingers behind his back.

"Then again, that was one of the first figurative falls I've ever had." He smiled knowingly to the other.

"I was so embarrassed I didn't know what to do." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at the memory.

"Oh, I forgave you after you helped me up, but the tea afterwards was still welcome." He looked back to the walkway.

"Hmm... what about the time we first met in Court? I was so surprised to see you as the Chancellor at such a 'young' age."

"How do you think I felt when it turned out you were a member?" He remembered his utter shock at seeing the man amongst the other Court members.

"Besides once word got out about me running you over, Edameonus wouldn't stop glaring at me for months afterwards."

"That was before we were lovers, dear one. He was just jealous." The white haired man said with a giggle.

"He was so protective, even after seven years of just staring at me...." He blushed slightly and looked at Toriho.

"Do you remember when you helped me out of the Ginryan Veda Ocean? I couldn't fly because my wings were wet and that was before I learned how to swim."

"Still made me think I'd turn a corner and find a sword swinging at me...and you're lucky you're so skinny or both of us would have drowned." He remembered tugging the water logged man from the ocean, his wings weighing them both down as he pulled him out of the water. The white haired man smiled sheepishly.

"I'm sorry; you should've just cut them off." He said, smiling widely.

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be alive now. I think I would've liked to live for as long as I have. I was glad to have met Kurogane and Fay.... but now I really want to sleep again...." He looked to the new ceiling above him.

"Would you like to recall that one time?"

"I really thought Edameonus was going to kill me then." He smiled as he thought of their past relationship. Archellevon belted out a spry laugh, blush tinting both cheeks.

"Yes, well, you had gotten to me first. It was his own fault for being slow and shy." He smiled fondly at both Toriho's advances and Edameonus's quiet side.

"He's so childish." Toriho blushed as well, thinking back to the short time they had been together.

"We weren't together too long and besides I could tell you would be better off with him... and I was right."

"You didn't miss me in the slightest? Like that at least?" The winged one said with a slight pout, looking at the taller. True, he was truly in love with Edameonus, but he still cared deeply for Toriho, just not in the same way.

"Of course I did, but we were still friends and Edameonus was still sending me death glares." He chuckled at the other pouting.

"He's such a child, honestly!" Archellevon smiled again, the blush glowing a little redder.

"... That's nice to know... that you cared..." He looked back to where they were headed.

"It's such a shame all those memories will die with my body..." He placed a hand over his heart.

"At least one of us will still remember." The Ginryan smiled sadly, remembering his friend wouldn't be around for much longer. "I'll be sure to never forget them."

"I'd like that...." He smiled softer now as he looked down.

"I'm envious of you, Souhi...." He said quietly, using the other man's childhood name like he used to.

"You got what you wanted on the first try..."

"You and Edameonus have a lot of lives ahead of you to make up for this one." He grinned, hoping that both of his friends would find happiness.

"Yes... this is true... Though Ginryans live for several centuries longer than Angels, I'm sure he wouldn't mind waiting a couple years for me to be reborn." He smiled wider, looking to Toriho.

"I wonder if you'll be there to see me, Souhi...."

"I'm not that old yet...but I look forward to seeing you again." His words made him think back to his badgering Kurogane for grandchildren and to the notion he would outlive Tsumebe. He smiled sadly at his thoughts. The man sighed next to him, a sort of tired but relieved sigh.

"Ginryans are able to recall the memories of their past lives sometimes, correct? Do you think Tsumebe will be one of the memories you'll still have?" He looked to his near approaching complex, his smile fading as he realized they were coming closer.

"Yes, I hope I recall this entire life in my next." He smiled warmly at the thought of his wife. Archellevon smiled returned at the other man's words.

"I'm glad...." He looked to Toriho slowly, blinking as his eyes fell against the red averted ones.

"Seems where almost to your room." His gaze met Archellevon's as he grinned.

"Yes.... it... it seems so...." He said back, a mimicked smile crossing his lips.

"I will miss you...." He said softly.

"...Even if I don't recall you, I know I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too you know." He reached his hand over to ruffle the other's long tresses, trying to cheer the other up. Archellevon laughed airily, his hand going up to pull the tanned one away.

"Oh, stop that! You know I don't like it!" He said playfully.

"Couldn't resist." They stopped in front of the door to Archellevon's room their laughter echoing down the deserted hallway. The angel's chuckling died down, his faint smile still present as he still held Toriho's hand loosely. He moved to say something, but closed his mouth, simply staring at his friend.

"Guess I should go before Edameonus pops out of a corner and attacks me." He smiled trying to lighten the mood that had settled over both of them. He looked sheepishly to the other not knowing what else to say. The other's grin deteriorated.

"Yes... I guess you should...." He bent his head down, closing his eyes. But instead of pulling away to go inside, he merely leaned his forehead against the taller man's chest.

"It's not fair.... I wouldn't even be thinking such sad thoughts if the Court Laws weren't this way...." He said, bringing a hand up to press against his eyes. On instinct Toriho wrapped his arms around the smaller frame.

"The Court should really look into revising some of their laws." Feeling the comforting embrace, a quiver ran though out the angel's body as he tried to muffle a sob.

"Y-yes... But these are the Laws of the Ancients... Created by the first of the galaxy... we can't just revise them for personal want..."

"It's not personal want if it makes everyone miserable and not just yourself." Toriho smiled softly at the smaller body in his arms. Archellevon used the hand on his eyes to wipe away offending tears that dare show themselves. He moved his head, resting his cheek against Toriho's chest in an old but welcome position. He sighed in distraught, closing his blue eyes.

"....I don't think the other members would agree.... The future for me is already set into motion..."

"But it's not just you who suffers..." He mind went back to several other faces from the Court as he comforted Archellevon. The angel opened his eyes, staring at nothing in particular.

"I wouldn't know if this would be considered right... allowing the Court members to love but not allowing the inhabitants of an 'Abandon' world love from another world..." He shook his head gently.

"I could easily see a way around it, but that's only because I break the law myself." He then rested both hands against Toriho's chest from instinct.

"The laws weren't very specific if I remember correctly." His hold lightened around the smaller man as they talked.

"...Either way the laws are still there and are still set in stone... hopefully my death will trigger change in the laws..." He said with a morose smile. He looked up to Toriho, his eyes coming to the other's chin.

"....Souhi...." He began with a faint blush.

"If this truly be our last meeting as friends.... shall we part with tradition... for old time's sakes...?"

"For you, of course." Toriho smiled sadly down at his friend as tan fingers lifted the pale chin to meet the other's gaze. He leaned forward slightly bringing their lips together in a soft kiss. Archellevon tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes, standing on his toes to reach the taller better. He felt his heart sink and smash into smithereens against his stomach, another sob racking his body as a tear finally fell free down his cheek.

Breaking the kiss, Toriho smiled gently to the other as he wiped away the tear that had fallen. Despite said tear, Archellevon smiled weakly, placing his hand against Toriho's.

"....I... I'll miss you....." He said gently, barely above a whisper.

"I... I wish you happiness.... and be waiting for me.... for I will come back..." He explained shakily, more tears threatening to fall.

"Hopefully we won't crash into each other like before." He laughed lightly trying to lift the other's spirits. The angel laughed lightly as he leaned into the other's embrace again. He opened up blue eyes slowly, staring at the dark haired man. Before he could stop himself he stood on his toes again and planted another kiss against the Ginryan's jaw line. He pulled away finally, wiping his face against his silk clothing so no more flowers would pop up from dripping gold.

"I guess I should leave, after all there's a lot we have to do tomorrow." Toriho's hands fell to his sides as he watched Archellevon wipe his eyes.

"Yes, yes, of course. I'm sorry to have kept you." He smiled as his hands also dropped, lacing fingers together in his front.

"Goodbye Souhi Toriho, it was an honor and a pleasure to have lived a life with you in it." He said with a huge grin, his cheeks turning a slight pink under his eyes from the rubbing.

"You're always so formal." He reached up to ruffle his friend's hair once more as his own face heated. Archellevon continued to smile and giggle as Toriho tousled the tresses.

"You know me all too well, dear friend." He placed a hand on Toriho's and removed it from his hair.

"I just wanted to let you know how I would say that in formal terms." He ran his finger against the other's palm.

"Informally, it would be 'Goodbye, Souhi-kun, I'll never forget you and I love you...." He looked up.

"Platonically, of course." Toriho laughed, unconcerned for anyone that might have been sleeping.

"Much better, I look forward to seeing you again and I love you too, though as a friend of course."

"Of course." Archellevon said with a smile, planting one last kiss against the rough knuckle of his friend as a last goodbye. He turned to his door and held the handle before looking back. He smiled warmly and softly, a serene look on his face. They locked gazes for a short few moments before the angel turned the knob and entered, leaving only a drifting feather in his wake.

Toriho smiled before bending down and picking up the feather, admiring it before pocketing the token his friend had left behind to remember him by. He turned on his heel leaving for his own room. The tall man almost stumbled when he saw a horned man standing in the shadows, arms folded and a faint scowl on his face. He was leaning up against the wall, the light above him turned off for the night. He was staring at Toriho.

"So he's going to die...."

"So you heard..." His fingers tightened around the feather as he smiled sadly at Edameonus. The other man looked away.

"I saw you walking together and followed you from the entrance." He admitted sourly, frowning deeper as he remembered the look Archellevon had given Toriho.

"Then you know what he's planning to do for the both of you to be happy." Toriho stepped away from the door and moved to lean against the wall. Edameonus closed his sharp eyes.

"Yes..." He opened them again and sighed.

"He knew I was following too... the bastard..."

"You should be trying to talk to him before tomorrow." He grinned at hearing the man's words as more memories came back to him.

"I can't, you idiot." Edameonus spat, glaring at Toriho.

"I can't be too close to him for a lengthy amount of time. Did you forget the spell placed on him?"

"I never said about being face to face with him, but you could always get within a certain reach of him surely." He stopped in thought as he wondered about the spell cast over his two friends.

"Tch.... it's harder than it sounds..." The other said morbidly, looking away. He paused, looking at Toriho again slowly.

"That kiss..."

"Strictly friends, after all I have a wife back home and he has you." He held up both hands in defense as he smiled at his friend. Edameonus's expression softened.

"I know." He looked to the ground.

"He wouldn't have done it if it was in any other situation... he must truly mean goodbye..."

"It won't be goodbye for long; he said he would come back and find you." Toriho smiled as he thought of Archellevon's words from before.

"It takes an uncertain amount of time for an Angel to reincarnate: some may take only a year, some may take over 1000 years..." He sighed.

"Sometimes if an Angel dies by force they can't at all...." He closed his eyes.

"He's being a fool and taking a risky chance."

"Idiot, you shouldn't just put down what he's trying to do for the two of you." He was careful not to crush the feather in his hand as he glared at Edameonus.

"I never said I wasn't grateful!" The other Ginryan said, glaring back.

"If he wants to do it; fine! But I don't know if not seeing him would be something I could stand for long!" He rubbed his temple.

"I'm sure you would feel the same if Tsumebe-san and you were in our positions. It's a risky chance and I don't know how long I could deal with the outcome."

"Here then, you keep it, I'm sure he wanted you to have it, especially if he knew you were following us." With an out stretched hand, Toriho unwrapped his fingers from the feather and offered it to the man. The horned man shook his head.

"I'm sure he meant it for you." He placed his hands in his pockets.

"He will have something else in store for me. He's clever like that."

"Suit yourself." He grinned before he retracted his hand.

"So are you going to be stalking the hallway all night? Cause after all it is a big day tomorrow." He grinned trying to get the other's mind off of Archellevon for a moment. Edameonus pouted angrily.

"Hey! I wasn't stalking anything!" He turned away with a slight blush, beginning down the walkway.

"We're not supposed to be up that early anyway!"

"You shouldn't be shouting, someone will hear you." He chuckled at Edameonus as he followed.

"I'm not shouting!" The other snapped, proving himself wrong. He growled and shoved his hands deeper in his coat.

"You're annoying as always..."

"And you're still loud." Toriho smiled at his friend.

"Some things just never change." Edameonus grumbled under his breath, walking a little quicker.

"Yeah, yeah, keep talking...." He looked down.

"If he has finally decided that what he saw was inevitable..." He began.

"Things can't be changed if he says it'll happen, you more than anyone else should know that best." He crossed his arms in front of his chest as he kept in stride with the other man. Said other sighed, Edameonus closing his eyes as they entered the elevator-like room.

"If that's so..." He opened his eyes and looked sadly at the buildings across from him.

"...then the beginning of the end of everyone's sadness has started." Toriho smiled as he gazed out across the tall buildings surrounding them.

"He always is one for pulling stunts like that."


	13. They looked down upon our faces

**Mirika-rin: **Please excuse the length of this chapter, the next one will be much longer. ^-^ Not much to say here, just that the angst continues a little longer, and it will appear again sooner than liked.

**Ashine-chan: **Still angsty and a lot of talking going on lol, though the next chapter is huge...we're almost done with this arc of the story! *dances*

* * *

Kurogane rubbed the back of his head, sitting up out of bed. He looked around and noticed it was daytime; the light was shining through the sealed window. He sighed tiredly before moving his legs off the side. Standing, he noticed a new set of clothing sitting in a chair by the door. He blinked and decided that those were the clothes for Court. He took them, going to the bathroom to take care of daily hygienic needs.

Outside the apartment, Kokuyo adjusted his uniform. The officer glared at the door for having to leave Hisui. He took out his own keycard and swiped it, unlocking the door and entering the room. He heard the water going in the bathroom, but it stopped as soon as Kokuyo closed the door. When the officer had waited a couple minutes, he saw Kurogane come out, not bothering to button his shirt until he saw who it was that had come in.

"You."

"Hurry and finish, the sooner we leave the sooner you'll be able to see Sir Fay." Kokuyo stood as he watched Kurogane. Said man raised an eyebrow, but didn't question him on what he meant. He turned on his heel and buttoned up his shirt on the way back to the bathroom. When he came back out, he had shoes and a jacket on.

"Are you gunna keep me out of shackles?" He asked gruffly. The bandages were removed from his wrist and neck, although the wounds were still healing.

"No, you don't seem to want to do any harm; I'll keep them on hand, just in case." Kokuyo smirked before he turned and opened the door, waiting for Kurogane. The other frowned and placed his hands in his pockets, following the Ginryan out wordlessly.

"You're trial won't begin for awhile longer so before then we'll be meeting Sir Fay, your father may also be present when we arrive, but I've not spoken to him so I don't know what his plans are exactly." Both men walked outside the building, the mid-morning sun glaring at them brightly. Kurogane grunted and squinted to see clearly, which made him look like he was pissed off at everything. He looked to the one leading.

"Should this even be allowed?"

"Figured it would keep you from causing a scene and it'll help lessen Sir Fay's stress." The Ginryan ran a hand through his hair as they walked past several people. The other man looked down.

"...Will I see him from a distance?" He asked hesitantly, curious if they would see each other from behind glass or he would have to stay on the other side of the room.

"Nothing like that, it'll be face to face." Kokuyo said with a neutral tone, as he continued to walk forward. He heard Kurogane sigh heavily. The half breed let a bit of the uneasiness wash away. He still wondered if it was alright to bring two supposedly 'dangerous' criminals be together. He didn't question it, in case he accidentally talked himself out of seeing Fay.

Kokuyo continued to walk with Kurogane behind him until t hey reached a large ornate building. The other man raised his eyebrow again, not understanding why this place's buildings were all decorated with elaborate designs and gargoyles. He allowed the other to walk in first before he entered. Kokuyo nodded to a few guards that walked past them as he turned left down a hallway and towards a large wooden door. Kurogane looked at the guards cautiously, waiting for them to block him from going anywhere, but when they didn't he continued to follow Kokuyo until they stopped.

Kokuyo sighed and opened the door, stepping inside quickly he nodded towards the rooms other occupants as he stood to the side and waited for Kurogane. The other dark haired man entered, looking around with his eyes to where the others were. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw who one of the others was.

Fay had his back turned to the door as he faced Dita, having only arrived in the room a few minutes prior. His ears twitched as he heard the door open and the sound of two sets of footsteps entering the room. Turning the blonde had not been expecting to be greeted by Kurogane and Kokuyo so soon. He felt his body stiffen as his eyes met his lover's, unable to move.

Kurogane didn't move either, eyes instantly locking with the blonde's. They stared at each other for a moment, and Dita looked at Kokuyo with a raised eyebrow. It was then that Kurogane walked briskly over to the Valerian and wrapped his mismatched arms around the smaller.

"Kuro-min..." Fay buried his face in the others chest as he wrapped shaky arms around Kurogane. Dita moved over to stand next to Kokuyo, allowing the couple what little privacy they could obtain. She turned to the other officer and gave a faint impression of a smile, seeing that they could give Kurogane and Fay a little bit of happiness. Kurogane sighed heavily, pressing his nose against the blonde tresses. He smirked to himself, noting that the other still smelled like the Earth's shampoo.

Fay smiled before lifting his face to meet Kurogane's gaze. He had since ignored the other occupants in the room as he savored the feeling of the others arms wrapped around him. Kurogane continued to smirk as Fay's blue eyes met his own. For a moment he couldn't believe it was really him, but now that he had his arms around the blonde he knew it was the real thing. He bent his neck, kissing the Valerian wantonly to double check.

Fay removed his arms from Kurogane only to loop them around the taller man's neck as their lips met. He smiled into the kiss, as his body relaxed at the familiar touch. The taller tightened his grip on Fay, strengthening the embrace and the kiss. He winced though, having the blonde's arm against his still healing neck, like he gave a damn about that at the current moment.

Kokuyo and Dita both averted their gazes at the couple in front of them. The officer sighed, hoping he wouldn't have to break them up. Dita crossed her arms, zoning out somewhat to whenever Zima did something similar. She grinned again to herself, knowing what the prisoners were feeling. Kurogane didn't want to pull away, but he slowly ran out of breath, so he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against the others.

"Oi....idiot....."

"Kuro-rin?" Fay said breathlessly as he looked up at Kurogane. The red eyes once again locked with blue.

"I missed you." He admitted lowly, kissing pale lips again chastely.

"The both of you."

"Kuro-daddy was missed too." Slender fingers ran deftly against the side of the taller man's face. Fay smiled feeling a spike in the developing embryo's energy from Kurogane being so close. He found the sensation strange, but chalked it up to the baby's own aura seeking out its parents' energy.

"How is he?" Kurogane asked firmly yet quietly, keeping their conversation as one-on-one as possible.

"And you?"

"Aside from being a little tired, both of us are fine. Though, I was worried about the test results." Fay spoke softly as he took in Kurogane presence, savoring the moment they were allowed to have.

"I heard." The dark haired man mumbled, not taking his eyes off the blonde.

"Nothing bad happened, right? Was it just a mix up or are you really carrying twins?"

"I don't know what was wrong with the machines, but I couldn't feel the aura of another baby." Fay's brow furrowed in worry, the exam still leaving him perplexed.

"Hn." Kurogane grunted, planting a kiss against the pale forehead.

"...So is Yuui going to be shown before or after the trial?"

"Toriho took her, so I don't know." Fay frowned thinking of how Yuui had be gone when he had left. He eyes glanced down and took notice of the red mark peeking above Kurogane's shirt collar.

"Kuro-san's hurt..." His fingers moved to trace over the injury. The other's head moved slightly as one hand removed itself from Fay's back to clasp his hand.

"Ignore it. It'll heal soon enough." He made sure to keep his wrist concealed behind his long sleeve.

"They wouldn't let me go to Earth with any visible injuries."

"It won't make me worry any less." As Kurogane grabbed his hand he smiled sadly thinking of how they would be separated. The human frowned.

"Don't worry over me." He said sharply, squeezing the hand in his real one, leaning forward he kissed Fay again.

"We've already learned we got more important things to worry over."

"Idiot, just because we have Toshihiko to worry about doesn't mean I can't worry over you too." Fay smiled as he was kissed again.

"You're just as important to me." He added. Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"Who said I was talking about him?" He paused.

"Right now we gotta worry about the people who'll give us the trial and if they can sense him."

"They can't do anything again... they already dealt my punishment once, so I'm not really worried about them." His mind went back to Archellevon and Toriho. The taller man sighed.

"Good...." He removed his hands from Fay's and replaced it back to his lover's spine.

"Then all we can do is avoiding getting killed." He said with a smirk.

"Kuro-myu shouldn't take being killed so lightly." Fay mock pouted as he turned his head to the side as he tried to fight off the smile that threatened to show itself. Kurogane took that opportunity to run his nose against the pale cheek.

"Nn. Shut up. First you tell me to quit being so morbid then you tell me to quit being so carefree. You're extremely annoying and fickle." His lover said with a smirk.

"And now Kuro-puppy's being cuddly." Fay felt his cheeks warm at the intimate touch.

"Besides, I thought Kuro-wan liked me being at least annoying?"

"Damn straight." Kurogane mumbled, before sending a dark glare. His grip loosened and he pulled away.

"And who the hell is 'cuddly'?"

"Kuro-wankoro is, of course." He smiled brightly even if he didn't like the other removing his hands from around him. The other bore his teeth in an angry growl.

"Asshole. I don't 'cuddle'." He muttered, letting his hands slip to Fay's hips.

"I physically observe."

"So all this time Kuro-chan's been physically observing me?" Fay brought a finger to his lips as he tried to look deep in thought.

"I'd much rather prefer cuddling." His hand moved to rest atop Kurogane's own as his other gripped his mechanical arm. He smiled up at Kurogane, glad for the banter.

"Of course you would." The other man said with a frown, his metal limb twitching against the touch.

"Then I guess sex is out of the question in the future if Kuro-kun's not willing to cuddle." He removed his hands to cross his arms in an 'X' shape as he smirked at his lover. Kurogane sent a glare to the Valerian.

"You fucker."

"Kuro-rin should learn how to compromise." The blonde crossed his arms across his chest as he met Kurogane's glare. The other sighed, moving his metal arm back around the smaller man to pull him close again.

"Damn you." He grumbled, unable to continue glaring at Fay.

"See, it's not so bad, though you'll need a lot of work to get it just right." Pale fingers gripped the fabric of Kurogane's shirt as he was pulled closer into the taller man's embrace.

"Whatever." The red eyed man growled as he placed his chin on the golden hair, his other hand moving to join the metal one against the blonde's back.

"I'm sure if daddy doesn't learn, I could always cuddle with the baby." Fay smiled at the thought as he was held. Kurogane clicked his tongue.

"Oi, that reminds me. You keep calling me 'daddy'. What would he call you?"

"Well, Kuro-pon has called me 'mommy' before so I guess I can be called that." He chuckled at the memory as he blushed. A dark eyebrow rose again.

"When the hell did I call you that?"

"If I remember correctly you said 'mommy' was being a prick." Fay moved to look up at Kurogane, his face heating at the memory. The man blinked, remembering.

"....Oh yeah...." He chuckled lowly in reminiscence, kissing the pale cheek.

"Alright then."

"Kuro-pervy remembers now." Fay laughed.

"Would you drop the nicknames, idiot?" the other said in exasperation, pulling his face away from Fay's so he could give him another glare.

"Kuro-pyon said I sounded funny when I said his name." Fay poked the other's chest as he smiled.

"Ok then, stop with the outlandish nicknames." Kurogane growled agitatedly.

"Damn you're annoying."

"And Kuro-daddy's a grump." Fay pouted as he heard Kurogane growling.

"It's a wonder how you two get along at all, hearing you talk like that." Kurogane flinched and turned sharply when hearing a familiar voice.

"D-dad?! How long have you...?!" Toriho smiled from the doorway, having Dita and Kokuyo bow to him slightly.

"Oh I just arrived a few seconds ago." He looked to Fay and was about to say something before all the color in his face drained along with his smile. Fay cowered behind Kurogane, not liking the other man's reaction, his hands tightened their grip on his lover's shirt. Toriho stared with wide eyes at the mostly hidden man, his hand moving slowly to point.

"He...." Kurogane glared at his father and his grip protectively tightened.

"Yeah. He is." He said darkly; he'd be damned if he was going to risk losing a lover and child again to his father.

"Kuro-san..." Fay buried his face against the other's chest as fear gripped him. He had been nervous about meeting Toriho again and now that he saw the man's face, he wasn't sure what would happen. Toriho took a step closer and Kurogane's real hand shot out, it glowing a slight red. Kurogane was a little taken aback at this, having it never happen before (that he could recall), but he ignored it as he glared threateningly at his father.

"Come any closer and I swear to fucking God I'll rip your head right off."

"Don't, you'll be hurt again if you fight." Fay looked up to see Kurogane's head turned to his father. Kokuyo and Dita stood posed to break them apart if anything happened. Kurogane's eyes looked down to Fay briefly, before he looked once again to his father. Toriho's fists clenched and he swallowed. He slowly brought his vision to the blonde, then to Kurogane again.

"...You realize I can't protect the infant any more than you can, Youou." Kurogane growled.

"Like I give a damn; at least I'll try to protect him from you."

"Please stop..."Fay removed his hands from Kurogane's shirt to wrap around his waist as he pleaded with the other man. He didn't want another incident like the one that had occurred on the ship. The metal arm around his back moved to wrap around Fay's shoulders, shielding him completely from Toriho's vision. The other father looked at Kurogane sadly and sighed.

"I don't want to fight you, Youou." He began.

"Nor am I going to." Kurogane didn't move, and the Ginryan looked down.

"Looks like this one's fate rests with its mother." Kurogane stared for a moment, before lowering his hand, the glowing ceasing gradually.

"Thank you." Fay's voice was partially muffled as he held Kurogane tightly. He was relieved by the older man's words, glad that there wouldn't be anymore blood shed. Kurogane's grip didn't remove itself for another second before his hand slipped down to rest where it was before. He looked down to the blonde without expression, though his eyes showed that he was just as relieved as Fay was.

Kokuyo looked between the three men before turning to Dita in confusion. She met his gaze and shook her head deftly. He sighed and relaxed as he watched their prisoners. Fay moved to look briefly at Toriho, he had felt guilty for thinking the man would cause him harm, but on the other hand he couldn't afford to trust everyone. Toriho looked back to Fay and smiled sadly.

"....Sorry that I had scared you..." He said softly, placing his hands in his pockets.

"....So that's why Archellevon didn't want me to see you last night..." Kurogane blinked and looked between his father and lover.

"Yes." Fay continued to look at Toriho as Kurogane held him. He offered the other man a smile as they stared at each other. The father glanced about awkwardly.

"... I.... I came to escort one of you to the trial..." Dita stood straight.

"Is it time?" The man being questioned nodded.

"Kuro-chu..." Fay hugged Kurogane tightly as Toriho spoke, not wanting to let go of the other man as he knew where they were about to go. Kurogane's grip tightened as well, his head turning to rest atop Fay's hair again. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Come on... the sooner we get this over and done with the better." He pulled away from Fay and looked into the blue eyes again, not really wanting to leave either.

"Who's going to be taking us?" Fay turned his head to face the other three in the room as he savored the last few seconds he would probably share with Kurogane for awhile.

"I'll be taking you, Fay-chan." Toriho said with an apologetic smile as Kurogane shot a glare over to him. He then looked over to Kokuyo.

"He will be taking Youou. You both have to enter at different times so your being together goes unnoticed..." He said softly, looking back to Kurogane and Fay. The blonde nodded in agreement before he slowly removed himself from Kurogane's hold. He turned towards Toriho and sighed ready to follow the older man. The other Ginryan turned as well, moving toward the door. Before Fay could follow him out, Kurogane caught his arm and made Fay face him, lips once again being planted on the pale ones. Kokuyo closed his eyes and sighed inwardly, pitying them and nauseated by them at the same time. Fay smiled in to the kiss, the urge to tease Kurogane overwhelming as both of them stood there.

"Kuro-sama's such a romantic." He cooed as he smiled at his lover. Kurogane smirked for once, pulling away only slightly.

"Not my damn fault, you ass." He muttered lowly. Toriho smiled to himself as he leaned against the outside of the door, waiting for the couple to part.

"Kuro-chan needs on work on his pet names too, but I'll forgive him this time." Fay smiled warmly at the taller man.

"Tch. Like I'd call you any of that mushy shit." Kurogane murmured, giving the smaller one more kiss.

"Kuro-kun should try sometime." Fay chuckled as he parted from Kurogane. The taller man just smirked as he stood straight and placed his hands in his pockets, looking at Fay as he left. Toriho backed away from the wall and turned to the blonde, ready for taking him in front of the Court members. Fay continued to smile as he was walked out of the room. He was glad he had been able to see Kurogane beforehand it had helped lift his spirits. Toriho began to stroll down the white and empty hallway, his footsteps ricocheting off of the walls.

"You sure seem happier." The man said, though he still felt terrible about his reaction to knowing Fay was still pregnant.

"Kuro-grump seems to do that, but I think it's more or less the teasing." Fay smiled before he turned his head to look at the older man. His smile faded as he saw the look on the other's face.

"I'm sorry I thought you would hurt the baby..." Toriho shook his head.

"It's understandable... you must've seen what had happened to Claudina..." The man sighed, though he smiled.

"...At least I know one of my grandchildren might make it...."

"I know he will, he's stubborn like Kuro-rin." Fay chuckled at how Kurogane would react to that. The other man raised an eyebrow in a very Kurogane-esque way.

"He? You've decided on the gender?"

"Kuro-rinta said boys run in your family, so we assumed it would be." Fay moved his hand to rest lightly against his abdomen, a warm smile spread on his face. Toriho couldn't help but smile at the blonde, seeing that he was truly pleased to know he was carrying Kurogane's child.

"Really. He told you that?"

"Yes....he even gave him a name." Fay spoke softly as he lost himself to thoughts of their son. This made the other man stop, looking at Fay as if he had a set of wings sprouting from his forehead.

"....He.... he gave it a name?"

"Toshihiko." He spoke the name gently as he looked back to Toriho. The puzzle clicked together in the dark haired man's head as he stared at Fay. His mouth, which had been hanging slightly open, clenched.

"T...Toshihiko?" He looked down to the floor.

"So.... So Archellevon knows about the child."

"Yes, he knew." Fay frowned as he thought of the man. He thought back to what the man had told him about Kurogane. Toriho frowned and sighed.

"I see.... He knows a lot more than he should sometimes...." He said, mostly to himself as he began walking again.

"I'm going to assume that he's ignoring the fact of any relation he'd have with you in this situation to be unbiased."

"Yes...both of us knew that." Fay smiled as they continued walking towards the Court. The chancellor turned the corner and looked at the grand hall ahead of them.

"...Are you prepared for this Fay-chan?"

"No, but that won't stop me from going." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as the stood next to each other. Toriho nodded and walked forward onto a platform. He motioned for Fay to follow, and when he did the platform moved up into another floor Fay had no idea that was there.

As they surfaced to the next level, Fay could clearly see that it was a very court like setting, only the Court Hall was as gargantuan as the Grand Hall below. There were two stands that stood in the middle of the room and a long round table that curved the side of the room a couple feet higher than the podiums, ten empty chairs awaiting the Court members.

"I would have thought the Court members would be waiting for us." Fay scanned the room as they stopped and walked off the platform.

"They are waiting." Toriho said quietly, moving forward. When doing so, he stepped through a barrier that Fay didn't see. It moved like fabric when the taller man entered and looked back. His mouth moved, but no voice reached the Valerian's ears. He blinked and then waved with his hand before turning. He took a step forward and vanished. Fay stepped forward cautiously only to find himself nearly bumping into Toriho. Before him sat the entire Court, each one of them watching him, as he moved.

Towards the center of the table he saw Yuuko sitting quietly. There was also Archellevon, sitting luxuriously clad in a wrap of silk with a calm smile draped lazily on his face. On the opposite side of the table sat Edameonus, arms folded and scowl present. Next to him sat a man with spiky white and black hair and a monocle, and next where a blonde and a girl with pink hair. In the middle sat Yuuko and the man with circle glasses. By the man one of the two was Saiga and Kakei, though Fay didn't know who they were, and lastly Hisui and Archellevon.

They straightened in their chairs, except for Archellevon and the man with shades, the angel smiling in familiarity to the Valerian. The two in the middle watched Fay intently, Yuuko leaning back in her chair as the blonde's face was recognized. Toriho walked forward, stopping in the middle of the room.

"Supreme Court." He nodded with a smile. Fay followed, staying behind Toriho as he spoke to the members. He averted his gaze, not wanting to lock gazes with any of them even if he was comforted by Archellevon.

The Court members nodded curtly back and the man on the same level of Fay turned and smiled.

"Fay-chan, if you would move to the left stand." Fay walked slowly as he did what he was told. He stood now, away from Toriho and faced the gazes of the Court members on him.

Toriho looked to the entrance, seeing Kurogane enter then with shackles on. They weren't heavy or even necessary, but it was protocol, so he dealt with it. He stood at the other podium, glaring at the members.

Yuuko sat back up straight, her long finger flicking to a globe above them. It flashed, a bright set of that world's number system coming on. She looked to Fay with a sad smile.

"This Court is now in session."


	14. And even they pitied us and our fate

**Mirika-rin:** -deflates- it's completely my fault for not keeping this updated. Dl I was super packed with homework and topped with not one, but TWO cherries (called commissions x.x). -sigh- BUT WE FINALLY GET TO THE COURT. -squee- now we will see how things start to go owo

**Ashine-chan:** Not much goes on....there is some fluff and a lot of talking and foreshadowing of more angst to come. XD

**Mirika-rin: **just like every other damn chapter, basically -shot-

* * *

The woman looked at dark haired man sitting next to her then, her hands folding on the desk.

"Shall I read the accusations?" She smiled.

"Clow?"

"Of course." He spoke airily as he nodded a faint smile on his face as he looked to the woman. Kurogane turned his vision from the woman to Fay quickly, half wanting to listen to something they had heard so many times over already. Fay's face warmed as he felt Kurogane's gaze on him. He tried to focus on what Yuuko was saying as he tried to force back his blush. Yuuko couldn't help but smile wider before looking down to her papers.

"Youou Kurogane Suwa, later changed to Kurogane Youou Suwa, age 23 on Earth, 92 on Valeria and other planets from the Tsubasa Solar System." she looked at the man, starting with him.

"A week ago on Earth terms you took in a Valerian, assumed kidnapped at first." She quoted from the paper, making Kurogane's eyes sharply glare at her.

"And three days after you preformed life-productive activities with said Valerian, which is against rule number 1649." She paused, looking at the description of the rule. Fay flushed as he noticed the amused glint in the woman's eyes as she read off Kurogane's crimes. He noted that the tall man sitting close to Yuuko grinned as well.

"Rule number 1649 clearly states: 'A planet seen unfit for life continuation shall be put to rest under the label 'Abandon', and other worlds shall refrain from assisting population of said planet's lineage'." She blinked and looked to Kurogane.

"...'Any actions to thwart this law shall be contrived with castigation seen fit of the numeral times actions take place'.... It says here..." She blinked again.

"These actions took place... 11 times...." Fay blushed as he noticed the same man from before adjust his sunglasses to cover his smile, while other members seemed a bit embarrassed themselves. Though he supposed it did explain why they were treated as high criminals. Toriho's eyebrows rose as he looked at his son and the man's lover, surprised at how much they had got it on. Yuuko shook her head slightly and exhaled.

"On top of that, you assaulted officers while being taken into custody, not to mention countless guards before and during the transportation. I've received word of being punished for the 'during'." Kurogane growled lowly, it rumbling throughout the room. Fay looked over to his lover as he heard him growl. He silently pleaded for the other to stop before he angered anyone. They could talk all they wanted just as soon as Yuuko finished. Yuuko seemed un-phased by the half breed's threat.

"And lastly, you attacked the officers aboard the ship." Toriho blinked and smiled awkwardly.

"Uhm, excuse me, Madame Yuuko, but Sir Youou has received punishment for that." The woman's eyes landed on him and she shook her head.

"The guards wounded and killed were the only ones charged for, for they are strictly aboard the ships. The officers were only there for escorting prisoners." Toriho's faced fell.

"Y-you're saying he's still in need of punishment for the ship incident?!" She nodded.

"That is correct." The blonde's breath hitched as he listened to Yuuko's words. He looked over to Kurogane as a wave of fear washed over him. He hadn't thought there would be anything else his lover would be punished for. The Court Superior looked over to Fay then, pulling out a different sheet.

"Fay D. Fluorite, age 22 on Earth, 88 on Valeria and any other planets from the Tsubasa Solar System.... A little over four months Valeria time you left on a space craft without paperwork, making it an illegal trip." She looked down to read again.

"You also willingly joined in pro-life actions with an Earthling 11 times." She looked to his stomach.

"You were punished unjustly for the ship's activities, so the re-insertion of the infant will be overlooked." Fay's eyes widened in shock at the woman's words. They had known; his mind reeled from the news, though it seemed that the Court had no intention of taking Toshihiko from him again. While Yuuko and Archellevon had known, some of the members leaned over to others to whisper. Yuuko waited for the conversations to stop before she continued.

"It is true that Sir Kurogane is half Ginryan, and if he were full Ginryan this court would not be held." She looked to the man.

"But being half human and being born on Earth's soil, he is counted as an Earthling, and therefore illegal." Fay bit his lower lip to keep himself from talking before they were allowed to. He had wanted to defend him and his lover, but knew it would be frowned upon by the other members if he just started blurting out things. The woman saw Fay's tension, smiling sadly.

"And Sir Fay, being previously courted without any means of properly separating, it will be held against you for eloping with this Earthling." Toriho took a step forward.

"Madame Yuuko, please! Sir Ashura did not court with valid intentions and it should be counted as void!" Kurogane looked to Fay, stunned that there were rules against such things. Fay averted his gaze from the Court members to look down to the ground as Ashura was mentioned. He hadn't thought the man would be brought up in the

trial; it had only served to bring back painful memories. Yuuko sighed, folding her hands.

"Nevertheless, the intentions for courting were still intentions..."

"Yuuko-san, that's being a little harsh, don't you think?" Piped up the blonde with brown eyes, making the woman look to him instead.

"Kohaku-san, it's a very serious matter; to court whilst already being courted. It's the equivalent to being engaged and seeing another person at the same time."

"But...his heart, it wasn't given to Sir Fay..." The pink haired girl beside Kohaku clasped her hands over her heart as she spoke. Fay felt himself smiling sadly at the girl's words as she addressed Yuuko. The woman stared at the two from a different world.

"....Are you implying that the relationship between Sir Ashura and Sir Fay wasn't as intense as his with Sir Kurogane?" Toriho folded his arms behind him.

"If I may add; Madame Kobato referred to what would most likely be the engagement; simply courting is not officially betrothed." Yuuko looked to him and raised an eyebrow.

"I see... very well then...Sir Fay's aura has blended with Sir Youou's...I'm sure you can see it....they are linked." She smiled gently towards both men as Kohaku smiled beside her as well. Fay was surprised at the two young members standing up for him and Kurogane. Toriho's insistence was also a little surprising as well, but he supposed the man was there to help them in any way he could.

"True, they are linked..." Mumbled Edameonus from the corner.

"But that doesn't mean Earth's traditions assumes they'll stay together from now on." Archellevon sat up and smiled.

"But Valerian and Ginryan traditions do. Once auras are combined like such, it is often difficult to separate without dying." He smiled wider.

"You should know this."

"Earth's people are not the only ones who break bonds easily, so it's not fair to judge such matters." The blonde man next to Archellevon said as he joined in on the conversation.

"Though Archellevon is right, their aura's intertwining will mean it will be difficult for them to separate themselves from each other." The man with the monocle looked over to the angels.

"Which brings the subject of disabuse about." Edameonus looked at the other member from his planet.

"What do you mean, Reed-san?" The other man then brought his vision to Kurogane and Fay.

"They're not going to be broken apart easily, so the memory wipe would be a difficult process." Yuuko placed a hand against her chin.

"This is true...."

"Only if they were together would it be a problem. Sir Youou will be taken back to Earth while Sir Fay will return to Valeria." Clow continued to smile as he spoke. Kohaku and Kobato looked worriedly towards the elder man as Fay watched the exchange.

"Their bodies would remember." Yuuko said softly, looking at Kurogane. He stared back, feeling slightly odd that he had said the exact same thing earlier. Kakei turned to Yuuko.

"Madame, if we can't proceed with the mind wipes, what do you suggest?" She held up her hand.

"The matters of punishment shall be discussed a little further down the road. I heard you had something to show me, Chancellor Toriho?" Fay turned his gaze to Toriho knowing what the man was going to show. Though Yuuko's words had worried him. If they decided against a mind wipe, they wouldn't be prepared for anything. Toriho smiled brightly as he looked over his shoulder.

"Yes." He watched as a hole in the floor came about, bringing up a glass case. It showed Yuui sleeping, her hands resting against her blinking stomach. Kohaku stood in his seat.

"By the skies.... is she alive?" The chancellor continued to smile.

"That is the matter; she is neither live nor dead. A computer." This sent a wave of murmurs about.

"Are you using this as a bargaining chip for your son?" Fei Wang said as he scanned over the container containing Yuui, weary of the android.

"My relations with Sir Youou are irrelevant in Court, Sir Fei Wang." Toriho said with a smile, moving over to the case. He pressed a button on the side and the glass vanished to the side.

"I am merely showing you what he has created from Earth." The angel next to Archellevon blinked.

"Sir Youou created that from Earth?" Kurogane sighed, not liking how they were calling Yuui a 'that' instead of 'she'.

"What is it that she does?" Kobato looked at Yuui in awe as Clow watched in amusement. Fay knew it was a good sign to see the Court members surprised by Yuui, he just hoped it would be good enough. Toriho looked to the Superiors.

"If I may, I need Sir Youou to assist me in activation." He said before looking to his son. Kurogane received a nod from Yuuko and turned, walking over to the android. He allowed his father to un-cuff him before pulling Yuui into a sitting position. He wasn't sure how he felt about the elaborate clothing she had on.

"....Oi.... Yuui.... Wake up...." Slowly blue eyes blinked open to register Kurogane's voice. Yuui's head tilted up to look at her creator.

"Master Kurogane is here." She smiled briefly before she turned to see Fay watching her.

"And User Fay is here." She looked to Kurogane again and pouted.

"Where did Master Kurogane go? Yuui was afraid that Kurogane didn't 'dating' with Fay anymore." The man twitched and forced down a blush as the child-like doll informed his dad that Kurogane told her the blonde and he were dating.

"Dammit Yuui. I told you I'm not your master." She smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, Kurogane."

"It's capable of speech..." Saiga straightened up in his chair as he watched Kurogane and Yuui interacting. Fay smiled as he listened to Yuui, glad she was okay.

"Yes, and emotions... and reactions...." Archellevon informed, sitting back in his chair. The girl looked up to the court members.

"Warning Kurogane; strangers in the room! Receiving high levels of energy from unidentified persons. Friends or foes?" Kurogane looked up to the court. He'd have loved to see Yuui's defense system triggered against the Superiors, but he stopped himself from activating it.

"Friends." Fay shuddered at the thought of what would happen if Yuui had decided to attack.

"Amazing, she seems so life like." Kohaku leaned forward in his chair to get a better look at Yuui.

"Her name is Yuui then?" Clow smiled at the android as Kurogane spoke to her. The creator looked to Clow.

"Yuui...Youth Under Uranium Ignition." He placed a hand on the girl's head.

"Uranium?" Hisui looked to Archellevon questioningly, who merely shrugged and smiled.

"It's an Earth metal, one that's not the easiest to work with." Yuui clicked then and Kurogane removed his hand. She blinked and looked to the members with a huge smile.

"Hello! I'm Youth Under Uranium Ignition! Yuui! It's nice to meet you!"

"Ah, it's nice to meet you Yuui." Clow smiled fondly at the android as she returned his smile. Kohaku smiled fondly at the robot, as did Hisui and Archellevon. Yuuko leaned forward, waving to the Court.

"Hello, child. We are the Supreme Galactic Council. I'm Yuuko, the head of the Court." She smiled.

"I'm sure you have no idea what's going on." Kurogane looked at her with a menacing gaze as Yuui gave a curious and nervous glance.

"....What... what is going on, Lady Yuuko?" Fei Wang continued to look at Yuui skeptically as Edameonus crossed his arms, not wanting to look impressed. Kakei and Saiga watched amused at he interaction as Fay sighed in relief. He was glad the Court was taking a liking to Yuui; it could only mean good things for them. Yuuko sighed and folded her hands.

"Yuui, your creator, Sir Youou, or as you call him 'Kurogane', and Fay have done something to create life." Kurogane looked at the girl, who simply smiled.

"Yes, I know." She looked over to Fay and waved cutely.

"Hi User Fay and Baby-chan!" Fei Wang sat back, a little startled by this.

"Hello Yuui." Fay smiled sheepishly in return as Yuui waved at him. Kobato clapped her hands in joy as she smiled, while Saiga snickered. The man holding Yuui looked to his father.

"Did you put her walking system back in?" Toriho blinked, confused for a moment before smiling and nodding.

"Yes; the wiring was a little different than what I was used to, but I think I did it right." Yuui looked to her master.

"Do you want Yuui to do a scan for programming?" Kurogane nodded. Everyone watched as Yuui's eyes slanted and darkened as she ran a scan on herself.

"All systems are functioning." Yuui spoke in a monotone voice as her scan finished. Kurogane sighed and stood back a little, taking the doll's hand.

"You wanna walk around?" He asked, and the robot smiled.

"Yes, Kurogane." She moved her legs experimentally before swinging them over the side of the platform she was on. She then held her creator's arms to help her stand. Her fingers flinched when she felt metal and looked up sadly.

"Kurogane... you're still like me..."

"Impressive." Kakei smiled as he propped his chin up with his hand. Fei Wang rose an

eyebrow as Yuui began walking. In turn Fay smiled sadly as he heard Yuui's words and at seeing her upset over Kurogane's arm. The dark haired man frowned and shook his head.

"It won't heal, idiot." The girl looked down, pouting.

"Yuui feared as much...." She looked back up and tilted her head.

"Does this mean that Kurogane is now related to me?" The man raised his eyebrow and Archellevon giggled silently. Yuuko hid her smile behind her hand as Clow smiled fondly at Yuui's innocence. Fay simply shook his head at the android's antics.

"You're worse than he is." Kurogane said in regards to his lover. He flicked his head in the direction of the counsel.

"Now listen to them, they ain't done talking to you." He said in a fatherly way, making Kohaku place his hands on his chest. The android looked to the counsel with a smile.

"There is more to the story? Is Baby-chan coming soon?" Fay blushed and covered his face with a hand as did a few other members of the Court.

"No, Yuui." Fay said tiredly. The girl blinked and tilted her head, looking to Yuuko. The woman smiled sadly.

"Yuui, what your creator and Sir Fay did to create 'baby-chan'... it was illegal..." The robot blinked and frowned.

"Oh... well... Yuui was illegal too..." Kurogane flinched and looked down.

"That is something that doesn't pertain to his trial as you were from Earth as well." Hisui spoke up as he tried to clarify things. The android nodded in understanding.

"So there is no problem." Yuuko frowned.

"Unfortunately, Yuui, there is. You see... Sir Fay is not from Earth." The girl blinked and smiled.

"He's from the stars?"

"Partially, but it still means he and Sir Fay are in trouble." Kakei spoke softly as he leaned back in his chair. Fay looked to Yuui, he hoped she wouldn't be too sad when she realized what was going to happen.

"In trouble? For what? For loving?" She pouted again, her mechanical heart beating faster as the robotic thoughts of sadness ran through her head. Yuuko looked down.

"There are some things in this galaxy that are simply not meant to be, child." She looked back up.

"Sir Fay and Sir Youou are to be separated, and 'baby-chan' has the probability of being taken away as well." Yuui's expression fell. Fay watched sadly as Yuui stopped smiling, he had wanted to comfort the android, but knew he wouldn't be allowed to leave his own stand. The girl shook her head.

"No... you can't separate Fay and Kurogane.... Yuuko can't do that...." She shook her head more as her shoulders started to shake. The woman gave the droid a sad gaze.

"Yuui, please-"

"Why do you have to separate them!? That's not fair to Baby-chan! Yuui only has one creator, Baby-chan should be luckier than Yuui!" The blue eye coloring slipped down her face slowly as she spoke.

"It seems that Yuui, despite not being truly alive, has developed something special." Clow's smile faded as he saw the girl shedding tears, even if they weren't real.

"She has gained a heart." Kohaku nodded in understanding.

"Yuui is very loved if she is able to show regret." Kobato smiled brightly beside her friend. Fay looked away from Yuui, not wanting to see her face; he had known it would be hard for her to handle the news. The girl continued to cry, her hands being held tightly against her chest with her shoulders quivering. Kurogane sighed and wrapped his real arm around her, and instantly the droid moved to sob in his chest.

"Oi, Yuui, stop crying." She shook her head and looked to the council, her robotic hand clinging to Kurogane's jacket.

"Please... please let Yuui stay with Kurogane and Fay and Baby-chan... as a family..."

"At the end we will come to a decision on the matter." Fei Wang kept his gaze neutral as he looked to Yuui. Fay bit his lip, distressed as he listened to Yuui cry and plead.

"Yuui, look at me." She heard Kurogane say and immediately, if not slowly, she looked up to see Kurogane's face. He moved the metal hand to wipe away the coloring from her cheeks.

"In the end, things will turn out ok. If we're separated, at least you'll be with one of us." The girl allowed another tear to slip.

"B-But Yuui was made to look like Fay..." She looked to Fay.

"Yuui would be sad every time Yuui would see herself..."

"You will be returned to Sir Youou if he is not executed for his crimes." Hisui said as he watched Yuui, a troubled expression on his face. Fay could feel a smile spreading on his lips at Yuui's explanation.

"WHAT?!" The girl squeaked loudly, looking to Kurogane in distress.

"K-Kurogane! Master Kurogane! Creator Kurogane! You can't die! You can't leave Yuui! You can't leave Fay!" The man's brow furrowed.

"That's enough."

"If he can persuade us to choose otherwise he won't be, but he will be separated from Sir Fay." Kakei spoke as he looked to Yuui.

"P-persuade? Why does Kurogane need to persuade you?" She said sadly.

"He was in love, it might be against the law, but Yuui was too, a-and Baby-chan needs both his parents..."

"Yuui...please stop." Fay asked quietly, still not willing to look over towards the android and Kurogane. He knew if he did he wouldn't be able to keep himself from making even more of a mess of things. He wrapped his arms loosely around his abdomen as he looked to the ground.

"Fay..." Yuui said suddenly, pulling away from Kurogane. The man flinched when he saw Yuui shakily walk over to Fay, her footsteps wobbly. Her hand touched Fay's arm.

"Fay.... Fay.... Yuui doesn't want Fay to not be family anymore... Yuui d-doesn't want Kurogane to leave...." She wiped her face.

"Yuui wanted Baby-chan to have a father and aunt and mommy..." She hiccupped and Kurogane sighed lowly.

"Things can't go back to the way they were, you'll be going back with Kurogane and I won't be going with you." Fay smiled as he finally faced her. Her face contorted with sadness.

"W-what Fay is saying... c-can't be t-true...." Her hand fell from Fay's shoulder and she stood there, crying. Fei Wang sighed and folded his arms while Kohaku gave the robot a worried look. Archellevon suddenly stood, making the court members look to him. He smiled.

"I fear there is a new situation presented to us. We shall discuss this now. Request for a 15 minute break." All eyes fell to the slender man.

"Then we shall leave, Souhi will watch over things here until we return." Clow nodded and rose followed by Kakei and Yuuko. The other's followed suit and exited the room. Fay looked over to Toriho questioningly. The man looked back to him and smiled.

"Yuui sure put on a show didn't she?" Kurogane growled and walked over to the two blondes.

"Dad, shut up." He grabbed Yuui with one arm.

"Calm it, idiot."

"Yuui was showing anything, Yuui was serious; Fay can't leave." She looked dejectedly up to Kurogane as he grabbed her.

"I know. But things can't be changed." He said with a deeper frown. His eyes looked up to Fay.

"We're being punished for something that one shouldn't be punished for." Toriho folded his arms and frowned. Fay smiled and looked away. He didn't know what would happen to them now after Archellevon's quick leave with the rest of the Court. Yuui quivered again and leaned her forehead against Kurogane's real arm.

"Yuui didn't mean to make Kurogane upset... Yuui just doesn't want her family to disappear..." Toriho walked forward and placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.

"You shouldn't worry about things like that; you probably saved Youou's life." Yuui looked up, her tear-streaked face making her look pitiful.

"R...Really?"

"Yes, Yuui saved Kuro-rin." Fay smiled as he tried to reassure the android.

"You've been a big help to all of us." The droid regained her smile and looked to Kurogane, who placed a hand on her head. Toriho smiled at this and looked to the door where the council members had just exited.

"Let's hope they agree." Archellevon looked away from the Chancellor as soon as red eyes fell against him and he smiled to the rest of the members in the room.

"So... what are the opinions of Yuui amongst the Council?"

"It's obviously something that none of us have ever seen before." Fei Wang crossed his arms over his chest as he looked to Archellevon.

"We could use her to create all sorts of things." Kobato smiled, still amazed by the android.

"This is true," Yuuko interjected.

"But using her without Sir Youou's knowledge or permission is something we simply cannot do." Kohaku stepped forward.

"Then... I suggest removing all possibilities of a death sentence." Edameonus frowned and folded his arms as well.

"Usually such crimes as the ones they did _require_ that the most dangerous be put to rest. It doesn't help that he's from a planet under the 'Abandon' label."

"We won't be able to duplicate the computer if we kill its creator; Sir Youou's the only one who fully understands her capabilities." Kakei spoke as he stood beside Saiga.

"I agree with Kakei, his sentence should be reduced or we risk loosing the android." Hisui added as he looked to Yuuko. Kohaku folded his hands behind his back.

"It sounds like we're doing this for personal gain." Saiga placed a hand on the smaller man's shoulder.

"We're doing this to benefit the rest of the Galaxy." Yuuko smiled and nodded.

"Then all we need now is a vote. All who agree with Hisui's comment, please announce your opinion." Kohaku raised his hand immediately.

"Aye!"

"Aye!" Kobato jumped as she raised her hand, smiling brightly. Kakei and Saiga both chuckled at the girl enthusiasm before they said the same.

"Aye." Hisui closed his eyes as a light smile spread on his lips.

"...Aye." Archellevon said smoothly, resting his elbows in his palms. Edameonus looked to him and smirked.

"Aye." Fei Wang looked to Clow and Yuuko before sighing.

"Given the circumstances, I suppose agreeing would be most beneficial." Yuuko smiled knowingly to him and looked at Clow.

"Then Aye for the both of us. And you Clow?"

"How could I disagree, Yuui will help not only us but everyone. Aye." Clow smiled and some of the older members knew that the man had meant more than just the people of their planets. Yuuko smiled to the rest of the counsel.

"Then it's decided; Sir Youou shall not, under any circumstances of this trial, be placed under the death sentence." Archellevon closed his eyes and smiled cryptically before glancing out to Kurogane, who was helping Yuui dry her face.

"Goddamn, Yuui, you got it everywhere." He scolded as he tried to wipe her cheek clean. She giggled.

"Sorry, Kurogane."

"And Kuro-san says he's not good with others." Fay smiled as watched Kurogane scold his creation. Red eyes glanced up to Fay.

"And I'm not." Yuui giggled more and pulled away from the tan hand to wipe the leftover blue away.

"Kurogane is good to me." She informed, making the man blush a little. Toriho laughed lightly and placed a hand on the girl's head.

"He's nice to everyone if they're lucky!" She looked to him with a confused look before smiling.

"Dad! stop that...."

"Kuro-pon just wants everyone to think he's a grump when he's really just a big softie." Fay smiled, glad for the change the Court's leaving had brought. Kurogane glared and pointed a finger at Fay.

"_You_ be quiet!" Toriho placed a hand on the pointing hand and laughed.

"Knock it off, Youou! You'll end up hurting somebody!" Kurogane jerked away, menacingly looking at his father. Yuui frowned and tilted her head.

"Kurogane... what will happen if Yuui is..." She looked down.

"If Yuui isn't with her creator?" Kurogane blinked and looked to Fay.

"..."

"Yuui will be fine...I'm sure whoever takes her will be good to her." Fay smiled to the girl as he met Kurogane's gaze. The thought of the Court taking her apart had crossed his mind, but surely Kurogane could give them schematics or blueprints.

"Yeah..." The dark haired man looked back down.

"You... You'll be fine." Yuui smiled and took Kurogane's metal hand and lifted it up.

"We're just alike. Both metal, both flesh. Both have feelings, both have thoughts." She smiled wider. "Why is Yuui not Kurogane's child? Yuui wants to be Kurogane's child." The half breed raised an eyebrow and sighed.

"You're a funky kid, then."

"In a way Yuui is." Fay offered the android his own thoughts on the matter; he just hoped it would be enough for her.

"Kuro-min might not have fathered you in the regular sense of the word, but he did create Yuui." She smiled brightly, beaming to Fay.

"So... Yuui is Kurogane's first child?" The man folded his arms and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." She heard this and squealed excitedly and looped her arms around Kurogane's fake one.

"Can I call you Kuro-daddy now?!"

"Fuck. No."

"Youou, that's no way to talk to your child."

"Shut up dad! You have no say in my parenting skills!"

"Kuro-kun shouldn't swear in front of his daughter." Fay scolded as he teased the other man. He smiled, glad Yuui wasn't upset anymore. Toriho shook his head at the blonde as he smirked.

"I'll swear whenever I damn well please, Blondie!" Kurogane snapped, and Yuui squeezed his arm tighter.

"Yuui likes Daddy the way he is now; swearing, anger, it just makes him him!" The one she was holding onto looked down at her with raised eyebrows.

"Where the hell did you come up with that?" She shrugged.

"Yuui made it up."

"Kuro-daddy will teach Yuui and baby bad habits." He could only imagine having a toddler that swore like Kurogane. Said man's brow furrowed.

"Yuui knows better than to pick up what I say. That kid will too." Toriho planted his hand on top of Kurogane's spikes.

"Not if you keep up the language, squirt." His son shot a vehement glare at him. Yuuko smiled from the back room.

"They really are a close family, aren't they?"

"Yes, but they still have to be held responsible for what they've done." Fei Wang spoke as he watched with the rest of the members the scene that had unfolded in their absence.

"I said nothing to disagree with you, Fei Wang." She replied, watching as Kurogane lifted Yuui up in order to pull her away. She squealed and reached for Fay for help.

"It just saddens me to see that such laws are in place to force such love apart." Kohaku frowned and looked away.

"We all agree, but none of us have taken the step up to the plate. The laws are unfair and unjust to the time we live in, but no one will rewrite them..."

"There's nothing that says we can't, it's just it hard for others to accept change. Especially if the same laws have been held for millennia." Hisui clasped his hands to his chest as he watched. Yuui was then set down, and she walked over to hug Fay. Edameonus frowned.

"That droid's knowledge... it would thwart any attempt at a successful mind wipe." Saiga clicked his tongue.

"That android said that she was made to look like Sir Fay... it would make things worse."

"Its memory would have to be blocked or reprogrammed, she could still keep her appearance. Sir Youou may only think it was the computer he was thinking of if any memories of Sir Fay resurface." Kakei said as he stood between both men.

"That is a good idea, Kakei." Yuuko said slowly, turning away from the scene.

"Chancellor Souhi would know how to do something like that, I'm sure." Archellevon frowned, but kept to himself.

"Then it's settled; Yuui will just be reprogrammed and Sir Youou will have his mind wiped." Kobato said, a small frown marring her features.

"Sir Fay will be taken to Valeria as well, wouldn't he?" Kohaku said as he stood beside Kobato, an equal look of worry on his face. Yuuko turned to the two youngest members.

"It is not set in stone with what will happen, you two. Sir Youou and Sir Fay will tell us their sides of the story, and then we'll place judgment over it." She looked back out to Yuui, who was talking to Toriho.

"The things they say could turn our decision in either way; for better... or for worse."

"Then shall we return to hear their stories?" Hisui interjected as the two members from Hanshin frowned at Yuuko. The woman nodded and exited the room first, making Yuui look up to the council members with a smile. It faded though, when her eyes met Yuuko's expression.

Almost instantly she clung to Kurogane, who had moved back to his podium, after his father advising him to. Kurogane looked up and frowned, not liking the sepulchral air clinging about the Superiors. Fay's expression turned solemn as he watched the procession in front of them. Each member retook their respective seats as they settled down. Yuuko sat forward and folded her hands.

"Now then, since the matter was solved, shall we move onto your sides of the stories?" She waved her hand to Fay. His podium moved forward and up so that he was eye level to the council.

"Dear child, please... elaborate, on why you ran away from Valeria."

"I..." He stopped, and prepared himself, he knew he would have to be strong in order to help himself and Kurogane.

"I had no family left, no friends; no ambition to do anything....there was nothing for me." His hands clenched the edges of the stand.

"I had thought Ashura would rescue me from everything, I had put my trust in him, but it fruitless. I was strung along, a prize for his own ends and nothing more. I left because I couldn't handle another betrayal, another loss." Fay bit his lips as he finished the thought of Ashura causing despair to settle over him as it had before.

"...I see... and... when you left the planet, you realized too late that you had forgotten your forms for leaving? Or you just didn't bother with it?" Yuuko questioned, her chin resting against her bent wrist.

"I wasn't thinking at all, I just wanted to leave...I had had enough of being used and being seen as an object. There was nothing I thought of other than getting as far away from Valeria as I could, I ran away hoping it would solve everything." Fay met Yuuko's eyes briefly before he lowered them again. The woman paused, a set frown on her face as an earsplitting silence filled the room. She then sat up in her seat, looking down to her papers.

"And... when you arrived on Earth, what was your first memory of Sir Youou?"

"I woke up in his home, I was startled and dizzy from the crash." Fay thought back trying to remember exactly what it had been he had thought of the man as he woke up. Kurogane looked away from Fay, frowning as his first memory of the blonde clouded his gaze. Yuuko looked over to the man before back to Fay.

What of him though?"

"He had looked intimidating, but I could sense he meant no harm." Fay smiled as he remembered the first time he had seen Kurogane. He had been ready to attack when he had woken in such a strange place, though Kurogane's growling had had the opposite effect on him. It seemed he really had known he would not have been hurt. Yuuko nodded and leaned back in her chair.

"On Earth, what technology did they have? I'm assuming that Sir Youou didn't keep you locked up inside his home." She said with a smile to Kurogane. Yuui on his arm looked away, not wanting to meet the woman's gaze.

"There were all sorts of things, there was the cars, and motorcycle, the interactive computers, and there was the thing used to cook with and there was also the shower." Fay began listing off all the things he had seen with Kurogane and how he had been surprised that Earth had possessed things that none of the other planets really had.

"...'The thing used to cook with'?" Hisui said, a frown set on his face. Archellevon smiled and Kobato blinked. Toriho saw the confusion on some of the member's faces and smiled apologetically.

"It's a box that uses microwaves to reheat or cook simple foods." He elaborated, his hands folding behind his back.

"The humans weren't very tactical in calling this invention a 'microwave'."

"Yes, that was it, I've never seen food prepared like it before." Fay said a bit sheepishly as he silently thanked Toriho for his help.

"Any other machinery? Specifically any that Sir Youou had made?" Fei Wang asked, before looking to Yuuko, who nodded and signaled the blonde to continue.

"There were the computers he had set up, Kamui and Subaru...they both had similar intelligences and basic human emotions as Yuui, but weren't humanoid in shape." He fidgeted under the older man's gaze as he tried to think of anything else Kurogane may have created. Yuuko raised a thin eyebrow and looked at the other members. Kobato and Kohaku shared a giggling smile before hushing themselves and looking to Fay. Yuuko folded her hands together.

"So... 'Kamui' and 'Subaru'... they were Artificial Intelligence as well?"

"Yes." Fay felt himself faintly blushing under the stifled laughter of the two young members. Yuuko's eyes wandered yet again to Kurogane, who was glaring at her.

"Sir Fay, you knew the laws against this world, did you not? The Academy you went to was very high class, and they wouldn't keep something like this from their students."

"I had only been informed briefly on 'A' level planets and other levels. Before I had crashed, the ship's computer had informed me of the name. I remembered it from one of the lists, but nothing specific about it." Fay lowered his gaze, thinking back to the name that had been illuminated on the screen. He had meant to pass by the planet, not crash into it.

"I understand. So you knew about it, but forgotten?" Yuuko questioned as Edameonus leaned forward.

"It's clear that he didn't mean to land on Earth on purpose; if he knew Earth was 'A' level and paired up with an Earthling, his actions still qualify him as guilty." Archellevon looked to his secret lover.

"If he had no memory about Earth, then it's almost certain he wouldn't know about which level Earth was."

"He crashed onto the planet and with only its name, he couldn't be held fully responsible for not knowing." Hisui spoke as he sat beside Archellevon. Fay looked between the members as they talked wondering what they would decide on. Yuuko sat quiet for a moment before looking to Fay.

"You agree that you had no recollection of Earth being 'A' level?"

"No, I did not." Fay met Yuuko's eyes as he answered her. She smiled faintly before nodding.

"I see clearly that he's telling the truth, therefore he shall not be held accountable for being from a different planet and landing on Earth's soil. It was an accident, and they were none the wiser." Edameonus growled, but kept quiet as Yuuko continued.

"...What made you consider doing these specific 'activities' with Sir Youou?"

"I fell in love with him." Though he knew he was blushing fiercely Fay answered with a genuine smile. Kobato looked to Kohaku and both began talking to one another in hushed voices. Yuuko's eyebrow rose again and she looked Kurogane up and down swiftly.

"What made these feelings arise? Given Sir Youou's background history and demeanor..." She looked back to Fay.

"...Your attraction to him would seem highly unlikely if not forced." Kurogane twitched, making Toriho stifle a chuckle behind his hand.

"He was kind to me; even after all I had been through..." He paused, thinking of Ashura and how he had tried to keep Kurogane away by his teasing.

"I had no intention of having any interest, but Kurogane was endearing and I've seen that he can be kind....in his own way of course." He thought for a moment before he added the last part. Yuuko's smile crept back on.

"I understand." She looked to the other members before back to Fay.

"Why so many times?" She couldn't help but let it grow, a perverted twinge to it to show her own personality.

"You were only together a week on Earth."

"For Toshihiko." Fay felt his blush reach his ears as Yuuko smiled deviously at him. It hadn't helped matters when he heard a faint whistle from Saiga.

"...'Toshihiko'?" Clow said softly, sitting up slightly in his chair.

"What, or who, is that?"

"The baby's name..." He trailed off as he turned to look at Clow. He smiled gently as he spoke of his and Kurogane's child.

"This child... you've named it?" Yuuko asked with a curious look.

"Why?"

"Kurogane named him." He answered quietly as he thought back to the first time he had heard the other man's suggestion. All eyes glanced over to the other parent before falling back on Fay. Realization danced in Kakei's eyes.

"He named it so you would remember him if he died." Yuuko and Kohaku looked to Kakei, Yuuko speaking first.

"What makes you suggest this?"

"He wished to leave at least one memory with Sir Fay if the worst should happen; he was preparing Sir Fay for his death." Kakei looked to Kurogane knowingly as Fay watched intently. The half-human looked away, frowning. Yuui blinked and looked to her 'father', wondering why he hadn't explained this to the Court. Yuuko smiled at this and looked to Fay.

"Did you have a hunch of this, Sir Fay? That Sir Youou was preparing you for the worst?"

"He had told me." Fay's head lowered as he looked down to the ground below him upset at Kurogane's words on the matter.

"He hadn't wanted me to be alone." Fay smiled dejectedly. The court room was silent once more before Clow straightened.

"This was before you knew that your memory was to be taken as well?"

"Yes." Long bangs covered Fay's eyes as he refused to look up. Kurogane's decision that he would die regardless had left him frustrated and remembering the other's words only made all of their planning hopeless.

"Hmmm... Should we announce the decision before or after questioning Sir Youou?" Clow asked softly to Yuuko, who smiled back.

"It is for all members to decide." She looked to Kakei on her other side from the corner of her eye. The dark blonde nodded as did Hisui who had seen the woman's look. Archellevon and Saiga nodded, and when Yuuko looked to her other side Edameonus looked at her in agreement and Fei Wang nodded. She looked to Fay and smiled.

"Before we announce our decision, let's clarify one thing. The infant, Toshihiko as you called it, was conceived on the 9th time." Kurogane blinked and blushed, remembering which room they were in at that time. Fay placed his hands on his cheeks trying to calm himself as he blushed scarlet. He had remembered the room they had been in, which hadn't helped his reddened cheeks. Yuuko's eyebrows rose to their reactions, smirking in a sly curiosity. She didn't question it though, folding her hands.

"The decision, dear Fay, dear Youou, was helped out tremendously by what Sir Youou had created from Earth." She waved her hand to Yuui, who once again flinched to behind Kurogane.

"And your decision?" Fay asked as he tried in vain to keep both his blush and his heart rate under control.

"Yuui's high technology and extreme development in showing emotions and performing tasks like living creatures proved that Earth has worthy natural environments and sources that can be used to help out the Galaxy in the future. It was decided that Sir Youou, the person to have created Yuui and the only one to have developed such a thing, would not be executed under any circumstance during this trial."

Fay's head snapped up to face Yuuko in disbelief. He hadn't thought the Court would decide so soon after seeing Yuui to let Kurogane live. He bowed to them as he smiled. Yuuko smiled wider at seeing Fay's gratitude, looking over to see Kurogane staring at the blonde. She closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair.

"Are there any other questions for Sir Fay?"

"No, we've been told enough behind his reasoning." Archellevon smiled to Fay, happy to see the blonde so relieved by the Court announcement. Yuuko nodded and waved her hand again in Fay's direction, sending the podium slowly to where it had been. Toriho saw the look he was given by the head Superior and went to Yuui with a smile.

"Hey, would you like to stand with Fay-chan now?" He asked her softly. She looked between the two men around her, and seeing Kurogane nodding, she took Toriho's hand and was ushered off the podium to Fay. Almost instantly Fay felt Yuui wrap her arms around him as Toriho stood to the side. He smiled briefly to her before he focused his attention onto Kurogane. The podium the re-cuffed man was standing on moved up just like Fay's, allowing the Court to see him at their level.

"You, Sir Youou, were never told that half of you was from a different planet." His red eyes glanced down to his father, almost angrily.

"Not once."

"Your father was not to blame; it was the Court's order for you to never know." Hisui spoke up as he saw the glare Kurogane had directed towards his father.

"I know." He said, returning his eyes to the angel.

"I was told." He said lowly. Yuuko folded her legs under the table and smiled.

"How did you come to take Sir Fay into your home?" Fei Wang asked as he turned his attention to Kurogane.

"Didn't you find it odd to see someone like him?" Kurogane looked at the man from Ginryuu and his brow furrowed, instantly not liking him.

"I just arrived home when he landed. At first I though he was someone who was hit by whatever crashed, then I saw his ears. I questioned him later about that." He didn't once look away from the monocle.

"I saw he was injured and knew that the police wouldn't exactly give him the treatment he needed."

"According to records you've been known to fight with most people, even at an early age, yet there's nothing saying you were ever aggressive towards Sir Fay even from the beginning of his stay with you." Kohaku smiled cheerfully at Kurogane as he waited for an explanation.

"It seems you were different when situations arose with Sir Fay then?" Fay smiled as he remembered how he had angered Kurogane before, but the man had never done anything other than yell. The man shrugged.

"He didn't seem worthy of a fight at first; I've come up against guys with his stature and easily come close to killing them each time." He couldn't help a smirk slink across his face.

"Plus that damned fool was my escape from reality, I wasn't about to murder that."

"An escape?" Edameonus said skeptically, as he scowled at Kurogane. The half breed gave the Ginryan an annoyed look.

"Yes, a fucking escape. Need I spell it for you!?" He snapped angrily. Yuuko sighed.

"There's no need to be hostile, either of you."

"Did you live such a terrible life?" Kobato asked worriedly as she looked to Kurogane.

"I don't know, you tell me; no parents around to rely on, hated by all your friends because you almost killed several of them, respected out of fear by your hometown because you're a ticking bomb ready to explode and possibly hurt many at once. I've hurt people and I've been proud of that, do you think I was living an ideal life?" He asked with a grimace, not wanting to raise his voice to the girl.

"Then Sir Fay changed all of that?" The pink haired girl asked almost timidly as she looked to Kurogane.

"...I suppose...." Kurogane said slowly, looking at her.

"I wouldn't know for sure. I hadn't known him for a long time."

"Were you happy after you rescued Sir Fay?" Hisui interjected, not wanting Kobato to be snapped at if Kurogane grew angry with her questions.

"Not directly after." Kurogane said, wanting to fold his arms, but having them chained up he couldn't.

"At first he pissed me the fuck off. I was almost sorry that I had gone to the crash site...." He paused.

"Then after a while, I guess I was."

"So you can't say you felt the same for him as Sir Fay does for you? Even after such a short time it's obvious you had to feel something, you wanted to give him a child." Kakei spoke leisurely as he locked eyes with Kurogane.

"Falling in love takes time you morons. It doesn't happen overnight." Kurogane leaned against the back of the podium.

"In our case it happened rapidly because we were always together and we were both alone on Earth, even if I had 'friends' and 'family'. After two days or so I returned his feelings very much so." Toriho's eyebrows raised; he had never heard Kurogane speak in such ways.

"No need for name calling, just asking like we're supposed to and all." Saiga waved nonchalantly at Kurogane as he smirked. Fay wrapped an arm around Yuui as he continued to watch Kurogane being questioned. Yuui snuggled into her 'twin', looking worriedly at her creator but dare not say anything to avoid having Yuuko look at her. Said woman folded her hands and rested her chin against them.

"What possessed you to feel this way for Sir Fay?" Kurogane twitched under her gaze angrily, making Kohaku flinch back in his chair.

"You said he was annoying and that you didn't think he was worthy to even fight with. How could you change your opinion of him so drastically?" Kobato asked as she clutched the fabric of her dress worriedly.

"...'There are some things one person can't change or explain'." Kurogane quoted.

"Someone told me that once. I'm taking it that this is one of those things." He shrugged again.

"Besides, I've never really had to fight with him, so I could be wrong." Fay was surprised to hear Kurogane's words.

"Then you're not sure on your own feelings for him?" Kohaku spoke up as he laid a hand over Kobato's to reassure her. Kurogane growled lowly and slammed his fists atop the podium, startling most of the Council.

"God dammit! Stop twisting my words! I love him like I've never loved anyone before, if you don't FUCKING believe me then why the HELL am I here?!" Kohaku flinched and moved closer to his counterpart, while several of the other members glared towards the prisoner.

"He was simply trying to make it clear what your intentions were. To show anger over a simple question is ludicrous." Kakei spoke a bit more strongly as he fixed the half Ginryan with an icy stare.

"Well all your courts are the same, whether on a town scale or galactic; laws that no one likes enforced by people too afraid to change them, asking questions that have answers which can be easily tweaked, and in the end doing things for the benefit of yourself rather than the rest of the people." He frowned deeper as Kohaku bowed his head in guilt.

"And you proving me right pisses me off."

"You are right about many things Sir Youou, and you have every right to be angry over the mistakes of others, but you must realize what we do is to try and get to the source of things." Clow said as he turned to look at Kohaku.

"Lord Kohaku is still young yet, but he will learn in time. To be scolded for doing what he was trained to do is unfair." The man spoke softly as he smiled. Kurogane looked at Clow and blinked, sighing heavily before looking away. Toriho's eyebrows rose again. Never had he seen Kurogane's flames of anger be put out so quickly by one man. Yuui whimpered slightly against Fay, seeing that her creator wasn't in the best of moods. Fay held Yuui, worried of what Kurogane would do. He turned to look at Clow and was grateful to the Valerian for calming his lover.

"Sir Fay said before that you had created similar things such as Yuui, are there many creations such as her on Earth?" Archellevon asked as he hoped Toriho's son wouldn't anger his fellow members further.

"She's the only one who can walk. At least...I was creating others..." He said, trailing off as he thought about the two little droids that were still halfway complete in his computer room.

"I have created more A.I. though, yes."

"You've worked on these with no help from others including your father?" The Rekort representative asked as he looked to Kurogane.

"I stole parts from my dad's work, but never got help." He said, a spike of guilt forming in his mind for having to tell his father such an important thing in such a way.

"I did it all from scratch, all by my hand."

"To have accomplished such a thing is truly remarkable." The man smiled as he looked from Toriho to Kurogane. The chancellor felt pride swell in his chest as a smirk claimed his lips, but Kurogane merely glanced at the different Superiors.

"......"

"Tell us then about the infant....we've already heard Sir Fay's side of the story, but what of yours?" Fei Wang straightened in his chair as Edameonus tried to look nonchalant beside the older Ginryan.

"What's there to tell?" Kurogane asked him with a sigh, feeling like he was just explaining the same story over and over again.

"You knew you would be killed and yet you wanted your lover to carry your child. Wouldn't it have been more painful for you knowing you would lose more than just Sir Fai?" Yuuko sat still in her chair as her half lidded eyes met Kurogane's. Fay looked between both of them; worried Kurogane would become angry again. The man sighed yet again, looking down to his chains.

"...Knowing I'd leave him wouldn't hurt me as long as it would hurt him." Kurogane explained lowly.

"If he had someone with him, someone in my place, then I wouldn't feel so bad knowing I was going. That way at least one of us wouldn't be alone."

"A noble deed, it show true strength to wish to protect those closest to you despite the sacrifices. Though now you know you won't be executed, but you will have your memories erased of both of them." Clow's smile diminished.

"...Like I said, at least one of us...." He looked at his wrists again in annoyance, tempted to rip them apart so he could fold his arms. He let out a course breath and looked to Yuui and Fay, seeing that they were both looking at him with worry apparent on their faces. He raised an eyebrow and let somewhat of a smirk appear before looking back to Clow. Said man nodded in understanding.

"Is there anything else you would like to explain to the Court?" Fay looked to the Valerian, as he wondered if it meant that the trial was drawing to a close. Kurogane frowned and looked the dark haired man with narrowed eyes.

"...How about rewrite your damn laws so cases like this can be avoided in the future? It happened twice in one family, and I'll be damned if it happens to my son."

"Then is there anything else the Court would wish to ask Sir Youou before we make our judgment?" Clow smiled and looked to each member in question. Fay smiled as he looked down to Yuui, who still held onto him. The members stayed silent in their answer, showing that Kurogane's questioning was over with. Yuuko flicked her hand and the podium moved back to where it had been originally. Toriho then stood between the two stands and smiled up to the Court. Yuuko folded her hands and looked back.

"Chancellor Souhi, were you aware of any of these conductivities?" He shook his head.

"No, ma'am." She nodded.

"That is all." Fay was nervous now that Kurogane's interrogation was over with. The Court would come to a verdict and they would be separated. He held Yuui tighter to him as he waited. Yuuko then stood.

"We shall go once again to the back room to discuss our final decision." As she said this, the other Court members rose from their chairs.

"We will return with the verdict and sentence." She turned on her heel, leading the other members into the other room. Once the door was closed Toriho sighed and looked to Fay.

"...Well... what's to come now is out of our hands..."

"I'm at least glad Kuro-min won't die." Fay smiled as Yuui untangled herself from him to look at her creator.

"And Yuui is too." She smiled similarly to Fay, and Kurogane placed a hand on her head after Toriho had un-cuffed him.

"Good. I put a lot of work into you." He said with a smirk. She giggled and wrapped her arms around Kurogane's body.

"...Will baby-chan be alright?" She asked softly, making Kurogane look at Fay.

".....He will be...."

"Yes, he'll grow and be born and then if we're lucky Yuui might be able to see him." Fay smiled as he met Kurogane's gaze. Yuui closed her eyes from joy as she thought about what the baby would look like.

"Yuui would be happy for that." Kurogane stared back, unable to look away from his lover.

"Hn..." It was then Yuui went limp in half breed's arms, making him fumble to catch her.

"O-oi! Yuui, you dolt!"

"What happened to her?" Fay moved as Kurogane held her. Toriho had moved closer to them as well as Yuui had collapsed. Kurogane knelt with the girl against his thighs, one hand wrapped around her shoulders as her head lulled back. The other hand moved the top of her shirt to check the naval button, seeing it was no longer blinking. He sighed, looking at the doll.

"She just ran out of battery." Toriho also sighed.

"That... that's good. She had me scared for a moment there!"

"She'll be as good as new then once she's recharged." Fay smiled relieved that it hadn't been something serious. He gently brushed a lock of hair from her face as Kurogane looked down at his robot for a moment, before looking at Fay.

"...If what we got planned doesn't work, you will keep him right?" He murmured, so low even his father couldn't hear.

"I won't lie and say I'm not worried, but I wouldn't terminate the baby. I know what it's like to be unwanted and I could never do that to a child." Fay grimaced thinking of how he had been looked at after his incident with the girl. He couldn't face the idea of treating his child, regardless of who he would think the father was, to be unwanted. Kurogane's face remained expressionless to the untrained eye, but Fay could see a bit of relief wash over him.

"Good." Toriho blinked.

"Where you two just talking?" Kurogane looked at his dad.

"You're going deaf, old man." The father laughed and patted his son on his back.

"Seems that way doesn't it?" Kurogane shook his head and looked back to Fay, holding Yuui loosely now.

"Kuro-san is so disrespectful. I don't think Toriho's an 'old man'." Fay smiled glad for the subject change.

"He is an old man!" Kurogane barked, making the other dark haired man growl.

"I've only lived for a couple centuries! That's nothing compared to your grandfather!" He said before hitting his son on the head.

"See Kuro-rin?" He teased as Toriho scolded his son.

"Toriho isn't old at all." Kurogane glared at his lover.

"Don't you take his side." He said lowly as Toriho stood straight again. Kurogane glanced up before looking to Fay again. He paused a moment before leaning forward and kissing the blonde chastely.

"Ooh and Kuro-chan is being sweet too." Fay smiled as his eyes sparkled with amusement. A pink tint covered his cheeks as he watched Kurogane. The other man's frown deepened before he stood and turned on his heel, not looking back to Fay. Toriho looked back down.

"Eh? What makes you say that?"

"Kuro-rin wants to pout in our last minutes together." Fay looked to Toriho, the older man confused as he looked between both men. Kurogane turned sharply and pointed at Fay after laying Yuui down on the table.

"You want to make fun of me in the last minutes you ass! I blame you!" Toriho's expression only got more confused.

"And I don't pout!"

"You should be used to it by now and it's not making fun; it's called flirting, idiot." Fay poked his lover's chest as he emphasized his point.

"What the fuck ever! Flirting my ass! And don't call me an idiot!" Kurogane growled as he grabbed Fay's hand.

"...Fine." The blonde's smile fell from his face as his hand went limp in Kurogane's. He averted his eyes from the taller man before he tried to move his hand out of the other's grip. Kurogane blinked and sighed, pulling the blonde forward.

"Stop that." He grunted, yanking the other into an embrace.

"I call _you_ idiot, not the other way around."

"So you can call me whatever you want while I can't do the same?" Loose fists rested against Kurogane's chest as Fay trained his eyes to the floor. He knew he shouldn't be arguing with Kurogane especially now, but he had only been trying to make the best of things before the Court returned. The taller man sighed and closed his eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry ok?" Kurogane grumbled lowly, making his father lean closer as he tried to listen. His son glared at the dark haired man and tightened his grip on Fay.

"We shouldn't be disagreeing in the first place. And over such a lame ass reason." He offered Kurogane a faint smile as he nodded in agreement. His unclenched his hands to lay them flat against his lover's chest.

"I accept Kuro-wan's apology."

"Good." The other rested his lips against the pale forehead for a moment.

"We should return to the podiums before the bastards come back and see us like this." He muttered, moving to pull away with a loosened grip. The Valerian sighed, knowing his lover was right, but before they parted Fay grabbed the front of Kurogane's shirt as he stretched up to kiss the taller man.

Toriho flinched when he saw Kurogane kiss another person, his father instincts wanting him to pull the blonde away from his son, but he smiled sadly, knowing it would probably be the last kiss they shared. Kurogane leaned down slightly and added to the kiss, his hold coiling back around his lover.

Fay broke their kiss as he meet Kurogane's gaze and smiled up at the taller man. The tanned man smirked back down, leaning once more to kiss Fay gently, a hand moving to the side of the blonde's face.

"See, it's nice when Kuro-rin's affectionate." Fay's cheeks were dusted pink as he leaned his face against Kurogane's hand. A dark eyebrow twitched.

"Shut up." He said simply, his thumb running smoothly against the skin it lay on.

"You're too damn sexy for me not to be." He frowned a little deeper, but removed his hand, slipping his hand off his lover.

"Then I guess Kuro-san should go back over to his own stand." Fay smiled lightly, not missing the other man's expression.

"Guess you should do the same." Kurogane said, placing his hands on his hips. Toriho then walked over to Yuui, pressing the button to move the glass case back over her.

"I'll charge her when this is over, Youou."

"Kuro-san has to repeat everything I say?" Fay teased as he moved back to his original place. He watched briefly as Toriho placed Yuui securely back inside her container.

"I never repeated you, I just advised you do the same, moron." Kurogane replied, turning on his heel to go to the stand. The Ginryan in the room pressed a couple more buttons before the container holding Yuui went back down in the floor. Kurogane watched this from the corner of his eye, wearily letting go of his 'daughter'.

"Kuro-wankoro's pet names need some adjusting." Fay smiled as he leaned forward against the podium, propping his chin up with his hands. Kurogane scoffed.

"Pet names? Please. Don't feel special for me calling you those names." He said simply, folding his arms and leaning against the metal.

"That's not very nice to of you to say. I call you all sorts of nicknames." Fay mock pouted as he turned to look over to Kurogane.

"So I've noticed." The other grumbled, looking to the dark doorway. He didn't realize that the youngest member, the girl named Kobato, was staring sadly back.


	15. But we were still sentenced

**Mirika-rin: **-sigh- ok, sorry YET AGAIN for the lengthy pause in updating =__= school swallowed me alive, and on top of that, I'm juggling laptops between R3X, the sweet and loving -twitch- and Johnathan, my sister's, and Brenda her desktop comp, forcing me to transfer files left and right. Of those files is _not_ this fic, so I had to resort to dealing with R3X's bullshit in order to edit it. Damn bastard.

on the topic of this fanfiction: ;w; I cried. I cried like a little baby over something _I_ wrote in a chapter. I cried over it while I was editing. Damn I'm emotional. -sniff- But yeah, the ending of this arc draws near, with a traumatic and depressing end. :3 Don't worry, there will be more~!

**Ashine-chan:** Probably the chapter with the most angst so far, but it will get better soon and then will get to more angst in the future because neither of us can resist angst for too long. XD

**Mirika-rin:** pfff scare them away why don'tcha XDDD -shot again-

* * *

"What's wrong Lady Kobato?" Hisui inquired as he leaned over to the girl.

"They're so sad." She said softly as she watched the two men exchange words casually. "We've done something horrible yet again..." Kohaku looked up from his paper and frowned.

"It's not like we had much of a choice, Kobato..."

"I know we can't let our emotions play into our decisions, but it doesn't feel right to punish them so severely." Kobato looked worried as she spoke. Hisui laid a hand on her shoulder for comfort as he smiled at her.

"It's not going to be as severe as it was supposed to be, this is almost a gift to them..." He explained in a cooing voice. Edameonus looked to the others as he stood near Archellevon.

"...Do you think everything will go ok? We aren't placing spells on them that they can't break, right?"

"The mind wipe has only been overcome a handful of times, by simple flukes. Are you suggesting we try something else?" Fei Wang stood across from the fellow Ginryan as he spoke. The smaller one flinched when he realized Fei Wang was listening to him speak. He turned to look at the taller man and frowned.

"Not implying that at all..." he looked back away, knowing Archellevon was secretly glaring at him.

"...Maybe there should be a spell forbidding Fay from transportation magic, as a 'just in case' type of thing...." Yuuko looked up from her papers to the suggestion, eyes widened slightly.

"We can't just force a binding onto him for no reason, he will have his memory taken from him, but if you feel there is a chance this won't work, than we can listen to you reasoning behind it." Clow said as he sat beside Yuuko.

"Sir Fay is a level D wizard." Edameonus stated skeptically.

"It wouldn't surprise me if his magic would eventually surpass the mind wipe's. After all, it's Valerian magic used for mind wipes."

"There are two types of binding we can perform. One would be to only be like a valve, it would limit his powers to a minimal, but there is also another that would completely seal his power and cause it to lay dormant inside him." Clow elaborated as he straightened the papers he had been reading.

"I fear sealing his powers away to rest altogether would damage his health." Archellevon added in a silky voice, stepping forward.

"I suggest the first one, seeing as it would only be certain magics that could potentially bring the two of them together." Saiga raised an eyebrow and looked to Kakei, who was leaning against the wall with him.

"He needs at least some of his power to be able to raise his child and give birth." Kakei smiled knowingly to Archellevon.

"There is a chance he would want to get rid of the child." Chimed in Edameonus, frowning.

"That would be the worst case scenario." Replied Kohaku sadly.

"He would still need to be able to use some of his power to do that." Hisui said as he spoke softly, his gaze downcast.

"Then we shant use the second spell." Yuuko concluded, leaning on her hand.

"This shall be his punishment along with the mind wipe. Since Sir Youou does have magic in his veins but doesn't know how to use or control it, this will not be placed on him as well." Her eyes went up to Archellevon.

"You said you would take care of him due to his mental state after the wipe?" The angel smiled and nodded.

"It would be my pleasure, I insist."

"Then it's settled, Sir Fay will be given a binding before his mind wipe for his crimes." Fei Wang said as he crossed his arms. Kohaku fidgeted in the corner, his hands wriggling together in a tight knot.

"And... what of Sir Youou?" Clow looked up from his papers when he heard the young one chime in. The dark haired man beside him frowned softly.

"We still need to decide his fate now that circumstances have changed." Hisui spoke as he looked over to Kohaku. Archellevon folded his bare arms.

"There are several things we have to punish him for; his murdering of the officers aboard the transportation ship, the pro-life activities, the actual life produced from those... his mutant kind of being a half breed shall only further our 'on-edge' standpoint."

"We have to take into consideration of the punishments dealt to both Sir Fay and Sir Kurogane on board the ship. Both actions were not approved by the Council." Yuuko spoke as she stood beside Clow, who nodded in agreement.

"You yourself, Yuuko-san, said that he was to be punished for massacring the officers. He did lose his arm for killing those aboard, but those people were just the crew." Archellevon continued as he closed his eyes. Kobato frowned sadly.

"Shall we punish him more than what he deserves, Elder Angel?"

"It for all of us to decide his punishment for that certain deed, after all we cannot just ignore the fact he took the lives of several innocents. We still have to consider his other issues." The angel smiled softly towards the young girl as the others paid close attention. Kobato nodded, but held her tongue. Edameonus growled under his breath.

"So what do you suppose we do, Yuuko?"

"It is for each of us to decide whether or not Sir Kurogane's actions were justified, even though he killed we must look at both sides to judge him fairly." Yuuko crossed her slender arms across her chest as she met Edameonus's gaze. The Ginryan frowned.

"Who shall we start with?"

"It was wrong of him to kill the crew members, but not only was he punished on the ship, Sir Fay was as well. And Sir Youou only tried to escape to see Sir Fay due to Captain Koryu's antics." Kakei spoke first from his place beside Saiga.

"So it was the captain at fault here?" Asked Kohaku, looking somewhat surprised. Edameonus nodded.

"He's known for patronizing those in captivity... It was because of him that Kurogane killed anyone in the first place."

"Then do we all agree that Captain Koryu should be punished for his harassment of Sir Kurogane?" Clow asked as he looked at each council member. The other members nodded in unison for agreement. Kobato piped up.

"Does this mean the punishment originally placed on Kurogane for killing the people there assigned by us will be overlooked?"

"In light of events he will be forgiven for his acts aboard the ship." Yuuko allowed a smile to grace her lips as she looked towards her fellow colleague. Saiga grinned as he stood off to the side while Kohaku smiled brightly at Yuuko's response. Edameonus scoffed.

"That still doesn't save him from the other things he should be punished for."

"Sir Kurogane was never meant to carry on his name, but we can't take the unborn child from Sir Fay." Hisui said as he looked towards Edameonus.

"We all agreed when we heard news about this child that it would be left up to Fay as to what to do with the baby." Archellevon said smoothly. Saiga pushed his shades up his nose.

"Yeah, but Sir Youou still sired it."

"He'll have no memory of the child once the trial is over and we can't place the same restrictions on the infant that we had placed on Sir Youou, because of Sir Fay's bloodline we couldn't even if we wanted." Kakei spoke after his lover, the dark blonde looking over to his fellow members.

"That would be punishment enough..." Kohaku said, gripping his clasped hands in the front of his shirt. Kobato placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look, knowing how he felt. Edameonus looked at Fei Wang.

"And his punishment overall?"

"Since the matters of his killing and producing a child have been dealt with, we can either agree to having his memory simply erased and Sir Youou taken back to Earth and never told of what transpired or there could also be another punishment we could sentence him to." The older Ginryan answered as he gaze met Edameonus.

"There is also the matter of what havoc he created on Earth that hasn't been solved." Yuuko shook her head.

"That scenario is easily solved. Since you so forwardly decided that his entire arm was appropriate while the others of the court did not, Fei Wang, it could be that his upper arm being taken would serve as the payment for attacking the guards on Earth." Kobato looked up from where she was standing, hesitant to add anything.

"…So instead of avoiding the punishment without reason, Sir Youou's arm being taken makes up for it? Because the amount of arm taken was too much?" Yuuko nodded.

"The lower half of his arm will stand for the crimes committed on the ship. The upper half will stand for the crimes committed on Earth related to the ship." Edameonus faltered and looked down.

"He's bound to throw a fit when he opens his eyes and sees he's not home. He would definitely wake up if we tried to transport him."

"Measures will be taken so that that won't happen." Clow stood and all eyes moved to him.

"It's likely that he will wake up briefly before he's transported to a ship and taken away, where he will be put under to prevent another outburst, during that time he will wake up in a simulation room, his father is helping us with that at the moment." The angel of faith in the corner raised his eyebrow.

"What exactly is it that he's helping us with?"

"In order for Sir Youou to not feel out of place, he will need to wake in familiar surroundings until he can be put under, Sir Toriho will be there when his son wakes up and will program the generators in the room to project a setting Sir Youou won't question about." Clow adjusted his thin framed glasses, a smile small present on his face as he answered. Edameonus folded his arms.

"...So... He's going to be transported smoothly?" He looked over to Archellevon and was stunned to the angel's expression was that of morbid shock. Kobato looked over as well and tilted her head out of curiosity.

"After he speaks with his father and is reassured, he will be administered a drug that will sedate him, so that he can board the ship being prepared for him without any problems." Clow locked eyes with Archellevon, his faint smile never slipping from his lips. The angel frowned deeper and placed a hand on his stomach. His complexion was a pale white, lighter than usual.

"....Good...." He managed to get out slowly before looking away. Kobato placed a gentle hand against the white haired man's.

"Then everything's settled?" Saiga asked sounding almost bored. Kakei smirked beside him. After smiling reassuringly to the girl next to him, Archellevon gave a sick look to Yuuko, but nodded. Kohaku folded his hands and looked down.

"So we'll only wipe Sir Youou's memory?" He inquired.

"Sir Fay's memory as well." Fei Wang said as he looked towards the others.

"Then the punishment Sir Youou receives is just a memory wipe, whilst Sir Fay's is a transportation spell then a memory wipe." She said.

"All who agree, say aye. All who oppose, say nay."

"Aye." Kakei said as Saiga only nodded beside him. Kobato looked to Kohaku before they both agreed together.

"Aye." Fei Wang Reed and Edameonus said in unison. Hisui frowned, but he too nodded. Yuuko herself nodded and she looked to Clow.

"Archellevon?" Clow asked, his arms folded while he looked over to the last member who had yet to speak. The angel paused, noticing the head members' eyes were on him. He opened his mouth to speak, but silence only came. Instead he turned his head and nodded, unable to look at the rest.

"Then it's settled, shall we return?" Clow nodded, his smile never wavered as he met each member's gaze. They all nodded and started to go out of the room. Archellevon lagged behind somewhat, the ailment in his stomach turning it about. Hisui noticed the other angel's upset expression and placed a hand on the other's lower back.

"Come Archellevon, everything will be alright." Hisui offered his friend as smile as they fell behind the others. The other stopped walking as he tried to give a smile back, but it just wouldn't come.

"Y...yes... so...sorry for making you fret..." He said simply, his feet once again beginning to move. Hisui's smile faltered for a brief moment before he nodded and continued forward. He was beginning to feel uneasy over the other angel's odd behavior but pushed it aside, thinking the man was only worried about the fate of the two in the other room. The shorter walked out and was followed by the other person from the Jade planet. He sat down in his chair and looked at Kurogane, feeling his heart starting to break. Said man looked back up and was curious as to why gold was starting to frame Archellevon's eyes.

Hisui didn't speak as he watched Archellevon closely. Saiga sat a bit straighter in his chair as he held his lover's hand under the long table as the two of them felt the heavy atmosphere of the room. Edameonus stared at his secret lover, utterly speechless as he watched the gold start to make a trail down the pale cheek. The white haired man could no longer stare at Kurogane. The prisoner felt this was caused by something bad, so he looked over to Fay in worry. Yuuko tapped her papers on the desk.

"We have reached a conclusion." Fay looked down, knowing what the angel must have been shedding tears over.

"We have decided that the both of you will still have your memories erased, but Sir Fay will also be given a binding mark to restrict his powers." Clow watched to gauge the reactions of both men. Kurogane gaped slightly, unsure of what the other had meant. If it was only a memory wipe, then why was the angel crying? Was the spell really that bad? He looked over to Fay, cautious of his reaction.

Fay smiled wearily, at least glad that his power wouldn't be completely sealed away. He stole a quick glance over to Kurogane and hoped the taller man wouldn't be too worried about the sentence. He saw that the other man was staring back, making sure everything was still going according to plan. He then looked up to the judges as they continued. Yuuko looked to the prisoners.

"Sir Youou will be taken to Earth and told nothing once again about Sir Fay. His living establishment will once again move, and his father will once again keep the oath of silence."

"The binding will be given before Sir Fay's memory wipe. Afterwards he will be taken back to Valeria, where he will decide the fate of his child and return to Luval Academy." Clow looked to Fay who still kept his gaze down and away from the council. Kurogane growled and pulled his chains tightly.'

"You can't send him back there!" He spat. Yuuko raised an eyebrow.

"And why ever not? Is it truly your decision on what we do with him now?" Fay smiled at Kurogane's words, knowing that the other man was worried. Aside from his home with Kurogane, the only other place he could stay at was the Academy, though it would be difficult for him to return, especially with his memories gone. Kurogane's teeth gritted, his chains rattling slightly as he shook with fury. Archellevon stood then, his face now calm, even though the gold was now running freely.

"Kurogane, we understand that you are upset," His voice did not waver once, "But you cannot be mad at what must be done. What is to happen will happen, whether we plan for it or not." Edameonus looked down, his bangs hiding his eyes.

Kurogane hissed, "How can you say that while crying?"

"The Academy is the only place Sir Fay can go, it was his only home before he left and it will help him being in a place he's comfortable with after his memories are taken." Kakei said to Kurogane before the man decided to do anything irrational.

"That place isn't a place he'd be comfortable in!" Kurogane shouted, pounding his fists once into the metal. Edameonus stood then.

"Calm yourself, half breed! You can't do anything about it now!" He bellowed, angered instantly that the half-Ginryan was throwing such a tantrum.

"It will be fine, I don't have anywhere else to go." Fay smiled as he glanced towards Kurogane. The blonde sighed before turning his head away and looking up to the council as he forced himself to smile.

Kurogane was silenced. He sighed angrily and leaned back against the metal, his head hung as he stared down at the floor. Edameonus and Archellevon took their seats once again, the angel wiping his eyes to no avail on his silk.

"Now that they've been told what will happen to them, shall we have them escorted to their chambers to prepare for the mind wipes?" Fei Wang turned his gaze to Clow as he awaited an answer. The man nodded in response, flicking his hand.

"This meeting is adjourned." He said as the light above them stopped ticking. Just then the separation bubble popped, showing guards lined at the 6 doors lining the room. Fay sighed and waited for the guards to approach them. He tried to calm himself as he heart raced at knowing he would be separated from Kurogane for good once he was taken out of the room and to the rooms that had been prepared for each of their mindwipes and his own binding.

Kurogane kept his vision on Fay even as the men grabbed a hold of him. He felt one push him the wrong way, so he pushed back, growling slightly. They then used an electric rod against his back and he grunted loudly, eyes closing in pain. Once they had him fully under control, he was shoved and dragged first out of the room. The judges atop merely watched, Archellevon's face buried in his hands.

A frown marred Fay's face as he kept his gaze trained on Kurogane the best he could, several guards coming to escort him out one of the rooms many doors. The blonde hoped that his lover wasn't in too much pain and wouldn't try anything else to cause himself more harm.

"My, my, he's certainly one begging for trouble isn't he?" Came an all too familiar voice from the corner. Edameonus looked at the person at the door.

"Koryu..."

"Edameonus." Koryu gave the Ginryan a toothy grin as he meet the taller man's eyes.

The other man frowned.

"You had no right to be messing with Sir Kurogane." He said bluntly, making a few of the other court members turn.

"It was his own fault for having such a short temper." Koryu scoffed as he stood in front of Edameonus. The shorter Ginryan glared, while several eyes turned to him. Archellevon took that moment to get up and walk out silently, though it didn't go by Koryu unnoticed. Edameonus stood.

"You shouldn't waggle a bone in front of a beast; it just might get it." He warned.

"I only proved that he's uncontrollable." Koryu watched as Archellevon left, his curiosity getting the better of him as his gaze followed the angel.

"He is controllable, just not with your scrawny ass about." The other hissed, though he noted the red eyes were now on his lover.

"And if you dare go to bother any member of this court-"

"Don't worry, I won't bother pretty boy or anyone else on the Court. Besides that half breed is a hothead, it's not my fault he decides to go on rampages just because he can't go five minutes without seeing that Valerian of his." Koryu growled lowly as he thought back to how he had been injured on the ship by not only Kurogane, but by Fay as well. Edameonus was about to make a comment on what Koryu had called Archellevon, but Kohaku stepped in front.

"Stop it, Koryu!" He said weakly, a blush about his cheeks.

"P-pick on someone else your own size!"

"What are you gonna do about it shrimp?" Koryu tugged on a lock of Kohaku's hair. The smaller one flailed his arms.

"Ow! Stop it!" The other complained, making the other court members sigh or roll their eyes.

"Still such children." Kakei commented. Koryu smirked as the blonde struggled.

"Stop crying you big baby!" The Ginryan's ears twitched as he heard Kakei's remark and growled lowly towards the dark blonde. Kakei just continued to smile before turning his attention to Saiga to start a light conversation. Yuuko stood, just then, looking to where Archellevon had excused himself.

"...I think we need to take a break; this trial seems to have gotten to some of us..."

"Yes." Clow said as he stood between Yuuko and Fei Wang. Said Ginryan scoffed at seeing Koryu bullying Kohaku, not wanting to see one of his own race being so childish. Kohaku slapped the other's hand away with a pout and took off toward Kobato, seeking refuge with her. He would've been able to have been followed, but Edameonus' figure prevented Koryu from taking another step closer. The taller, horned man growled threateningly.

"Out. Now."

"Fine, be that way. I'll just see chubby later." Koryu looked up at Edameonus briefly before watching Kohaku and Kobato leave.

"And as for the human, I take it I'll be seeing him later." The Ginryan grabbed the front of Koryu's robes, hissing in his face.

"You're already getting a degree of punishment when you come back, asshole. Don't think it won't lessen if you add more to it." He then shoved the other away, following the younger ones out.

"Bastard, just because you're a councilman doesn't mean you can just push me around!" Koryu growled, his cheeks red from both anger at his impending punishment and embarrassment from being scolded by Edameonus. The demon was halfway out the door when he stopped and looked around again to the smaller man. His eyes narrowed and he looked like he was about to come back over.

"Idiot..." Koryu glowered from his spot, his arms crossed across his chest as he stood still.

The man came back into the room and stormed right over to Koryu and raised his arm, ready to land a hard and swift punch atop the smaller's cheek.

Koryu flinched as the taller man raised his fist. It had brought to mind previous encounters the two of them had had.

"You're not gonna scare me Edameonus!" The shorter Ginryan lowered his head a bit, ready for the impact. He heard the low chuckle of the other vibrate from the pale throat. Instead of an impact against his cheek, he felt the sharp nails of the other graze his skin in a mockingly affectionate way.

"And yet you always flinch when I prove to you who has the leash..." He said softly, pulling away.

"Dammit, you...you bubble headed jerk!" Koryu could feel his cheeks heating up as he glared at Edameonus. The other man just continued to smile.

"And as always, my tongue and lip combination seem to have left you speechless." He chuckled again, referring to more than one incident as he began back to where he was going.

"Bastard!" Koryu shouted as he watched the other walk away.

~later~

Kurogane sat on the bed, glowering at anything and everything that dare move around him. He was infuriated, and anyone that wasn't Fay only seemed to make it worse. The guards stood back, the prisoner's aura was murderous and as they placed him in the room, each of them inched backwards to the door in case Kurogane tried anything. After all they had heard the stories from the soldiers that had been stationed on the ship. Red eyes shifted to one in particular, knowing he was the one who had shocked him in the back at the trial's end. His eyes narrowed, and a mocking grin formed about his mouth. He was tempted to have a little fun, but his common sense told him not to.

The guard swallowed hard, seeing the look in the man's eyes. His grip tightened on his weapon ready in case something was to happen. Others stood close by as they anxiously awaited for someone to send them away. Kurogane moved forward on his bed, resting his elbows against his knees and threading his fingers together in the air between them.

"Tch. Not going to lock me in shackles this time?" The guards straightened as they heard the door behind them open and someone enter the room.

"Hello Sir Youou, I'm Shuichirou and I will be your doctor." The man walked in stiffly, as he looked over a few papers before turning his gaze to Kurogane. The other man frowned, glaring at the new person in the room.

"So it's just like that, eh?" He looked to the ground.

"You're just going to wipe it, just like that?"

"It's best not to get attached to patients in my line of work, especially when everyone I treat either dies or is imprisoned or in your case forgets." Shuichirou offered the human a small smile before he took a seat next to the bed Kurogane was sitting on, the doctor placed the papers he had been carrying on a small table to his side. Kurogane felt his mechanical hand twitch. He glanced at the other man next to him through the corner of his eye, weary of him being so close.

"I don't get to say goodbye then?" The doctor motioned for the guards to stand outside while he spoke to his patient. Seeing them gone, Shuichirou turned back to Kurogane.

"Weren't you allowed a proper goodbye before you came here?" The other dark haired man shook his head. He looked to his wrists, expecting them to be cuffed if he were to leave the room. The doctor looked to Kurogane for a moment, contemplating.

"Come with me." Shuichirou stood and moved over to a small desk in the corner of the room before taking out a slender pair of hand cuffs.

"You'll have to wear these, they won't cause any damage to your wrists and I don't think I'd be able to take you outside the room without some sort of cuffs on you." He put Kurogane in the handcuffs, which weren't nearly as constricting as the ones the doctor had suspected he had been wearing. The half breed grunted slightly when they were put on, the bandages on his real wrist still concealing a still healing wound, but he had to give the other some credit; they were definitely better than the ones before. He looked up again, ready to see Fay for what could've been the last time.

Shuichirou opened the door and the guards outside watched as he walked out of the room with Kurogane in tow.

"I'm taking the prisoner to another room briefly before returning, I won't need an escort." One guard was about to protest, but nodded instead as he watched both men walk down the corridor and around a corner, effectively disappearing from sight. Kurogane bit the inside of his cheek in order to keep from questioning Shuichirou about the mind wipe. He was unsure about the side affects, and it almost worried him what would happen to himself afterwards. Almost. Shuichirou turned another corner before he stopped he walked inside a small room.

"The other prisoner should be just in the next room, I'll go inform the healers that we're here, we'll be staying in here and watching from the window." He pointed towards the long window next to the other door he stood in front of.

"He will be given his binding, then after it's done the two of us will go back." Kurogane nodded before walking over to the frame, staring intently for the one he loved. Once seeing Fay, his heart dropped into his left shoe.

Fay was laid out on his stomach on a long metal table that had been tilted upwards at an angle and suspended in the center of the room. He was thankful that it hadn't put too much pressure on his stomach, but that was the only thing he liked about his current situation. His back was bare for all to see as his limbs were strapped elongated extensions of the table. Several men and women in medical garb moved about him, checking several machines that Fay was wired to. Fay closed his eyes and breathed deeply, not knowing if the ordeal would be painful or not.

Shuichirou walked around the room until he found the healer in charge of performing the binding and had a brief talk with him before his blue eyes looked to the blonde. The doctor quickly exited the room surprised at the news he had been given concerning the Valerian. Kurogane growled, not liking that look.

"What is it? Is he ok? Why is he strapped up like that?" Kurogane barked the questions, not concealing his worry like he would in any other situation.

"I wasn't informed of him receiving a marking..." Shuichirou stood in front of the window watching the healers move about Fay.

"The table is for easier access for the healers. He has to be tied so he doesn't hurt himself or others." He could hear the worry in the other's voice and wondered if it had been a good idea for him to bring Kurogane here.

"It won't be anything he couldn't handle and they will give him anesthesia before they start." Kurogane let out an uneasy breath, still not liking what the doctors were planning. He looked back into the room and placed his real hand on the window, letting the mechanical one hang limp.

"..." Fay winced as he felt one of the healers giving him a shot. Slowly he could feel his back numbing and was grateful that it wouldn't be painful. His ears picked up the buzzing of a machine being turned on as he felt another healer concentrating their energy into the machine to begin.

"Now that the skin has been properly numbed, we'll start." A choked gasp echoed in the room as Fay felt metal pierce his skin and what could only be one of the healers spell's embedding itself into his skin and spreading over his back and down his spin. Fay shut his eyes, his body wasn't numb enough to completely ignore the pain of being marked, but it wasn't nearly as painful as he had expected.

On the other side of the window, Kurogane was pacing up a storm. He occasionally ran his hands through his hair, but he never stopped his feet from moving. The spell being etched into Fay's back was extremely elaborate, from the looks of it, and apparently it would take much longer than either one of them thought.

"They'll be done soon." Shuichirou had kept his gaze trained on Fay and the healers the entire time as Kurogane moved around him. He could see two healer's etching the mark outwards over Fay's ribs, while another was finishing the top of the mark on the back of the blonde's neck. Inside the room Fay gasped as he felt metal press against bone and hoped that it wouldn't last for too much longer.

"That doesn't look like it would be done quickly." Kurogane snapped, his fists clenched when he saw the expression of pain on his lover's face. He was thankful though, that Fay wasn't screaming. If he was, surely the scene would be a lot bloodier.

"They just need the last few lines, then they'll have to administer salve to heal the wound before they take him out." The doctor ignored Kurogane's outburst as he kept his eyes trained on the people on the other side of the window. Fay was panting, for his spine tingled and he could feel ink seeping into the skin of his lower back. Sweat trickled down the side of his face and he wished he had been able to wipe it away. Fay closed his eyes again as he felt metal graze over his spine, he focused on the small aura inside him and was glad that nothing was wrong with the embryo.

Kurogane placed his hands against the glass again, unable to look away from the blonde in the room. He watched and felt his heart ache a little more with the slow agony of the metal against the now tattooed back.

"Will it be removed?" Kurogane slipped out. He froze before looking down.

"He's only getting that because of me, right? If I'm not with him he won't need it."

"It can never be removed, but the seal it has on his powers can be broken though I don't expect that to happen anytime soon. Maybe in a few years, it's the council's decision." Shuichirou watched as the machine that had been etching the markings into Fay's skin was raised and moved away. Blue eyes scanned over the result and saw how red and swollen the Valerian's skin was now that the healer's had moved away from him.

"The anesthesia they gave him earlier might be wearing off, but now they'll be healing his back and neck." Fay opened his eyes, his head swimming, as he regained feeling in his back. He was grateful for the cool salve being rubbed into his tender flesh. Kurogane stared deeply through the window, his hands balling into fists against the glass as he watched his lover's expression change.

"...Why did it have to be permanent?" Kurogane inquired, swallowing hard. The beautiful alien's body. Ruined by ink. Because of him. The thought made him outraged, but he knew he couldn't do anything to anyone else. It was only HIS fault.

"It's not as bad as you're making it out to be, the marking won't cause him pain and will only limit his power, he'll still be able to sustain the child he's carrying with his energy restricted." Shuichirou tried to reassure the other man as he watched the healer's finish healing the blonde' back. In the other room Fay was relieved as he felt the table being lowered and the restraints on his arms and legs removed.

"That's not the fucking point!" Kurogane barked, looking away finally to glare at Shuichirou.

"That guy didn't need to have a permanent mark for a temporary situation! God dammit!" Kurogane spat, looking back to Fay.

"... Why won't the court give his powers back after the wipe? Won't he be confused as to why he doesn't have them? This system is fucking bogus!"

"I was only saying it was a possibility he would regain his full strength after so long. The court is only covering every possibility. If he regains his memory he won't be able to transport himself to where ever you are, if he were to do that while still carrying he could cause unnecessary harm to the child." Shuichirou sighed and kept calm in the face of Kurogane's anger. Fay stood from the table, his legs a bit unstable as he tried to balance himself. One of the healer's offered him his shirt and he nodded in gratitude before slipping it over his head. Kurogane replied with a grunt, noticing Fay standing back up. He slightly panicked, wondering if he'd be able to hug him, or even if Fay would be hurt if he tried... He looked to Shuichirou swiftly before to Fay again.

"I'll bring him here and give the two of you a few minutes before we have to leave." Shuichirou locked eyes with Kurogane for a brief moment before he turned and exited the small room. Once inside the operating room he walked briskly past the healers that were cleaning up and toward Fay.

"Sir Fay, I would like for you to follow me for a moment." The blonde was surprised, but knowing he couldn't argue slowly nodded before the doctor turned and lead him to Kurogane. The other prisoner waited anxiously to see his lover, knowing he would most likely be in pain. He looked down to his cuffs, aggravated by the fact they always seemed to be on him.

"I'll leave the two of you alone now." Shuichirou stepped away from Fay and toward the other door leading out and into the hallway, but before he left he turned to the taller of the two and undid the chain between the cuffs, keeping them on but allowing him to move his arms freely.

"Remember you only have a few mintues." Fay tensed at seeing Kurogane, not believing the other was really there. Blue eyes glanced over to the window and saw the room he had just left. Kurogane looked back at the doctor and nodded before turning to his partner. He took a step forward.

"...Oi..."

"You saw..." Fay wrapped his arms loosely around himself as he looked into the other room. Kurogane took another step forward, his brow just barely moving to show outward pain.

"I did..." He said deeply, placing a hand on Fay's cheek.

"It wasn't as bad..." Fay placed a hand on Kurogane's metal arm as he tilted his head towards Kurogane's touch.

"I didn't think I'd see Kuro-rin again." He offered his lover a faint smile as he met Kurogane's gaze.

"You know you would..." Kurogane said stubbornly, though he too felt that way whilst being escorted out of the trial room. He leaned down, resting his forehead against Fay's. "Does it still hurt?"

"Tender, but its not painful." Fay smiled and relaxed as he leaned against Kurogane. He was happy to have this final moment between them without others watching. Kurogane cautiously slipped his hands around the pale one, making sure to be gentle with him.

"... I should've protested it when the court announced it..." He said finally, closing his eyes.

"It could've been worse, they could have locked away all of my powers. Besides it wouldn't have helped any for you to start calling them names again." He chuckled as he brought his hands up to rest against Kurogane's chest. Kurogane grunted and rested his chin on Fay's locks.

"I ain't calling names, I'm just saying it the way I see it." He said simply. He opened his eyes slowly, glancing about them.

"...Is the charm still in Yuui?" He said in a hushed tone.

"No, Archellevon has it." Fay closed his eyes and sighed.

"Don't worry; he'll keep it safe." The blonde was anxious, hoping that everything would go according to plan, especially now that both of them were so close to having their memory's taken. Kurogane nodded.

"...Alright... He was crying though..." Kurogane brought up, remembering the angel's golden tears.

"Do you think it was because of what's to come?"

"Yes..." Fay knew he couldn't say anything about the vision the angel had had. Instead the Valerian buried his face against his lover's chest to try and forget about what would happen. The half breed caught onto that there was more to what Fay knew about Archellevon than he led on, but he decided not to push it. Hell, he wouldn't remember anyway. Instead, he settled for stroking Fay's back, in a sort of physical apology. As fingers moved across his back, the blonde relaxed further against Kurogane, the touches soothing against his new tattoo.

"Kuro-tan does like to cuddle." Fay smiled as he leaned up to kiss the taller man's jaw. Said man twitched slightly when he heard the lithe man's words, but he merely tilted his head so he could look at his lover.

"And just what are you going to do about it, Blondie?" He said with an angry smile.

"Tease Kuro-rinta about it." Fay smiled warmly up at Kurogane, glad for the subject change.

"Unless Kuro-kun decides to throw a hissy fit again about it." He laughed at the thought while his arms moved to wrap around Kurogane's waist.

"You're a prick." The other said simply, leaning down to peck the pale neck.

"I bet if I didn't like it you'd whine every time I'd move away from you."

"Kuro-grump knows me well." Fay purred as he felt warm lips against his skin. He couldn't help himself from smiling brightly as he was held.

"Mm." The other replied, moving his kissing slowly up the lighter skin. He paused when reaching the jawline.

"...This won't be the last time I see you..." He grumbled lowly.

"If things go well, we'll only be apart for a short time." Fay closed his eyes as he relaxed under Kurogane's kisses. He was glad that it wouldn't be too long before he would be reunited with Kurogane after everything was over with. The taller man planted a kiss against Fay's lips. He withdrew and looked at the blonde.

"If everything goes well..."He repeated, frowning slightly before kissing him again.

"Once I get my memories back and everything settled I'll come find you, it should take me about two weeks to secure a ship and make my way back to earth." Fay sighed as he enjoyed Kurogane's touches.

"Then all we'll have to worry about is the baby." A smile spread across the alien's lips as he thought of their child. Kurogane couldn't help but smirk when he saw the smile, thinking of the baby growing inside Fay. He leaned down once again, kissing his lover.

"If it all goes smoothly, I suppose parting would be the first big step to getting there..."

"Kuro-san wants to leave?" Fay's smile faded and was replaced with a slight frown as he moved to look up at Kurogane. Even if he knew the other man was right, it was hard for him to want to leave Kurogane just in case it was the last time they would be together. The other paused, not liking the look he was given. He sighed, pulling the blonde into a tight embrace.

"Never have I wanted to or will I ever want to. But I have to." He admitted, frowning deeply. He certainly didn't like the idea of losing the Valerian, but if he had to let go so they could once again embrace, he would do just that.

"Daddy's so serious." Fay gave his lover a faint smile as he returned the embrace wholeheartedly.

"Tch." The dark haired man replied, burying his nose into Fay's hair. He placed his hand on the back of the blonde hair, using its pressure to give Fay a final kiss. Said man kissed back as he gripped Kurogane's shirt tightly in his hands. It was too brief for the blonde's tastes and when they broke apart Fay smiled at him.

"Kuro-puu's doctor is waiting for him." The half-human grimaced, but he nodded. He ran his hand briefly across Fay's cheek before fully removing his body from the other. He stared at Fay for a moment longer before turning on his heel and walking with a bold stance to the person waiting for him. Fay smiled, his eyes never leaving Kurogane as the other man exited the room. Once the taller man had left Fay turned and went back to the other room where the healers awaited him.

~Elsewhere~

Archellevon collapsed onto his pile of pillows and sheets, face burying itself into the comfortable things.

"No! No! No! This isn't how it goes! This isn't how it's supposed to be!" He screamed, muffled weakly though his voice seemed to crack. Flying in from the windows, the small cherubs entered the room when they heard the angel enter. Each of them perched close by, worried and upset by the man's cries. Archellevon sniffed and rose a little from the pillows, wiping his eyes to see the little angels fluttering about.

"Oh... young ones..." He began, rising into a sitting position. He gave a weak smile as some came to rest against his cheeks.

"Don't worry over me..." Each of them came closer to Archellevon to try and comfort him. A few whimpered and rested against the angel to reassure him as best they could. Archellevon finally frowned, bending his head.

"The trial results were different from my vision... Kurogane was not supposed to know about Fay at all..." He placed his face in his hands.

"It's a selfish thing to wish for, but... my death shall not come! My death..."

"Was the outcome different?" A tiny almost lyrical voice asked as the cherubs looked up to the angel.

"I-I..."He looked up to the one who had spoken.

"I couldn't see it... I just know I won't die... at least not like that... not by Kurogane's hands…" He wiped his face again.

"My darlings, you will most likely have to deal with me much longer..."

"Fate has decided a different course, but it doesn't mean it won't have the same result." Another voice spoke up as the small beings smiled. Archellevon continued to frown, but he stood.

"Well whatever the outcome is..." He moved the long strand of hair out of his face, looking out the window.

"I hope it's in favor of those who can be in love..." He looked to the sky and closed his eyes.

"I just wish I didn't have to wait so much longer to be with my own..." The cherubs looked at each other before flying upwards to join Archellevon. They fluttered about wanting to keep close to the angel. He looked at the tiny figures and smiled.

"...If the outcome is still the same..." He started, bringing one into his embrace.

"Then I suppose our time together is over..." Each of them hovered closer as tears welled in their eyes. It would be heartbreaking to see the angel finally leave them after so long. He smiled wider in apology.

"Thus, I give the gift of angel wings to each of you." He said, holding the one close before delivering a kiss atop the red hair. The cherub glowed brightly instantly, and Archellevon backed up. He smiled as the angel's limbs grew longer and the body widened. In a few moments, where there used to be a cherub was now a full grown angel. Tiny wings fluttered in surprise as each of them watched the transformation. The newly formed angel looked over himself with wide eyes, speechless as he turned to face Archellevon. The older angel smiled painfully.

"You are now free." He looked to the other cherubs, going over to another and planting a kiss on her head. One by one, he kissed each of the little foreheads, and one by one they turned into angels. Once the last one was done changing, Archellevon opened up his arms.

"You all are severed of my ties. You are all free... please... go be happy..." Each of the new angels looked to each other before turning back to Archellevon.

"Thank you Master Archellevon, we will never forget you no matter what your future is." They each bowed, not really wanting to leave the man to himself. He bowed his head for each one of them, knowing they'd all be happier than he could ever be. He kept silent with a smile as more tears began to fall. He was losing everything, but that didn't mean others had to pay for it. One stepped forward with a smile.

"We will stay here with Archellevon." All of them nodded in agreement, before they moved around the older angel, trying their best to comfort him. He looked at them in surprise.

"B...But you have your wings... Why would you want to spend your new moments of freedom and adulthood with a crumbling old fool like me?" He asked, clasping his hands on his chest.

"Archellevon is always so kind to us." One of the female angels spoke as they all smiled warmly at Archellevon.

"We will stay for however long you wish." Archellevon looked at each of them before his eyes started to conjure more gold.

"...All of you..." His hands once again covered his face and he broke down, crying on the floor. The new angels gathered around, draping arms around him and keeping their presence close to the angel with a withered heart.

~Elsewhere~

Fay was ushered outside of the operating room and down several hallways until he was placed inside a bare room. The only thing inside it was a plain bed and a sterile looking metal table. Blue eyes watched as the guards removed themselves from the room, no doubt waiting outside for whoever was going to take his memories. He took in the white walls and moved to sit on the bed, his stomach in knots as he waited.

"Oh deary me! How lucky I must be to escort "Sir Fay" to his awaiting doom." He heard a sneer voice say in the doorway. It was sickeningly familiar, and it only served to upset Fay's stomach even more. The blonde refused to meet the officer's gaze, knowing it would only anger him to see those dark eyes on him. Instead the blonde sat up straight ready to ignore any taunts that would be thrown his way. Koryu felt his eyebrow twitched when he realized Fay was ignoring him, so he scoffed. He knew exactly what would rub the Valerian in the wrong way.

"Too bad you're going to be so stubborn... looks like my invitation to see "Sir Kurogane" once more will have to be denied." Fay could help his body from tensing at the offer, but immediately corrected himself.

"I doubt you would have really done such a thing, besides wouldn't it be against the rules to do something like that?" Fay smiled wearily, knowing that the last two times he had met Kurogane had been risky for everyone involved. He was unlikely to believe that Koryu of all people would do such an act of kindness. The Ginryan couldn't help a smirk take hold of his face.

"For once I'm trying to do something nice for you and you turn me down instantly. I guess that's what I get for 'crying wolf' as humans on Earth say." He said, sighing dramatically.

"You've never shown any kindness towards either of us before, why would I believe you now?" His gaze was trained on the floor as he spoke. He wondered if he did see Kurogane once more if he'd be able to part from him again. Koryu twiddled a piece of his ponytail in boredom.

"Maybe I'm trying to change my ways? You know, getting punished by the Court tends to do that to you." He said with a grin, looking back to Fay. When he didn't get an answer he frowned and turned away.

"But... if you still say no..."

"It will only be more painful to see each other again..." Fay frowned trying to keep his face neutral in front of Koryu. He didn't need to give the Ginryan a chance to taunt him. Koryu smiled one last time.

"Too bad, I'll just have to say a goodbye to him FOR you..." He licked his lips before the door opened.

"Him being chained to a wall and all, he shouldn't have much room to protest." He giggled a little, thinking about the neck brace Kurogane previously had.

"Things like that don't work you know, it only makes people see how much of a child you really are." It was then that Fay turned to look at Koryu, his own smile wide across his lips. Koryu felt a vein on his forehead pulsate, but he kept his own smile.

"Either way, I tend to do what I want and get away with it." He said, folding his arms.

"And unlike before, there won't be anyone getting in my way."

"You just said the Court was punishing you." Fay shook his head and continued to smile.

"I'd be surprised if they let you see Kurogane after everything." The Ginryan put his hands on his hips and pouted angrily.

"They actually instructed me to escort you to the mind wipe room after Sir Scares-a-lot was done getting his mind wiped." He looked at his nails.

"It could've been possible you two would've seen each other beforehand."

"It doesn't matter." Fay smiled knowingly, even if they didn't see each other the blonde was confident that they would see each other again somehow. Koryu felt his blood boil at the Valerian's stubbornness.

"Calling me a child and here you are sitting with a full argument about not wanting to see your true love because it will only hurt more!? Talk about selfishness! What if he wants to see you!?" Koryu then blushed, flabbergasted by his own outburst. He growled then.

"Fine! Get up! I'm taking you to him whether you like it or not!"

"Won't you be in even more trouble doing this?" Fay was taken aback as he stood from the bed. It was strange to think Koryu would actually do something like this, Fay was cautious as he took a step forward not knowing what to expect from the officer. The other didn't answer, but instead he turned. He waved to a guard, telling the others to back off.

"I'm supposed to take you there anyway, being early wouldn't do me any harm." Fay kept quiet not wanting to cause Koryu to lose his temper and change his mind. Both of them passed the guards stationed outside the room and moved briskly down the corridor. He wondered for a moment what Kurogane would think seeing him so soon after their last meeting.

They walked down blank corridors for a while and they seemed to be going in no direction in particular. Finally they stopped in front of a very large glass wall with a similar setting as Fay's containment room. Koryu folded his arms and looked on.

"Now we just kick it and relax." Fay frowned as he looked to Koryu for a moment before he turned to look through the window. It was worrisome to see the room where his and Kurogane's memories would be taken. Inside the room suddenly lit up. It revealed an empty chair with straps on the bottom and armrests of the chair, revealing whatever was preformed there was extremely painful. The back was straight and it went up into what looked like a hat. Fay could barely make it out, but there was a long object attached to the inside of this hat. It could only be bad.

Fay stared with wide eyes as he saw what was waiting for Kurogane. He wasn't for sure if he wanted to see the other now, knowing he would probably be forced by Koryu to watch.

It didn't take long for Fay to see some shadows coming down the hall. It was a moment before the shadows morphed into figures, those being Kurogane, Shuichirou, and a few guards. Kurogane was wearing an easily removable shirt and the same cuffs. He looked up and blinked when he saw the two waiting outside his room.

Fay looked away, not wanting Kurogane to see him upset. It was hard for him to not try and leave, especially when he knew he would see Kurogane in pain again. The half breed saw Fay look away and he knew something was wrong. He would've gone to him, but the guards shoved him forward. Kurogane grunted and watched Fay until he passed the door. Shuichirou walked over to Koryu, regarding him lightly. The blonde stood still as he watched his lover was taken into the room. He moved closer to the window, silently hoping Kurogane would be alright.

"What are you doing here?" The doctor asked in a calm tone to the younger officer. Fay could see then the guards opening another door to the side, showing another corridor. From that door came several other doctors, including Yumi from before. When she saw Kurogane, she paused. The woman then went over to him and said something while uncuffing him. Kurogane nodded and moved to take off his shirt.

The Valerian's attention was divided between Shuichirou and Kurogane as he stood in front of the window. Fay watched as Kurogane sat down in the chair without complaint, his worrying intensified from seeing the machine that would soon be taking the man's memories.

Red eyes met blue when Kurogane's arms were strapped down, his mechanical one more so than the real one. He frowned, not liking the way he was placed in the chair. Koryu, on the other hand, smiled once Kurogane's legs were in place.

"Looks like the show's about to begin, you should really go in there, Shuichirou." The doctor frowned at Koryu's words, then he quickly nodded to Fay before leaving. Fay pierced his lips in annoyance at the Ginryan's comment, but kept his words to himself as he watched anxiously.

He saw Kurogane's body tense slightly when the cap was placed on his head. It was then Fay could see that the long object was a needle positioned to enter a person's neck and go up into the brain. Kurogane looked at the doctor who had just entered and grimaced when Shuichirou placed his gloves on and said something. Fay could almost feel Koryu smirking as he kept his eyes on Kurogane. He tried to summon his strength, but with his new marking it would be impossible for him to do anything at the moment. So Fay watched as Shuichirou's hands glowed and he moved closer to Kurogane.

The half breed's hands clenched on the armrests when Shuichirou moved behind the chair and placed his hands on the needle and on Kurogane's forehead. Red eyes once again looked at Fay and almost pleaded him to look away. Fay wrapped his arms loosely around his abdomen, a frown marred his lips as he locked eyes with Kurogane. Even if it was painful for himself to see his lover in so much pain, he wanted to be strong for the other man.

Kurogane's body jerked when Shuichirou pushed the needle in, and ruby eyes pulled away from Fay's to stare widely at the ceiling. Kurogane's mouth hung agape as something in the needle began to move. It only took a few more moments before his ungodly and agonizing screams filled the hallway.

Fay tightened his arms around himself and his jaw clenched as he tried to block out his lover's screams. It was something he didn't think could be erased from his mind. The Valerian watched as Shuichirou's hands glowed brightly against Kurogane's skin, his stomach churning as the screams continued and he was unable to do anything. He heard Koryu start to chuckle, almost nonstop as he too listened to the shouts. He looked over Kurogane, smiling wickedly when he saw the red eyes close tightly to block out some of the pain. Said man took a sharp inhale. This was worse than he could've ever imagined.

Slowly, he felt all his memories of Fay begin to slip away. Instantly he wanted to die; the actual thought of losing Fay was becoming reality, and was doing so all too quickly. He let out another scream as the more important memories were ripped away violently.

Fay hands tightened into fists against his sides as he heard Koryu above Kurogane. He was tempted to silence the officer, but knew it wouldn't do any good. He kept his eyes on his lover, silently wishing he could help ease his pain. It didn't help when Fay could visibly see blood start to trickle out of Kurogane's nose. One of the other doctor's came over and wiped it away, but it didn't take long for more to replace the trail. Kurogane screamed more when he lost the memory of what it felt like to hold Fay, to make love to Fay, to kiss Fay, to breathe in Fay's scent. He needed to hold onto something, anything, that would help him not lose Fay altogether. Anything...

Fay could feel tears rolling down his cheeks as he watched, he couldn't imagine what Kurogane was going through. He smiled bitterly knowing that it would be his turn soon enough. The half breed clenched his teeth down harshly, though his voice still ripped through the air like before.

He had to hold onto something... Fay saying I love you... gone... Fay saying their son's name...gone... Fay being pregnant... gone... Fay being giddy… gone… Fay being frightened... gone... Fay being bloody... gone... Fay saying hello... gone... Fay... gone... Who... who was Fay? Fay... who was that? What... what was that name? The name of the person who called him such faggy names? Wait, someone dare call him faggy names? Who... who was that? ……Who was who?

Fay could see Kurogane's eyes glaze over as the machine did its job and stole his lover's memories. A sob racked his body as he listened to the muffled screaming that still filtered into the room. Kurogane's mouth once again opened, not to scream, but to breathe. He felt so empty. He needed air. Something, anything to quench the thirst for oxygen. His vision came back to him; the pain had stopped. Fay could see Shuichirou's hands stop glowing. It was done. The doctor removed the needle from Kurogane's neck and his hand from the dark forehead. Fay could see a glowing emblem there, one of ancient Valerian runes. It slowly began to fade away, and Kurogane slumped limp in the chair.

Fay was numb at seeing Kurogane's mind erased. It left him in shock, knowing now that if Kurogane saw him there would be no recognition in his eyes. It was painful to think about and as he clutched his stomach he hoped the other man wouldn't see him. The rest of the doctors began to unstrap the half breed, letting him sit dumbfounded in the chair. His red eyes looked at nothing in particular and when he turned slightly, Fay could see trails of blood coming from each ear. He was pulled out of his chair rather roughly and something made him resist. His mouth moved, and Fay could hear a coarse and muffled shout. He stumbled slightly, grabbing onto whatever would hold him up.

"Kuro-chu..." Fay spoke softly as he watched. He couldn't help the faint smile gracing his lips at seeing Kurogane relatively okay and shouting at the healers. He could see Shuichirou talking calmly and hoped it would be enough to calm his lover and not force the guards to get involved. Kurogane looked up to Shuichirou and he shouted at him too, obviously not amused. He tried to take a step forward, but he fell to his knees, cussing brightly at something along the lines of not knowing where he was. He rubbed his eyes and tried to stand again, but he succeeded no more than before. The doctors went to his side, Yumi included and pulled him up, helping him to the chair again to rest.

Fay kept his eyes trained on Kurogane, taking in every movement before he would have to take his own turn in the room. He was glad Yumi was there to help Kurogane. The other man sighed, bedazzled as to why the doctors where touching him and wiping his face. He would fling his arm out every now and then as protest, but he proved himself to be too weakened by the memory wipe to do anything about it. It was then his eyes looked up to his forgotten lover.

Fay froze, his breath caught in his throat as red eyes met his own. He reached upwards to wipe away the last of his tears as he continued to look at Kurogane. Inside him he could feel the baby's energy pulsing, disturbed by its mother's own erratic energy. Kurogane stared longer than what Fay felt comfortable with, but he looked away sooner than Fay had wanted. They pulled the shirt back on over the spiky hair, much to Kurogane's discontent, and they yanked him out of his chair. Two of the guards had to help him walk straight, though he didn't want their help.

Fay watched sadly as Kurogane looked away and was pulled out of the room. He took a deep breath to calm himself and put a hand over his abdomen trying to sooth the embryo's own energy that had spiked a bit. Shuichirou followed Kurogane out, making sure his patient was alright.

"S...Stop..." He heard Kurogane say once he was out of the room. The guards looked at each other and then to Kurogane. The prisoner was staring at Fay. Koryu raised an eyebrow, but kept silent, wondering if all that was for not. Kurogane removed his arms from the guards and uneasily walked over to Fay. He blinked and stared, unable to figure out why that guy looked so familiar.

"...W...Who... are you?" Fay took a step back and looked away from Kurogane, unable to look him in the eyes. He didn't know if he could take looking into Kurogane's eyes and seeing that he had no memory of him. Kurogane gave the person a questioning look, but couldn't ask any more questions, for the guards took his arms again and started pulling him away. Kurogane stared at the man for as long as he could before they turned the corner. Koryu clicked his tongue.

"Oh my, I was frightened there for a moment." He giggled. Fay's kept his eyes to the ground, his bangs covering his eyes as he clutched his arms tightly around himself. He vaguely registered Koryu's words, too lost in his own thoughts and what had just happened. Koryu walked over to Fay from behind and looked over the Valerian's shoulder, smiling to himself.

"Don't worry, this pain won't last much longer..." He ran his hand through Fay's bangs and moved his lips against the pale ear.

"He's just another man to you anyway..." Fay shot his hand out grabbing Koryu's wrist and twisting it. His eyes glowed as he lifted his head to glare at the officer. Even though his powers were diminished greatly by the seal covering his back, he could feel it forcing back his full strength as the lines burned against his skin, he was still strong enough to put up a fight.

"Aside from our son, to me he was all I had left..." Tears threatened to spill again as Fay locked eyes with Koryu. The other man yelped when his wrist was twisted, but he offered a toothy grin.

"Well then, I assume you'll lose both in one day. How delicious..." He cackled somewhat, but the force on his wrist made him shut up almost immediately.

"...Eheh...eh... You know you won't keep him... you'll think he's Ashura's son..."

"A child of mine, despite of who I thought the father was, would never be unwanted to me." Fay's grip tightened on the limb and knew he'd most likely end up breaking it if Koryu insisted on talking. The Ginryan let out another grunt as his wrist was bent against its intended ways. He bit his lip before laughing.

"Either way..." He looked to Fay's eyes and smiled.

"You know he's going to be a bastard... just like his father..." Fay twisted his own arm and an audible snap filled the room. Just as quickly, Fay lifted his leg and kicked out at Koryu, sending the Ginryan off balance and to the floor.

"Say one more thing about my son or Kurogane and you won't leave this room in one piece." Fay winced; it felt like cold fire running down the thick black lines of the binding seal as it kept his energy at bay. He focused on his anger instead of the searing pain running through his body. Koryu coughed, being winded by landing harshly on the ground. He held his broken wrist, unable to make audible noises due to lack of air. He looked up to Fay before trying to stand again. It was then someone placed a rough hand on Fay's shoulder.

"Leave him be; he's not worth it." Came a court member's voice. Koryu glared furiously as he held his arm. Fay didn't glance over his shoulder, still waiting for the officer to say something, but as the seconds passed he could feel his anger dissolving.

"Eh, so you gotta let one of the big guys take care of your dirty work?" He finally spat, getting to his knees. Before Fay could do anything to him, the person behind him stepped in. In a flash, Edameonus had Koryu by the collar, eyes glowing dangerously.

"You will get the hell out of this section or I'll be forced to make you resign." Fay didn't speak as Edameonus yelled at Koryu. He ignored them as he tried to collect himself for what was about to happen. He wiped at his face trying not to seem too weak in front of the Court member. Koryu didn't say anything to the taller man, who waited for something to go off of if he were to do what he promised. Seeing as the officer was still in pain, Edameonus shoved him away and forced him on down the hall. The horned man turned to look at Fay, silently catching his breath.

"...Sir Fay..." Fay tried to offer the man a smile, but failed as he kept his eyes lowered to the ground. The blonde was thankful for the Ginryan throwing Koryu out, it was one less thing he had to worry about.

"Sir Fay, I..." Edameonus began, but he fell silent when he saw the other person's face. The Court member sighed and moved the long lock of hair to his shoulder, looking away.

"...I am sorry... it's come to this..." He then looked back to Fay.

"I received word from one of his cherubs..." He looked down.

"He... isn't going to die..." Fay smiled bitterly, he knew the angel had wanted death, but at the same time he was glad that the man who had helped them wasn't going to die.

"Things could still end the way he wants." The blonde thought back to Archellevon's vision and what he had foretold. Edameonus frowned deeper, his fists clenching.

"...I... I don't want them to work out the way he wants..." The demon admitted, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"It's almost impossible to change fate." Fay looked up at Edameonus, he felt drained from everything that had happened and his backside was throbbing from the mark. The other man grimaced, turning away slightly.

"Maybe fate never planned to kill him... god dammit why does he have to die?! He knows he won't come back!" Edameonus looked at Fay then in desperation.

"Angels have a choice to reincarnate, unlike most souls... why would he do that for the likes of me?" He sighed again and looked down.

"Like you want to hear any of this... you have your own life..." He held out a hand. "Come... I'll escort you into the room..." Fay smiled and took the offered hand.

"I know I would do anything to be with Kurogane, even if it meant I had to risk never seeing him again. Archellevon is tired of waiting; it's the only solution that can end with the two of you together." He smiled sadly, hoping he would be able to go back to Kurogane once this was over. Edameonus stopped walking to look at Fay in sad surprise. He didn't say anything for a moment, before he turned back to look at where he was going.

"...Your situation isn't as fatal as ours... and yet... you understand completely..." He looked down to the ground, closing his eyes and taking another step. Fay nodded and followed the Ginryan down into the room Kurogane had exited before. Each step was harder to take, but Fay straightened, preparing himself for what was going to happen.

"...The child..." Edameonus looked at Fay.

"You truly will keep him, no matter what?" The other man asked, looking a bit worried.

"Yes." Fay was firm in his answer, knowing nothing could cause him to get rid of his child. Edameonus gave a faint smile of relief.

"Then you are stronger than most who sit in this chair..." He looked to the door where the doctors were.

"We'll go in soon... but before they do..." He stared Fay in the eye.

"Is he the one you'll go to afterward?" Fay nodded as he stood beside the Court member. He took a deep breath and readied himself for what was behind the door.

"He made sure to implant a memory in your mind you wouldn't forget?" Edameonus said as he went to the door slowly.

"Yes." Fay followed closely behind Edameonus. He was glad that Archellevon had made sure he wouldn't forget the angel's words afterwards.

"Good." Edameonus said quietly before touching the bioscan.

"Then this should be our last time seeing each other before..."He sighed and gave a bitter smile.

"Before fate decides to play its little game once again..."

"Thank you Edameonus." Fay watched as the door opened and a few of the healers stopped to see both of them. The chair sat innocently in the center of the room, Fay could feel his nerves on end as he scanned the room wearily. The court member let his smile fall as he took up his ranking once more. He flicked his hand once, letting the healers know it was time to perform a memory wipe once again. He looked to Fay apologetically, knowing about the pain that was to come.

Fay stepped into the room and moved towards the chair that waited for him. Edameonus walked behind him, while Shuichirou slipped on another pair of gloves ready to get underway. The Ginryan folded his arms and stood in the corner, knowing he'd be in the way if he decided to go farther in. Yumi, also there for Fay, smiled sadly.

"Sir Fay... you're going to have to remove your shirt... there's a possibility blood will stain it..." He nodded and slipped the shirt off. He frowned at the dull ache along his back and neck from his earlier outburst. He folded the garment neatly before handing it to the girl. Yumi stared at the new tattoo on Fay's back and frowned, knowing why it was on there. She nodded and took the shirt, before helping Fay sit in the chair. Shuichirou came over when the others started strapping him in.

"Sir Fay, I'm sure you know from Sir Youou's screaming that it will be painful..."

"I know..." He offered the man a smile as the other healer's in the room finished tying his arms to the chair.

"It won't harm the baby will it?" Shuichirou paused for a moment, obviously not aware that Fay had a child in him. He looked to the other healers for a brief moment before sighing.

"The child feeds off of both your life energy and the knowledge of it having a father..." He tightened one of his gloves.

"The baby will survive, but if you do not have a father figure in your mind it will drain you dry..."

"Even with my energy suppressed, I'll still be able to keep the baby alive." Fay closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the baby's own aura and making sure it was alright. Shuichirou kept silent for a second before nodding.

"Alright then." He then moved behind Fay like he had for Kurogane. The other doctors had just finished strapping his legs in when Shuichirou lowered the hat looking device. Fay sighed and tried to prepare himself for the inevitable pain that would come. He glanced briefly to Yumi and Edameonus giving each of them a small smile as he waited.

Yumi smiled back, though she was wiping away what looked like tears, and Edameonus nodded in recognition. It was then Fay felt the cold hand of Shuichirou on his forehead and the curt pain of the needle entering his flesh. The boiling pain of his memories being searched soon began.

His nails dug into the arms of the chair as he tried to keep himself focused on anything other than the needle piercing his neck. He choked back a sob as his eyes widened and memories flashed before his eyes. The blonde could see images Kurogane fading away into nothing. His aura surged trying to heal his body as he felt, what he knew was blood, trailing down his face. He screamed loudly, unable to take the pain anymore. He shut his eyes tightly as he saw memories of Tomoyo, Sorata, and all the other humans he had met vanish from his mind.

Edameonus had to look away, unwilling to watch Fay screech in pain as the memories of the one he loved dissolved into thin air. He knew it was painful, though he had never experienced it himself, and he hoped that the suffering wouldn't last as long as Kurogane's had.

The blonde barely registered he was screaming in agony as his memories faded into nonexistence. Both of them riding to town, Kurogane introducing him to so many new things, the feeling of arms wrapped around him, the happiness he had felt....all of it was being taken from him. Tears raced down his face as he forgot about Kurogane being gentle with him when they were together, of Kurogane giving him the name of their son, everything faded into darkness as the spell took effect.

Nothing seemed to be spared when it came to the cold hand atop his forehead. Every memory of Kurogane was stripped down until it was barely anything, then it was stripped more. Fay could almost make out the doctors wiping away the blood on his face, but it was hardly noticeable.

Slowly he could see Kurogane's face fading into that of Ashura's. His head swam and Fay grew limp in the chair. A vague memory of red eyes boring into his own surfaced before it was quickly snuffed out by the machine. It was then the hand withdrew and the needle with it, leaving Fay bloody and lost in his own vacant memories. Edameonus straightened, not knowing what to expect from Fay now that the last thing the blonde remembered was him getting ready to crash on some vacant planet.

Blue eyes refocused and scanned the room. He went to move his hand to his currently aching head, but noticed his current predicament. He tried to free his arms, but failed. Fay began panicking before he noticed the healers standing around watching him.

"Where am I?" Shuichirou moved from behind him while taking off his gloves.

"You're currently in a medical room." He said calmly.

"You had a nasty crash, and we're here to help you recover." He said simply. Yumi came over, though she knew he didn't recognize her, and smiled.

"Your shirt, Sir Fay..." Fay tried to search his memories, but he was unable to remember anything other than he had been about to crash on some isolated planet. After his arms and legs were freed the blonde rubbed at his wrists which were slightly red. He turned to the young girl that had spoken to him, he paused for a moment, her face was familiar to him but couldn't place it. He thanked her and slipped the shirt on. Edameonus walked over to the blonde.

"I'm here to escort you to the guidance of a healer." He said gravely, though he tried to give Fay a friendly look.

"He will help you solve your current problems..." It was then the memory of an angel bubbled out of the back of Fay's mind. He was unaware that Archellevon had made it so that the memory would've been overlooked by Shuichirou.

"Thank you." Fay smiled wearily. He stood on shaky legs as he stood up from the chair to stand in front of Edameonus. The demon looked Fay over and grimaced, noticing the blood left over from the mind wipe. He looked to one of the healers and gestured for a towel.

"Here, wipe off that. Don't want to walk around looking like you've just been beaten up." Fay nodded and took the offered towel wiping the blood from his face. He had been surprised by it, but could only imagine it had come from him crash landing. Once he had finished, one of the healer's came and took the soiled cloth from him. Edameonus then turned on his heel.

"Let us depart. The sooner we get there..." He looked over his shoulder to Shuichirou and narrowed his eyes.

"The better..." The blonde followed close behind the Ginryan, taking in his surroundings. Fay was still a bit disoriented, but he could feel his energy quickly healing him. There was another energy present that sort of startled him. The energy was of another life form... growing inside him... Edameonus looked over his shoulder to make sure Fay was still ok walking.

He stopped abruptly, he shook his head in disbelief, his hands shaking at what couldn't possibly be true. Fay could feel the blood draining from his face as he paled. Going through his memories he tried to think of why he wouldn't know something as important as himself being pregnant. Edameonus stopped as well. He turned to Fay with a questioning look.

"What is it?"

"How soon can we get to a healer?" He bit his lip worried, the only reason he could come up for his current situation made his stomach churn.

"It will be a short distance... why?" He asked, a little curious as to why Fay's face color was no longer healthy looking.

"I'm pregnant...." Fay felt a chill run down his spine at the thinking of the other father of baby currently growing inside him.

"...Y...Yes... Sir Fay... you are... just newly pregnant..." Edameonus said, awkwardly remembering that information. Fay frowned, he had hoped it was just him being mistaken.

"Can we continue then? I would like to ask the healer some questions."

"Of course..." The court member replied, continuing to lead.

"I unfortunately will not be able to lead you directly to him... there is something of a barrier blocking me from that certain person..." He explained all over again, knowing Fay would've forgotten. Fay barely registered Edameonus's words, too preoccupied with the news. He felt sick at what he suspected happened to him. Heart racing, Fay didn't know what to think, not able to remember how something as important as having a child had occurred. He was reminded of his last encounter with Ashura, but he couldn't remember anything else that could have happened between them to cause this.

They had reached a certain point of the building and Edameonus stopped. He turned to Fay and frowned.

"This is where I leave you. That person shall come to you shortly." He said briefly before walking back in the same direction they had just come from. Edameonus sighed; he needed to make sure Kurogane wasn't killing anyone yet. Fay stood alone, anxious about being in such a strange place by himself. He tried retracing his steps to before he woke up here. The blonde's head throbbed at trying to remember. The only thing that he recalled was a voice telling him to come to him when he was in need. He would have laughed at that under any other circumstances. If he needed help from anyone it would now.

It was then he saw a door appear from nowhere on the side of a wall. From that door came a man in silk with long white hair. He smiled.

"Hello again, Fay. You've come like I told you to..." He said simply, walking out to greet Fay.

"Again?" Fay bowed politely to the man, unsure of what was happening.

"Why yes..."Archellevon said with a wider smile.

"If it were not again, then how did you receive the memory?" He opened his arm to the door.

"Please, follow me inside..." He nodded in agreement before following the angel inside.

"There are a lot of things that don't make sense anymore." The other could only chuckle, obviously knowing something the blond didn't.

"I suppose that's true for some..." When the lithe man was in, Archellevon closed his door.

"I'm assuming you have some questions, Fay?"

"It seems I'm carrying a child I have no memory of conceiving, I'm afraid of who the father is....I'd also like to know where I am and what happened to me." The blonde said as he looked to Archellevon. He felt calm in the other's presence, something he was relieved for after waking up. Archellevon looked slowly over his shoulder, a glint in his blue eye made Fay feel like there was something more to what he was about to say.

"Perhaps the incident of conceiving was too tragic to recall?" He said picking up a small cup of what looked like water.

"Perhaps the child was that of someone whom you tried so hard to forget you actually succeeded?" Fay brought a hand to his forehead as he tried to recall anything concerning his last moments in Valeria. He clearly remembered Ashura trying to coax him into sleeping with him, the man couldn't have possibly done something to him to make him forget.

"I don't know, it's possible." Archellevon smiled.

"Then again, you did suffer from a crash... possibly the impact made you forget as well?" He then took a sip of the liquid. The angel turned to Fay and smiled widely.

"Either way, you're still pregnant." Blue eyes stared into blue.

"What do you wish to do now?" Fay hesitated as he mulled over the other's words. He brought a hand to his stomach and felt the small spikes of energy that greeted his fingers. Smiling sadly, he looked at the angel.

"Even if the baby was forced on me I can't get rid of it." He remembered what it was like for himself feeling isolated and alone. The blonde shook his head, knowing he couldn't do anything to the child regardless of how it came to be. Archellevon smiled brightly, glad that with or without memory Fay was certainly one to stick with his word.

"I suppose the child would be thankful for knowing you chose his life over your own pride." The angel said simply, setting down the cup.

"Come with me, I have something for you. Something that should help ease your troubled mind..." Fay smiled before he followed the other male, grateful for the other's kindness.

"It's my child regardless." He hoped that whatever Archellevon was going to give him would answer at least some for the questions he still had.

"You are currently on a ship still in the bay on the moon Edonis." Archellevon informed as he continued down the hallway into another room.

"You're here because your ship crash landed." He smiled over his shoulder.

"The rest of the information I would tell you would simply be lies."

"Lies?" Fay frowned, worried about what the angel meant. He had a sinking feeling in his gut about what the angel was talking about. The other nodded and looked up to the ceiling.

"Most likely everything anyone else has told you has been a lie as well..." He reached up his hand to nothing in particular.

"All but what I have said, at least..." The angel then looked to Fay.

"Because I wish not to lie to someone such as yourself."

"Why would I be lied to?" Fay was beginning to worry. Nothing was adding up to him, the baby, not remembering being rescued. He looked to the angel questioningly.

"Because we're simply covering our tracks." The angel frowned and looked back up to his hand.

"The rest of the prison wishes to keep your forgotten memories locked away. They do that by lying." It was then a green bird came down from the open window in the top of the room.

"They lie because they know the pieces won't fit together correctly." The bird landed on his finger and he smiled.

"I know it doesn't make much sense, but it will in time..."

"Forgotten memories, what happened to me?" Fay could feel his hands shaking at the thought of what was happening. To have his memories taken...something must have happened to him, something traumatic. He turned his gaze to the floor, his thoughts going back to the baby. Archellevon chuckled lightly, offering another kind smile. He brought the bird down and smiled.

"It's alright, little one, the protection spell is ok to break." He whispered. The bird chirped lightly before the coloring dissolved off its feathers. The color dripped into Archellevon's other hand, forming a gem. The bird, now a golden color, chirruped once more before fluttering away.

"This, Fay, will help you remember." He informed. The Valerian looked in awe at the object. He hesitated, looking to Archellevon.

"Won't you be in trouble for giving this to me when everyone wants me to forget?" He was afraid of what he would learn if his memories returned. The angel laughed lightly, though to Fay it seemed extremely hollow.

"Dear one, this is the least of my worries." He then reached the gem out to Fay.

"All you have to do in order to remember everything is touch the gem; for I've already removed the fluorite layer from it... or rather to a degree that won't make either of us nauseous… It will bring back the memories of the one you love, the father of that child." Someone he loved...it was hard to think he had had someone like that. Fay reached for the object, he brought it closer to examine it before he went rigid. He doubled over, his head throbbed painfully as images of strange machines, and unknown faces flashed before his closed eyes. A face formed in his mind, dark hair and red eyes, a name was on the tip of his tongue. Fay gasped as another waves of images hit him. His head swam and he couldn't help cry out as his memories came back to him.

"...Kurogane..." He looked to Archellevon. The angel was smiling softly, letting Fay know it was alright. The man of Fay's memories... the man who held him close so many times, the one who saw the Valerian for what he was and still loved him for it, the one who always tried to protect him...

"Now you know..." Archellevon whispered. Fay's mind was still fuzzy, as he still tried to sort through his regained memories.

"Thank you....Archellevon." He smiled, placing his hand over his stomach... Toshihiko... the name caused tears to well at the corners of his eyes. He had known he would forget, but it hadn't made it any less painful for him. The angel knelt down next to Fay, placing a hand on the other's shoulder.

"It's alright, Fay... he's with you now, you know everything you need and should know..." He frowned.

"But time is running out... Kurogane is being readied to be transported as we speak..."

"To fulfill your wish I have to see him one last time before he leaves." Fay nodded, knowing what had to be done, after all he owed the angel so much already. Archellevon's hand tightened on Fay's shoulder.

"I'm sorry..." He looked at Fay sadly.

"That I've asked this burden of you and your lover..."

"You've given us a chance to be together again, the least I can do is do the same for you." Fay smiled, thankful for Archellevon's reassurance. The angel blinked and then smiled sadly, nodding. He straightened himself, looking at the door.

"Let us go..."


	16. And unworthy punishment ensued

**Mirika-rin:** Wouldn'tcha know it? On top of juggling computers and online schooling, FIRST they tell me i have to go ANOTHER SEMESTER to graduate, and THEN I get sick. Life's a bitch sometimes I swear to all gods XD but yeah, another sad, depressing, angsty chapter. I also cried in this one 8D and teared up a little while editing. The inevitable is finally taking place...

**Ashine-chan: **Probably our saddest chapter yet, but it will get better. Also, I'm pretty sure I cried a little at certain parts, though hopefully everyone will like the chapter. 7.7 *hides in case of flames*

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Toriho frowned as he saw his son out cold on the bed. He scanned the room again, seeing that the projectors were still working; it wouldn't do for Youou to wake up in unfamiliar surroundings. He wondered briefly to how Fay was doing, but quickly thought of something else. There was no use thinking about the blonde and the grandchild he would never meet.

The android his son had created was now lying in bed, curled up against the man like any lover would do in bed. Kurogane, however, did not accept her, even unconsciously. Toriho was thinking about how he had had to reprogram her when he heard Kurogane groan.

"Finally awake Youou?" Toriho had to force himself to smile as he watched his son stir awake.

"Ngh... Dad... I told you to stop calling me that..." Kurogane grumbled angrily, rubbing his forehead.

"Damn... I feel like I've been hit with a fucking train..."

"You took a nasty fall earlier, don't you remember kiddo?" The older man moved closer to the bed as his son awoke.

"Is that why you're in my house?" The other man grunted, obviously annoyed. He was about to sit up when he saw Yuui laying up against him.

"...W...What the... hell...?" He looked over in a panic to his father.

"D...Dad...I..."

"Youou don't cause a scene, not like I haven't caught you with a girlfriend before." The older man crossed his arms and smirked at his son. He could only hope he had done a good job are reprogramming Yuui's data.

"A...a girl..." Kurogane repeated, looking at Yuui.

"O-oi...wake up..." He said, hoping Yuui's programming was ok, though he himself didn't know Chii's name was changed.

"Maybe you hit your head harder than I thought. You have been asleep for awhile." Toriho looked to his son, seeing the confusion therein the other's eyes.

"Nnn..." The younger man replied, sitting up slightly. Yuui rolled off slightly, and the movement of the shifting bed aroused her. Kurogane was slightly curious as to why she didn't respond to his 'wake up' command. She looked at her master and smiled. Though before she could greet him, he squawked.

"Y-Your hair!!! A... And your eyes!!! What the hell!?"

"Youou that's no way to talk to your partner!" Toriho put a hand to his hip as he watched his son rediscover the changed looks of his android. Kurogane growled as he looked to his father.

"It's Kurogane, dad! And I'll talk to whoever I want however I want!" He spat before looking back at Yuui. The android tilted her head curiously. Kurogane sighed.

"Come on, Chii, get up." The robot blinked.

"Chii?" Kurogane blinked too.

"...Yeah? That's your name, idiot." The girl shook her head.

"Master programmed Fay to the name 'Fay'." At this, the halfbreed froze, the name resonating in his head. Where had he heard it before?

"...F....Fay?"

"Master? Youou you want to explain?" Toriho looked to Kurogane in surprise as he saw something in his son's eyes register the name Yuui had just given. Kurogane stayed silent for a moment before he moved his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, glaring at his father.

"Call me 'Youou' one more time and I'm never speaking to you again." He threatened, though both of the men in the room knew it was a hollow statement. Kurogane then looked back to the android.

"And you, your name... I... It wasn't... that... when I uh... met you..."

"It's your name kiddo, and you were just fine being called it when you were younger." He watched as Yuui blinked at her creator in confusion. The older man hoped that he had erased all of her files concerning the real Fay, for his son's sake. The android pouted.

"Fay's name has always been 'Fay'... At first Fay was called 'Chii', then master reprogrammed Fay to 'Fay' because 'Chii' was too painful for Fay..." Kurogane grimaced, looking at his father slowly. He knew the robot was only digging him deeper into trouble.

"Care to explain? And I mean it this time, Youou." Toriho gave Kurogane a stern look as Yuui continued to look confused. He crossed his arms and stared down at his son, who knew he had more than likely been caught. The other man sighed and ran a hand though his hair before waving a hand at the doll.

"She's... a project... I've been working on..." He folded his hands while resting his elbows against his knees.

"Your employees wouldn't let me continue working on her last year, so I took her home with me..." He looked away, frowning.

"She's almost finished."

"When were you going to tell me all of this?" He looked to Yuui, he had noticed the minor slip she had made, but it looked as if Kurogane hadn't registered it.

"I actually hadn't planned on it..." His son mumbled, looking to the ground. Yuui sat up slowly on her own before crawling over and draping her arms over Kurogane's shoulders, much like Fay would've done.

"...Fay is sleepy... let's sleep some more, master. Your head must still hurt..." Kurogane flinched slightly, his body not liking the contact but his mind simply didn't understand it.

"Isn't it a bit strange for her to be so close to you?" Toriho smirked, glad that Yuui was acting oddly and that Kurogane hadn't suspected anything amiss.

"N-no... it's..." He stuttered, proving that he was trying to cover up the fact he had forgotten. He looked over to Yuui and studied her face, trying to find something to help him remember.

"It's fine..."

"Maybe we should have your mother come over to check you out?" He frowned, he knew the mind wipe would leave Kurogane disoriented and confused, but it didn't make it any easier for him to watch his son try to make sense of things.

"Dammit dad, don't get mom into this." Kurogane then gave Toriho a puzzled look.

"...Hey... where is mom anyway? I thought you two were together like a body and a tumor..." He stood then, moving his hand to rub the back of his neck. Yuui reached out and grabbed the arm to cling, unknowingly stopping Kurogane from discovering the wound left by the mind wipe needle that had yet to heal into disappearance.

"Your mother is with Tomoyo, I stopped by to see if you wanted to join us." He glared a bit at Kurogane's remark, but let the matter drop as the android grabbed hold of the younger man. He wondered how long it would take for the side effects of the mind wipe to leave as he carefully watched his child's every move. Kurogane looked at the doll and frowned, somewhat annoyed by the persistence to touch him.

"What is with you? You never did this beforehand." He grunted, pulling his arm away. The android pouted and pushed her index fingers together.

"Master always wanted Fay to cling, so Fay thought... Fay should cling..." She looked over to Toriho.

"Right master?" Kurogane blinked. Was... she talking about someone else? And did she just call his dad 'master'? He looked to his father with a scowl. Maybe it was because they looked so alike? Toriho noticed the look he had been given and quickly tried to think of how to explain away the problem.

"Kurogane likes to cuddle then?" He smiled almost sadly as he thought of the other blonde that by now would have no memory of his son.

"Like hell I do." He said, completely opposite of what he would've said, had he still had all memories of Fay. He looked to Yuui and narrowed his eyes. She blinked, but yelped when he grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, taking her off guard.

"When did you learn to walk?" He asked out of the blue, seeing she had to stand and take a few steps to get to him as he straightened.

"Even if she's not human, you shouldn't be so rough with her." He moved forward ready to stop Kurogane from damaging Yuui. The other growled, glaring at his father. The glint in his eye told Toriho Kurogane knew something was out of place. He looked back to Yuui and barked the question again:

"When the fuck did you learn?!" He shook Yuui slightly, making the girl whimper.

"I-I... Master taught Fay! Master taught Fay to walk! Before... you fell..." She gave Kurogane a look that made him pause. He pulled away from her, realizing his temper had got the best of him.

"You may have to go to the doctor if you're memory's been affected that badly..." Toriho had been ready to stop Kurogane as he had violently shook Yuui.

"Fuck the doctor!" The half breed snapped at his father, frustrated by his own forgetfulness and aggravated even more by the other two acting like 'bumping his head' wasn't a big deal. His pride was at stake though, so he decided to, whether it be better to or not, act like it wasn't a big deal either.

"I'll be fine by tomorrow!" He held his head briefly, sighing angrily.

"Calm down, you'll only end up injuring yourself." The older man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Things weren't going as well as he had hoped. Kurogane growled again before he looked to Yuui.

"When did I fall in love with you?" He spat, showing disgust in not knowing. Yuui looked back at him, hurt. She let herself sit on the bed, staring up at her creator. "M...Master has... always loved Fay..." She whimpered. Kurogane's face turned red with anger at the statement.

"WHEN?! WHY?!" He shouted.

"That's enough!" Toriho moved to stand beside Kurogane, ready to keep his son from hurting Yuui or from hurting himself. The other man would not have it. He turned to Toriho and grabbed the front of the man's shirt.

"Why did she change her name?! Why the fuck did it hurt to be called Chii?!" He looked over to Yuui and let his mouth begin to open again to start shouting once more, before his eyes widened. He slowly fell into silence, his hands losing grip on Toriho's shirt.

"What's wrong?" He leaned forwards and placed a hand on his son's shoulder. Maybe it would have been better for him to have suggested giving a sedative to Kurogane instead of letting him wake up so soon after everything. Kurogane pointed out his left arm, unbeknownst to him that it was a mechanical arm covered in a fake skin. He pointed to Yuui, a shocked look on his face.

"W...why... she looks... why does she look like that guy...?" He asked weakly before looking at his father. He grabbed Toriho's arms.

"Why does she look like that guy!? Who the fuck is that guy!!?"

"Who the hell are you talking about Youou?" Toriho had tensed at the other's words. His stomach dropped as dread filled him. If the memory wipe hadn't succeeded then they would be forced to take other measures against Kurogane.

"THAT MAN I SAW DAMMIT!" Kurogane shouted, gripping his father's arms tighter.

"He was outside of the room I first woke up in! WHO THE HELL IS THAT GUY?! WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE FAY?!" He shouted, the name sending painful ricochets throughout his body.

"Stop it Youou, you're scaring her..." He spoke gently to his son as he tried to keep his emotions under control. He swore mentally, someone had screwed up and let Kurogane see the real Fay after his memories were taken.

"What is this about seeing someone who looks like Fay? I came here and found you knocked out. Maybe you dreamt it?"

"Dreamt it my ass!" He cussed, letting go of his father to pace about the room.

"He was real, dammit! I saw him!" He paused in his thoughts, though continued to walk about. He HAD seen him, right? He looked at his hand. Someone had stopped him from touching the blonde's face. He grimaced. The look on the other man's face... it was... so full of pain.

"That's nonsense. You need to stop acting like a child and get some rest or I will take you to the nearest hospital." Toriho ground out, he was beginning to think having Kurogane conscious through this instead of having him transported back home immediately was a bad idea. Kurogane glared at his father.

"Don't talk to me like I'm a kid anymore dad. I'm not acting like a child!" He shouted, making Yuui flinch.

"I'm confused, ok!? I could've sworn I saw a man who looked exactly like Fay!" He said, only this time he grabbed his stomach wearily. The jolts his body received from saying the name hurt, more so than he thought any name could.

"D... Dammit..."

"Maybe you should lie down, you might have a concussion." He put his hand atop Kurogane's head trying to comfort him as best he could under the circumstances. And for the first time that day Kurogane obeyed, sitting down next to his android. He felt nauseated just by thinking of the name. And the person... that damn person! Who the hell was he and why did it hurt to think about his expression?!

"Come on kiddo, you know me and your mother worry, besides you don't want her angry at both us if you hurt yourself anymore." An image of Tsumebe flashed in his mind briefly before he tried to smile reassuringly to Kurogane. The other thought of his mother as well and he sighed. He knew his father was right. He allowed the android to lean against him, though he wanted to reject her completely. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and frowned; she looked too much like that damned man.

"Are you alright now?" Toriho moved to sit on the edge of the bed, he was glad Kurogane had decided to settle down instead of allowing his temper to get the better of him.

"Nn..." Kurogane responded, still staring at the girl who clung to him. She smiled back and he frowned deeper. The dark haired man looked over to his father briefly before he felt the android reach up and touch his cheek. The half breed blinked and growled, brushing her off. The touch didn't feel right. Not one bit.

"You shouldn't growl so much, you're face will stick like that." Toriho smirked trying to seem normal to keep Kurogane from suspecting anything amiss again.

"You really know how to piss a guy off, don't you?" He retorted, looking at his father in disinterest. He stood again, unable to keep himself still. The man in his thoughts wouldn't leave him alone.

"You shouldn't be up." Toriho watched, tense, as Kurogane moved. Yuui looked concerned as she watched both men. Kurogane headed for the door.

"I can't stand it. I'm going out for a drive." He said as he reached for the door handle.

"You'll stay here and rest, you probably have a mild concussion, do you want to worry your mother and me to death?" Toriho frowned and stood, ready to grab his son if he tried to leave. Kurogane turned to look at his father with a frown.

"Maybe the fresh air will do me some good. I can't stand sitting in here when I've apparently forgotten so much." He mocked, really not knowing how right he was. The younger man turned back to the door and clasped the handle, getting ready to exit. Toriho moved briskly to Kurogane and grabbed his arm in a firm hold.

"Back to bed Youou." He spoke sternly, not leaving room for argument. The man paused, briefly looking about the room before his eyes fell on the clock. He narrowed his eyes and glanced back to his father.

"What time is it?" He asked slowly.

"It's still light out, why?" Hid grip didn't loosen as he looked questioningly at Kurogane. Yuui moved off the bed and stood to the side watching them intently. Kurogane yanked his arm away from his father.

"You say it's light outside, true. But my clock says it's eight in the morning. If this was all true, the sun would be shining right through that window." He nodded his head to the window holographically projected. It was light, but no orb shown through the curtains. Kurogane scowled.

"What the fuck is going on?"

"Nothing, now get back to bed, we can talk about this later when you're not so confused about everything." He moved closer to the door in case Kurogane tried to bolt.

"Quit lying to me dad!" Kurogane warned, keeping his watchful gaze on Toriho. His hands clenched, though he didn't allow his father to get any closer to the door than he already attempted. If need be he was going to find out for himself why things weren't adding up.

"Stop Youou. Look at how you're acting. You've scared Fay-chan and now you're starting to worry me." He pursed his lips, his body tense as he tried to force Kurogane to rethink leaving the room.

"How I'm acting?!" Kurogane bellowed, obviously not amused. He took a step forward to his father.

"I want some answers and you dodge it with stupid and casual remarks like I don't notice?!" The man paused for a brief moment, wondering if someone else had done this. He brushed it off and continued to glare at his father.

"I'm not dodging it, I'm trying to put your best interests first. And what's best for you now is to rest and try to recover." He sighed, exasperated by his son's anger. He supposed he did deserve it, but he had to try and keep his child safe, it would only cause Kurogane more pain if he didn't. The other man kept silent for a moment, glaring daggers at his father, before he sighed. He turned from his father and the door and walked over to the bed. Lying down, he covered his eyes with his left arm and groaned. His head was reeling, little but bothering facts weren't adding up, and the mysterious man in the bulk of his thoughts...

"Damn I'm hungry."

"I could get you something, sure you can handle it and not get sick on me?" He smiled, glad his son had decided to listen for once. Yuui moved to the edge of the bed to sit, her face still full of worry as she watched Kurogane. Said man's eyes flashed open and he could barely contain his smirk.

"Yeah... I'm sure." He didn't remove his arm from his forehead, though it felt heavier than what he thought it would be, as he waited for his dad's reply. Yuui exchanged a worried glance between Toriho and Kurogane, pondering in her robotic mind what was going on.

"Anything in particular you want?" He sighed mentally, happy to see his son wasn't too angry with him anymore.

"Anything hot." Kurogane replied, sitting up slightly in bed. He looked at Toriho with a slight smirk. Yuui smiled when she saw it, thinking everything was alright again.

"Then don't complain if it's something you don't like." It almost reminded Toriho when Kurogane had been younger, but things had changed greatly since then.

"Get some rest kiddo." The older man turned towards the door and exited. He sighed and leaned against the closed door before locking it and moving away. Kurogane stared at the door and listened, and when he heard the locked he growled. He sat up and flung his legs off the bed in a flash.

"Dammit. I knew something was up." He grabbed the door knob and turned, and when the door didn't open he cursed again.

"First a lame ass excuse for why Chii's name changed, then the time, now a lock on the other side of the door. Fay." He called sharply, though inside he felt his stomach flip again. Yuui perked up and stood once more from the bed before she walked to her creator.

"Yes, Master?"

"Can you do me a favor?" He asked with a smirk, moving away from the door.

"I uploaded you software recently that had something to do with decoding things. Could you perhaps use that in breaking this lock?" He said while folding his arms. She nodded in understanding before moving in front of the door. The cat like ear opened to reveal a slender cable. With her hand she put the cable to the doors keyhole. Her eyes glazed over as the cable did its work. It took only a few moments before an audible click was heard. The android smiled before retracting the cable back into her ear.

"Door has been unlocked Master Kurogane." She stepped away from the door and smiled. The man smirked wider and ruffled the android's hair in a very fatherly way, much like what he used to do.

"Great. Now, go lay down. Don't wake up for anyone but me or Toriho, got it? And do not tell him I left using you." He replied before gripping the doorknob. She nodded and mechanically walked to the bed before lying down as she had been instructed.

"Does Master want Fay to go into hibernation mode?" She asked, her eyes glazing over as she waited for a response.

"Yes." Kurogane replied before quietly opening the door. He peered out and gaped; it was definitely not home. The halls were white and crisp, very round like in sci-fi movies Tomoyo forced him to watch before. He decided better not to linger in the doorway in case his father came back before he moved. He slipped out the sliver of the door and closed it, moving stealthily down the hall.

Toriho sighed again as he walked down the corridor and back to Kurogane. With one hand he carried a plate of food, hoping his son wouldn't find anything wrong with it as he rounded a corner and walked to the door. He used his other hand to turn the handle, but stopped abruptly.

"The hell?" The door wasn't locked. Fearing the worst Toriho pushed the door open to reveal Yuui asleep on the bed. Red eyes scanned the room only to find Kurogane had vanished. Swearing he dropped the plate he had been carrying and moved to a hidden key panel beside the door and quickly entered the code to set the alarms.

"Dammit Youou..."

~elsewhere~

The angel walked briskly down the hall, his blue eyes set dead on the place he was headed for. He looked briefly now and then to check if Fay was still following him, but he mainly stayed focused on his destination.

"I'm sure he's just figuring something's wrong right about now..." He muttered, stopping at a door. His heart skipped a beat; this was the door in his visions... maybe he _was_ going to die here.

"Archellevon?" Fay stopped behind the other man, worried as to why he had stopped suddenly. Something wasn't sitting well with the blonde as he watched intently. The winged one blinked, coming out of his stupor, and smiled over his shoulder to Fay.

"It won't be long now... Your Kurogane is a smart one, even without full memories..." He said solemnly. He turned to Fay and frowned.

"Whatever you do, don't lose the gem." He warned, wrapping his hand around Fay's that held the green crystal.

"He's more short-tempered than anything." Fay smiled as he held the covered charm tightly in his hand. A small wave of nausea hit him because of it, but he shook it off, since Archellevon had done away with most of the material that would've made it fatal to him. He could only hope Kurogane hadn't gotten himself into any more trouble. Archellevon gave a sad smile, knowing that what Fay was thinking was inevitable. He gave a small chuckle before he once again started back down the hall in a leisurely stroll, unlike before.

"I wish I could've become true friends with you, Fay, but seeing our circumstances, I know it's not plausible..." Kurogane would be asking his father for food now...

"I would have liked that, maybe if we meet again we can be friends." His smile faltered at Archellevon's words as they stood in front of the door. The angel paused a few feet in front of Fay and turned to look at the blonde with a frown. His ocean blue eyes surveyed the Valerian and again turned away.

"Maybe." He said sullenly. He then closed his eyes and counted the seconds.

"He'll be with us here, soon..." Fay stopped himself from asking who they were going to meet. Instead the blonde waited beside Archellevon, ready to meet whoever was on the other side of the door.

On the other side of the door, halfway down the hallway, Kurogane panted. He didn't know how long or where or why he was running, he just knew he had to get away as fast as he could. Something told him it was useless to walk anymore when he heard blaring red alarms go off on the ceilings. He cursed loudly and ran the rest of the way, going for the door.

On the inverse, Archellevon smiled and opened the door right after hearing the alarms. The high pitched ringing caused Fay to flinch and try to cover his ears. He could see Kurogane running toward them, and the half breed simply ran passed them. He would've continued running if Fay hadn't caught his eye.

"You!!!" The blonde barely noticed Archellevon opening the door, but it didn't take him long for his ears to pick up a familiar voice shouting at him. He stared in shock as Kurogane came to a halt in front of them. His mind raced, he knew Kurogane couldn't have possibly remembered him. He winced once more at the alarms, no doubt caused by Kurogane. The tan hands encircled Fay's upper arms tightly and shook him whenever Kurogane's voice ripped out a fierce question.

"Tell me your name! Who the hell are you!? Why can't I get you out of my head?! Why do you look like my android?!" He shouted over the alarms, knowing he didn't have much time left for getting answers. Archellevon simply smiled and began to walk away slowly.

"I-I...." The sirens going off around them were forgotten as Fay met Kurogane's angry gaze.

"Stop." He tried to push the irate man away, knowing it could cause their unborn child harm if Kurogane continued. The other man didn't let go, but he stopped shaking and didn't hold as tightly. He growled in aggravation.

"Answer me! I HAVE to know!" He shouted, hearing stomping coming down the halls in all directions.

"Just your name!"

"You shouldn't know; it'll only hurt you more." Fay shut his eyes tightly, everything was happening to fast and it left him confused and hurt. The shouting from the guards he knew were coming, reminded him of the ship and how Kurogane had been hurt trying to protect him. Even if Archellevon had foreseen this, he should have tried to at least keep the other man from having to be hurt again.

"NO! DAMMIT, TELL ME BLONDEIE!" He shouted louder, calling out the nickname he had formally called Fay when they were on Earth. He pushed Fay against the wall and glared.

"Or so help me GODS I will carve it out of you with my bare hands!" It was then Kurogane saw the pouch in Fay's hand. Something within him stirred, and his body reacted negatively toward it when it became noticed.

"Stop it Kurogane!" Fay had his breath knocked out of him as he was pushed violently against the wall. His hand tightened on the charm as he tried to struggle out of the other man's hold. The dark haired one felt his heart skip a beat when the other said his name. It wasn't the fact that this stranger _knew_ his name, there was just something... odd about how he said it.

"How the hell do you know me?!" He demanded, hearing the halls start to echo with the loud steps.

"I don't care if it hurts, I want to know! NOW!"

"You're hurting him and me..." Fay said softly as he looked at Kurogane. He didn't want to force the other off him and risk the other fighting back. A fight was the last thing he wanted to happen between them. Kurogane gave him a questioning look.

"...Him?" He looked Fay up and down but only confused himself more. It was then he noticed Fay's elongated ears. He let out a squawk and eyed them over.

"What are you?!"

"Let me go." Fay could hear shouting not far from them. He winced, hoping that the other would just let him go instead of trying to force him to talk.

"God dammit just answer me! Your name!" He inquired furiously again. He felt his hope starting to diminish at that point, knowing it wouldn't be long and trying to get away now surely would not work.

"Give me something to go off of, something to connect the pieces, anything!" He said wearily, almost begging, but not quite. Blue eyes met red and the blonde felt guilt settle over him. Anything could happen if Kurogane knew and remembered him now. He lowered his head defeated.

"...Fay." Grabbing hold of Kurogane's upper arm he dug his nails into the tanned skin.

The other man's eyes widened and he looked slightly skeptical. He let out a small disbelieving chuckle.

"F...Fay?" He began, before looking at the other's hands on his arms. He loosened his grip tremendously, staring at the blonde. He opened his mouth to ask another question, but a laser going between them and scathing both the pale hand and tan arm stopped him abruptly. The Valerian yelped from the pain and retracted his arm. Fay's head snapped to the side to see several guards away from them, weapons raised and ready to fire at them. He felt for his own power, hoping that if he brought up a barrier it would hold with his reduced strength.

Before Fay could react any further, Kurogane's hand once again latched onto the thin arm and started pulling him off. He raced slightly down the hallway before realizing there were more guards coming down that way.

"Dammit!" He looked about, then to Fay with severely weakened hope.

"...Will I find you again?! After all this!" He asked hurriedly, ducking and pulling the blonde with him to avoid gunshots.

"I don't know…" His heart was beating sporadically as he ran behind Kurogane trying to keep up without tripping. The grip on his arm was strong enough to bruise, but he didn't pay attention to it as shots fired around them. Kurogane once again looked at Fay with a frown before he stopped altogether, seeing more guards waiting for them at the end of the hall. He cussed vibrantly and instantly changed directions, picking Fay up bridal style in order to run faster. He skitted slightly when they appeared to be cornered then and took off down another hall, back to where he and Fay had met up.

"We can't get away from them..." Fay frowned as his hand grasped the fabric of Kurogane's shirt. It was like reliving Kurogane's attempted escape and everything that followed. He wasn't sure if he could stand to see something like that again. Kurogane looked at the blonde and he grimaced even more.

"We can! We just have to find a way!" He said in determination, running passed the door. Archellevon smiled and turned to look at them approaching, knowing it was close. He looked over to the running guards and smiled wider; Edameonus was leading them.

"It's no use." Fay stretched a hand out wearily, as he summoned up the strongest barrier his limited strength could muster. It wasn't much but it might buy them some time as Kurogane continued. The half breed wavered in his step and almost fell, feeling the other hand clasped tighter; the hand holding the charm. He shook his head and held tighter onto the Valerian, knowing he had to keep running.

It was then they passed Archellevon, who gave Fay a knowing look that told him a silent goodbye. Fay closed his eyes tightly, he didn't want to see. He knew what was about to happen and there was nothing he could do to stop Archellevon's wish from passing. Kurogane turned around again, seeing the path was blocked off once again. He had to stop running though, for more than 15 shots rang out at once. 9 bounced off the barrier, 2 made it through but missed, 1 scratched Kurogane's cheek, 2 more ricocheted off the floor and hit two guards on the opposite wall, and the last one... the last one went through Archellevon's chest, vanishing before it could reach Fay's head behind the barrier. Fay watched as the barrier he had brought up shattered in front of him from the guards' weapons. He quickly brought up another to protect them and watched just as quickly as Archellevon appeared and blocked before either he or Kurogane could be injured.

The angel's expression was that of shock as he reached up to touch the wound. The guards were silent as the grave and all of them stared in motionless surprise. Edameonus through off his helmet and took a step forward, panting slightly as he watched his lover with wide eyes. Archellevon then smiled as new golden tears fell from his eyes.

"Th...the wound... is not healing..." He announced weakly, falling to his knees. Time slowed around them all as the angel collapsed and Edameonus came toward the fallen man. The demon's scream of disbelief filled all unbelieving ears as the angel settled on the ground, silver blood oozing out both his chest and back. When he stopped moving his wings began to fall apart, showing the angel was dying. Edameonus picked up his lover, proving that the spells placed on them broke once Archellevon was fatally wounded.

Kurogane watched, dumbfounded, at the two in front of him. Fay also watched as Archellevon collapsed and his own lover came to him. Even if he knew that it was going to happen it didn't make it any less painful for the blonde to watch. He held onto Kurogane as the scene unfolded before him, the guards had since lowered their weapons and watched the two court members in front of them. Archellevon coughed slightly as he was gathered in Edameonus's arms. He smiled and slowly reached up a shaking hand to his panicking lover.

"E...Eda...Edameonus..." He said for the first time in centuries, more gold falling from blue eyes. The demon looked down in shock at his lover, his eyes brimming with his own tears.

"Ar...Archellevon..." He whispered, making the angel close his eyes.

"I... I'm finally...fin...free..." He choked out, making Edameonus's grip tighten. Fay watched as the two men said their goodbyes to one another. He moved to press his face against Kurogane's chest, not wanting to witness the angel's passing. To see Archellevon's vision come to fruition was more painful than he had thought. The blonde closed his eyes trying to will away the chaos around them. He could hear, now that the alarms had been silenced, footsteps racing towards them. He could also feel Kurogane's grip absentmindedly hold him tighter, his mind not remembering but his body still wanting to hold onto whatever felt like Fay. Edameonus shook his head in disbelief.

"No! Archy, you... you can't leave! You can't leave me..." He begged quietly, making the angel smile apologetically.

"Ed... i...if I were..."He coughed then, his lung having been punctured to show silver blood falling from his mouth.

"If I weren't... leaving... I couldn't have said... your name..." Fay stole a glance over to the couple and notice two figures running close to them. He watched as Saiga and Fei Wang stopped short behind the guards and soldiers, horror dawning on their faces as they saw Archellevon. The angel only stared up at his lover, his hand falling limp to the ground. He gave a feeble smile, one that truly broke Edameonus's heart.

"P... Please... wait for me... my love..." He requested, allowing Edameonus hold onto his forearm.

"…I-I will, Archy…" Edameonus nodded slowly and he gave Archellevon the pleasure of seeing his smile. The other coughed again, more blood falling down and off his chin. His gold tears stained the demon's sleeve as the angel's head fell limp with eyes closed.

The other two court members that had arrived moved through the crowd towards their fallen comrade.

"Kurogane..." Fay watched afraid of what would happen to them now that they were surrounded. He didn't want Kurogane to have to suffer through another punishment. The man gave his forgotten lover a distraught look, but he truly didn't know what to do now. He knew sneaking away was certainly not an option, and fighting would only get him killed. He sighed; Kurogane didn't like it, but it looked to him like they had no choice but to give up. It was then Edameonus's head lifted. He glared at some of the soldiers, his blood colored eyes on fire.

"...You..." Fay tugged at Kurogane's shirt, not trusting his voice at the moment as he felt Edameonus's aura change and darken. Saiga and Fei Wang were to the side, not knowing what to expect from the Ginryan who growled lowly. Archellevon was placed so gently on the floor his body only moved to curve against it. The silver liquid had stained Edameonus's lap and now his boots as he stood. His hands ignited with maroon flame quickly as rage engulfed him.

"YOU KILLED HIM!!" He shouted, throwing a fireball violently into the onlooking crowd. More than five soldiers were hit and sent flying into an opposing wall.

"Edameonus, stop this!" Fei Wang moved to stand in front of several guards his hand out stretched and ready to deflect any attack from his friend. Saiga walked almost casually forward, a cigarette between his lips as he waited. Fay winced and tried to project another aura, though now if the angered Ginryan decided to attack them they wouldn't stand much of a chance. Kurogane took a step back unknowingly, watching as the other proceeded to ignore Fei Wang's demands and continue to blast at the guards. Tears that had refused to fall in front of the angel when he was alive were now streaming down the demon's face in the form of mercury.

"YOU KILLED HIM! YOU KILLED HIM! WHY?! WHY!?! JUST WHEN HE COULD SAY MY NAME! YOU UP AND KILL HIM!" A barrier erupted from the older Ginryan's hands blocking another attack from Edameonus, his face was stern as he tried to protect those behind him. Saiga took off his glasses and pocketed them. Golden eyes looked over the scene and he took an offensive stance.

"Killing the guards won't bring him back, you knew what he wanted in the end." He watched as the man went into the rage his race was infamous for. Fay watched, not knowing what they should do. Edameonus turned sharply to Saiga and roared in anger, his hands lighting up like torches.

"DAMN YOU ALL!" He shouted, headed straight for Saiga, but the man narrowed his eyes swiftly, sending out a spell on Edameonus. The demon fell to the ground, magical bindings around his arms and legs. He screamed even louder out of fury, struggling insanely to get free. Kurogane frowned, not liking the way the demon reacted to his lover's death.

"We need to get out of the way." Fay spoke as quietly as possible, not wanting to draw attention to them. Several guards raised their weapons and moved back allowing the court members enough room to subdue Edameonus. Saiga approached the bound Ginryan, his aura radiating off him as he got closer.

"We need to take him somewhere until he calms down, he can't transform when I've got him bound like this." He frowned, upset at what was happening.

Kurogane nodded then, scanning the area calmly before seeing a possible exit. He inched toward it ever so slowly, as to make sure the guards were too absorbed in what was happening to the court member to notice the runaways. Edameonus on the other hand screamed and thrashed about, eyes wide with tears falling freely.

"ARCHY! ARCHY!" He screeched, taking it harder than anyone had assumed he would. Fay brought his hands up to cover his ears, not wanting to listen to Edameonus's anguished cries. His mind kept replacing what was happening to what could have happened to them and the blonde shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the thoughts.

"Can you pick him up? He needs to be taken away along with Archellevon." Fei Wang asked as he focused his energy to also restrain the younger Ginryan on the floor.

Kurogane knew it was now or never. He slinked over to the opening he saw and took the chance; slipping out of the door he had previously chosen. Saiga shook his head, uncertain if he'd be able to. Slowly Edameonus's wild carrying about gave up, and his cries slowly became moans. He curled up into a ball, weeping on his knees while repeating his lover's name.

"We won't be able to escape, the area's already been alerted. You should just leave me, go back to your father." Fay bit his lip, wanting Kurogane to listen to him for once instead of endangering his life. He looked around and knew that it was unlikely they'd be able to leave, even if most people's attention were focused on Archellevon's sacrifice.

"The alarms stopped. Most guards are here and I'm guessing the rest assume we've been caught." Kurogane retaliated, moving quicker once he was out of the guards' visions. He looked to Fay.

"Plus I have many more questions to ask you."

Still in the small section of hallway, Saiga frowned when Edameonus reverted to a child and he looked at Fei Wang.

"We'll need someone else to lift him..."

"You, go and bring all the healer's you can find." Fei Wang turned to one of the soldiers who nodded before darting off down the hallway.

"We'll remove the body once he's been secured." Saiga nodded before looking back down to the demon. Edameonus's blank eyes stared at Archellevon's body, which lay only five feet away. The dull blue eyes were still concealed by eyelids, but his lover knew that they were staring directly at him with all the bliss in the galaxy. Around the corner, Saiga watched as the guard returned with Shuichirou and several of the other healers that had been with him.

"He will need to be sedated so we can take him to a confining room." The doctor walked up slowly, not wanting to cause the Ginryan to go into another rage. Edameonus's eyes never left his deceased mate and Shuichirou knew that he was currently lost in his own mind. When the doctor looked over to Archellevon, he was somewhat surprised that an angel could've been killed by something as primitive as a laser gun. He looked to Saiga and Fei Wang.

"What enabled the court member to be murdered by the weapons?" He asked, avoiding saying Archellevon's name.

"We got here late, but there were two prisoners here. He must have been in the line of fire." Saiga ran a hand through his hair, unable to come to terms with what was happening. He eyes moved to where he had last seen Kurogane and Fay and knew they were trying to sneak away. Shuichirou nodded and looked back to the body, knowing it would be almost impossible to get the silver off of the floor while still wet.

Away from that area Kurogane sighed, unable to find which way it was to escape pods of some sort, so he set Fay down.

"...Seeing as you won't give me answers nor help me out trying to save our asses, I guess going back to my father ain't such a bad deal..."

"If I told you anything it wouldn't help, you wouldn't remember anyway." Fay sighed and turned, trying to see if he couldn't locate Toriho's energy.

"Besides it would be in both of our best interests for now, for you not to remember." Even if it was painful for him to look at Kurogane and not see recognition there. Kurogane growled, narrowing his eyes.

"What don't I remember? Why are you keeping secrets, Blondie?" He asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"Why the fuck can't I know now?" He hissed sharply, infuriated that everyone was keeping secrets from him.

"Because if you remember so soon after, they might take back what they said and kill you." He looked away from Kurogane, he knew that it was far more likely to happen to him, after all he had regained his memory not long after it had been sealed away. Kurogane gave him a dumbfounded look.

"Kill me?! What the fuck did I do?!" He asked appalled. The dark haired man sighed then, calming himself.

"Fine. Whatever. Do you think I'd ever remember whatever the hell it was I forgot?" He asked, very pissed off at knowing the blonde knew him but didn't say how or why.

"I do." The other smiled and tightened his hold on the charm in his hand.

"I want you to remember, more than almost anything else, but right now it could be a problem." Kurogane's expression loosened a little then and he seemed to relax a little more.

"...Tch. Fine...." He said slowly though he didn't look away from Fay's smile.

"...When will I remember?" He inquired frankly, looking away.

"I'm guessing 'falling off something' isn't the reason I forgot something as important as a person..." He looked Fay up and down.

"Though I question the importance, I'm still curious..."

"It probably would have been sooner if you would just listen for once." Fay scolded lightly, he was sure Toriho was running around trying to find his son as they spoke. He could feel his cheeks warm as he felt eyes boring into him and wondered briefly if the human knew he was doing it. Kurogane's eyebrows rose a little when he saw the light tint against Fay's face, but didn't question that.

"Listened for once? Whenever I listen you don't say anything." He scoffed, folding his arms. He blinked, realizing he was stalling on this very long parting. Turning his head, the dark haired man glared at nothing in particular.

"...Guess we should part ways then..."

"Your father will be looking for you." He looked away from Kurogane; each time they parted was becoming harder for the blonde.

"Just don't start anymore fights, it'll make things easier for all of us." A smile found its way to the Valerian's lips at the idea of his lover actually behaving for once. Kurogane's eyebrow twitched when he heard that part, but he closed his eyes and grunted.

"See ya later Blondie." He said then, looking back at Fay once more with a look that said 'I _will_ see you again. Dunno when, but I will...' before he turned and started walking down the hallway. Fay continued to smile as Kurogane disappeared around a corner. He leaned back against the wall and wrapped his arms around himself, feeling far more alone than he had in a long time. Fay just wished Toriho would find Kurogane before anyone else could.

As Kurogane turned the corner he slowed his pace, looking over his shoulder. He felt like he should've said a somewhat nicer reply, but he just didn't know how to. The half breed sighed and continued down the hall to what he thought was his room. He thought of Fay a little more before coming closer though, hoping everything would soon be ironed out.

"I ask one thing from you. One thing. And you can't even do that for me." Toriho was lucky he had been able to follow Fay's aura, he knew Kurogane, whether aware of their connection or not, would eventually seek the blonde out. He stood and waited for his son to try and explain why he not only endangered himself again, but also his own lover and their unborn child, even if both of those things were still unknown to the younger man. Kurogane shrugged and put his hands in his pockets.

"Chill dad, I'm back where you want me, what more do you want?" The other grumbled, walking up to his father. He didn't want to have to go in depth with the reason he wanted to know more, because, honestly, he himself didn't even know. Toriho looked fatigued; he had a feeling that something a lot bigger than his son was letting on had happened, especially since Kurogane wasn't being followed by armed guards. He had a sinking suspicion it had something to do with Archellevon.

"Youou, we have to go back home." The hand in his pocket felt the needle gun he had secured earlier. It was a last resort if Kurogane chose not to leave willingly. The other man paused for a moment, sensing a harmful intention awaiting him, but when he remembered Fay's words he simply shrugged.

"Whatever. I'm probably failing all my classes by now." He murmured, walking over to the unlocked door to the fake room.

"Is Chii still in there?"

"She is, and you've not missed that much." Toriho was grateful that his son had seemingly calmed down after seeing Fay. The other man's muscles tensed slightly when he felt his father behind him, but he merely opened the door and sighed when the holograph was still up and in place. Though it looked like home, he didn't _feel_ at home. He couldn't place his finger on it, but something was missing. He vaguely wondered if that guy had anything to do with it. Toriho followed Kurogane in, noticing Yuui had yet to move.

"Your mother will probably have both our hides if she knew the trouble you've gotten yourself into." He sighed thinking of his wife and how scary she was when angered. Kurogane scoffed.

"If you're worried about mom worrying, don't tell her I got into a bunch of shit." Kurogane remarked walking over to sit by Yuui. He looked down at her and stared. She had called herself Fay. He wondered if telling his dad he knew she wasn't Fay anymore would be best or not.

"She already knows some of it, but if she knew I kept it from her there'd be hell to pay." He tried to lighten the mood as best he could under the circumstances.

"Is she alright?" He was afraid the android had suffered another battery drain from being reprogrammed.

"Yeah, she's fine." Kurogane replied, turning his upper half so he could move her to the side of the bed. He looked at her slowly, wondering why she looked so much like that man.

"... So you plan to tell her I fell and all that wonderful crap?" He mocked, not fully paying attention to his father anymore.

"I'm sorry kiddo." Toriho quietly took out the gun and pressed it quickly to the side of his son's neck, the sedative was quickly injected into his bloodstream.

"It would have been better for you not to have wondered off." He smiled forlornly as the clear container attached to the gun emptied. Kurogane's eyes widened as he felt a stinging pain, but his quiet search for words slowly failed him as the sedative quickly took effect. He fell forward on the bed, unconscious, once the needle was removed from his neck.

Toriho threw the gun across the room haphazardly as he watched Kurogane fall forward. He moved around the bed, knowing that now he could take both his son and android back home. He sighed ruffling his son's hair, silently apologizing to the sleeping figure.

~meanwhile~

"Now that the remaining members are here..." Yuuko said sullenly, taking her seat as she surveyed the 8 of 10 court members. Edameonus had been escorted and knocked out with drugs not long ago and Archellevon's body had been taken somewhere else. She looked to the younger members, who were crying quietly amongst themselves with Hisui, who offered them comfort.

"...What do we plan to do...?" She finished sadly.

"Archellevon had decided his fate long ago; he was just waiting for an opportunity." Kakei spoke as he laid a hand on Saiga's arm to try and comfort the man.

"This is true..." Saiga spoke softly, placing his hand on Kakei's.

"And Edameonus knew as well..." Kohaku hiccupped from the corner of the room.

"W-Why did he have to die?"

"He chose to." Hisui spoke softly as he comforted Kohaku and Kobato.

"You know how Archellevon lived, it was something he wished for."

"He only lived like that because of us." Said Clow from his place next to Yuuko, for once his neverending smile removed from his face. The other court members either looked down or to him.

"And we knew something drastic such as this would happen..." Fei Wang frowned.

"How is his living style our faults? He saw the flaws; couldn't he have fixed them on his own?" Yuuko looked to him.

"It's not always so simple."

"The restrictions that were placed on him was the whole reason why he wanted to die." Saiga said as he stayed close to Kakei, his sunglasses back in place from earlier.

"Those restrictions are centuries old, though!" Said Kakei, who frowned at his lover. The other members thought silently for a moment before Kobato hiccupped.

"E-even if it's only one d-death..." She started, wiping her eyes.

"One death... is still one d-death too many..."

"What are we to do then? If we change the laws that govern us concerning who we love or lay with, what's to keep future council's from changing any of our other laws?" The only Ginryan in the room asked to the others.

"Perhaps the laws over our heads are too strict." Yuuko answered, placing her hand on her chin in thought.

"Maybe the laws regarding whom we're in love or lay with should be left alone..." She looked up.

"...and maybe the laws saying how long we hold rank should be changed."

"It's difficult enough to find replacements after centuries of searching for the right energy, how are we suppose to find people suitable enough after say a century or two?" Hisui asked as the angel tried to dry the tears of the two youngest members.

"Some of our council members only live for a century, Hisui." Clow reminded, leaning slightly back in his chair.

"Court members are chosen at birth, so doing it more frequently wouldn't be that much of a problem..." Kobato looked at Hisui.

"I-I don't thi...think it's fair... that only some of us... have to govern for only a century... while Angels have eternity..."

"Then we should set in motion to shorten the terms in which each of us and our future replacements will be able to govern?" Clow smiled fondly at the girl. Yuuko watched intently, knowing that her fellow Valerian was up to something. Kobato and Kohaku nodded fervently, making sure their points got across. Kakei pondered for a moment before speaking up again.

"Is that the only rule we're changing?"

"What do you have in mind Kakei?" Yuuko kept her gaze trained on Clow as the man continued to smile. Fei Wang crossed his arms and waited.

"I understand the rules of partnership amongst the court..." He began, looking away from Saiga to the others.

"...it seems to do little justice that certain members can have an open relationship outside of the trials while others can't. Such restrictions lead to... certain outcomes..." He trailed off, knowing that the others got his point.

"We must be careful about this, there could be some who are willing to take advantage of other's feelings for political gain. But I do agree with you, maybe we should disregard relationships between those from different planets or rankings." Yuuko said, her eyes turned to Kakei who held Saiga's hand.

"The whole reason for restrictions against relationships in the court is so that the members don't have biased judgment." Fei Wang said blatantly, reiterating the rules. "Having no laws against that would lead to certain disadvantages."

"What do you purpose then?" Clow asked as he turned his attention to Fei Wang. Hisui kept quiet, though obviously wanting to say something about the older man's words. Fei Wang was silent for a moment, before speaking once more.

"Loosening the restrictions would eventually lose the restrictions, which is not best for the court or the trials." He frowned more.

"Loosening them lightly only once, however, could be plausible, though it's highly unlikely it will have a good outcome."

"We could have any relationships between members be void while we're gathered or during a trial so it wouldn't cause any problems." Kobato spoke up from her sat next to Kohaku and Hisui. Yuuko was still a second, before she nodded.

"That seems like it would work. The relationships with the court members, friends, lovers, or just merely acquaintances, shall be kept outside of the trial so no biased opinions occur." She looked to Hisui.

"Something you'd like to add?"

"As long as nothing like this happens again I will agree to whatever everyone decides." His wings fluttered in slight agitation as his arms wrapped around the two he had been comforting. Yuuko nodded but frowned.

"...You're taking this the hardest, aren't you Hisui?" She asked sadly. Though both the younger members were crying, she could see that the death of Archellevon, a fellow angel, had struck him excruciatingly hard.

"Edameonus is in more pain than I could ever feel over this." He lowered his gaze, thinking of the Ginryan. Kobato let out another sob as her mind went back to the horned man. They had all known Archellevon and Edameonus were lovers, but the thought of keeping it in such secret hurt the little one more than she could contain.

"Things w-will change, won't they Y-Yuuko-san?"

"Yes, they will for the sake of our friend." She smiled as best she could to the girl before her eyes moved to Fei Wang and then to Clow. Fei Wang nodded and Clow simply smiled, letting her know they agreed. Kakei tightened his grip ever so slightly on Saiga's hand, thankful that they weren't so desperate to be together as the angel and the demon.

"Then it's settled." Yuuko smiled sadly, knowing it had been too late to save Archellevon. She could only hope when the laws were changed and put into effect that it would help to make things right.

"...I'm not sure whether to scorn or praise the two really responsible for his death..." Kakei thought allowed, talking about Kurogane and Fay and the way they led him into gunfire.

"It wasn't entirely their fault; Archellevon was the one to move in front of the fire directed at them. The only way for an Angel to die is to lose his own life while protecting the life of another." Clow said, they had all heard reports from the guards that had been there to capture the two prisoners.

"What shall become of them though? Since it was still partially their faults." Fei Wang questioned, a little annoyed that they were back on the topic of the two from the trials. Trouble just seemed to follow them.

"There is nothing else we can take from them that would be equal. And as of now Toriho is with his son in transit back to Earth, while Sir Fay is being transported back to Valeria." Clow spoke calmly as he sat. Yuuko looked at him briefly, nodding in agreement.

"So no extra punishment will be dealt?" Kobato asked hopefully. They had already been through so much; she saw no reason to cause them harm when they had done something like that so unknowingly.

"No, we won't seek further punishment." The Valerian smiled, knowing the girl was happy for the small bit of good news. Kohaku beside her looked just as excited by his answer. Kakei, on the other hand, seemed a little doubtful.

"What if, per se, something _were_ to happen that this occurrence would happen again?" Saiga looked at his lover.

"Sir Youou proved that Earth had material for creating some useful things... maybe we should send an ambassador to Earth to inspect the planet to see if it's still worthy of the title 'Abandon'."

"A good point, but wouldn't his father serve that purpose?" Hisui spoke as he looked over to the couple off to the side of the room.

"Yes, but it seems his contact with us is a little broken due to the planet's range from us." Saiga informed, having received knowledge like the rest of them that Toriho's communications weren't as good as Yuui's.

"Seeing as how Sir Youou was able to make contact, we could give him the position or find someone else suitable for the job and give them the means to communicate with us." Yuuko said, remembering the earring she had given Fay.

"Hmm, retire his father and let sir Youou become the successor? You have to remember Sir Youou's memories have been completely suppressed." Fei Wang informed. He looked to Yuuko.

"Though I have heard many rumors over the memory wipe not being effective for those two."

"Toriho confirmed his son's memory wasn't intact, as for Sir Fay he hasn't shown anything to prove otherwise." Yuuko looked to Fei Wang from her seat.

"We will find someone else then."

"If..." Kohaku intervened, blushing slightly at the absurdity of his question.

"If... Sir Youou's memory becomes... restored... could we possibly ask it of him to take up his father's position and for Sir Souhi to retire?"

"We could if he's not angry over us taking his memories in the first place and separating him from Sir Fay." Hisui smiled at the youth's enthusiasm. Glad to see Kohaku at least a little happier. The blonde gave a sheepish smile, but he nodded. Yuuko closed her eyes.

"I assume that his memory won't be regained. We'll schedule a search by a foreign ambassador after the laws have been changed." Clow nodded before he looked to the rest of the council.

"Everyone agrees with this?" Saiga and Kakei both nodded in agreement.

"Yes." Fei Wang replied without prompting. Kohaku hesitated, but he nodded and Kobato agreed with a squeak of a voice.

"Sounds reasonable." Hisui added, nodding the final agreement.

"Then it's settled." Yuuko said as she stood from her seat.

"Now, shall we go and make arrangements for everything?" She smiled cryptically, there was much to do for all of them now. The two younger ones hopped up out of their seats, ready to make changes for the better. Hisui soon followed them. Kakei and Saiga looked at each other before following the winged man without a word. Clow smiled gently.

"Content with this path lain out in front of us, Yuuko-san?" Fei Wang exited following the others as Yuuko stopped to stand beside the Valerian.

"Time will tell." Her own smile matched Clow's as she met his gaze. Clow held out his hand for her to take.

"Then let us proceed forward so time can progress." She nodded before taking his hand and moving forward after the others.


	17. Though we knew it wouldn't last long

**Mirika-rin:**awww... it kinda made me sad that some readers didn't like the last chapter. But never fear! This one will surely be better! Although I've almost died trying to do my schooling (literally, I had at least 4 illnesses at once) and I've been breaking my back with trying to do everything according to plan, I'm going to make sure I stay on top of this story XD On a cooler subject, this is a very... 180 shift of the feeling; this is a very happy chapter~! ...With a little angst sprinkled in here and there, but it's mostly happy!

**Ashine-chan: ***sparkles* Finally we're getting to the end of this arc, and to make up for all the angst that was in the last several chapters. XD Though there's still a lot ahead for this fic.

* * *

~Two weeks Earth time, Two months Valerian time later~

Fay D. Fluorite was sent back to Valeria with a wounded heart, having to leave his love behind and seeing a friend die had tortured his still fragile mind. The memory wipe had left scars of lost memory here and there, but over the course of time he slowly remembered everything. The charm had truly worked. It was the third day in the last week of the second month, meaning they had been away for long enough to not arouse suspicion. Today was the day he could set course to reunite with Kurogane.

Fay sighed as he put away another book and leaned back into his chair. Every since he had been returned to Valeria, he had been enrolled in Luval once more, it was necessary for him to keep the only home he had on the planet, even if he didn't do many of the lessons he still had to keep up with appearances. In his free time when he hadn't forced himself to go to classes the blonde had ventured to the library and gathered any books he could find concerning his current condition.

The pale one idly placed a hand over his stomach, the baby had grown over the weeks and could now be seen if he didn't wear loose fitting clothes. Any other free time he came across was devoted to gathering everything he needed in order to leave the planet for good. Many who had seen or heard about him whispered amongst themselves or confronted him, more so now that the baby was visible inside of him. They asked him if it was 'that man's' child, referring to Kurogane, but they never went in depth for the law forbade it, or they asked if it was 'the other man's' baby, referring to Ashura.

Fay, as he had before, kept to himself, disregarding anything that was asked about his unborn child. All he had to do was gather a few things that he wanted to bring and wait for his transport papers to clear before he finally could leave all this behind. He smiled as he stood and moved the newly read books to his bed; he had to return them before he left. A bag sat by his bed, half way filled with some clothes folded inside.

A knock came to his door, a rapture he heard seldom, but one he had memorized by then. It was the Ginryan from the Court, the one whose lover had died the night Kurogane had left. Them being alone on the separate worlds with no ties, Edameonus was free to visit Fay whenever one of them felt like having company about. The demon was the only one who knew about Fay's plans, now that Archellevon had passed away.

"Come in." Fay stood straight, waiting for the other man to enter the dorm. Edameonus had been a good friend, keeping him from being too alone, especially from all the eyes that were trained on him now wherever he went. The demon came in, a sullen but stoic expression on his face. He and Fay occasionally got whispers as well; after all, both their loves were gone and supposedly Fay had forgotten Kurogane. He seemed to be attracted to men with black hair and sharp eyes anyway. The demon's hair had grown longer, to his shoulder's at least, and the long strand had been cut to his waist. He closed the door behind him, wearing his traditional Ginryan style trench coat and gloves.

"So... you really are leaving."

"Yes, I promised. Even if he doesn't remember me after everything, I said I would come back." He couldn't help the small smile that made itself known. Edameonus's façade relaxed slightly when he saw the smile Fay only smiled when thinking of Kurogane. He was pleased to know that they still had a chance to be together after everything that had happened. Edameonus walked forward and opened the bag slightly to look at the clothes in it.

"...Fay-chan..." He said, having grown close enough to use suffixes.

"What is it?" He smiled at the name as he looked curiously at Edameonus while the other man looked through the clothes he had gathered. The horned man paused, glancing sideways over to his companion.

"What... what is Earth like?"

"It's very different from Valeria. It's always snow here, but on Earth everything's green and warm, at least what I saw of it." The blonde thought back to the rides to town with Kurogane and passing the trees and fields something that he had never seen except in the gardens his own world had. Edameonus gave a slightly pained look.

"Like Jade?" He said slowly, his hand moving slowly off the bag to fall back to his side once more.

"...Fay-chan... I've been thinking..." He began slowly, looking to the blonde.

"About?" He tried to encourage his friend, he knew that the man was having a hard time ever since Archellevon had passed away and the look on the other man's features worried him and Edameonus mentioning his lover's home world didn't help ease his worries over the matter.

"...There needs to be someone to go to Earth." Edameonus began, revealing for the first time the court's plans.

"And it has to be someone of the Supreme rank... that includes court members. The ship is scheduled to be ready to leave this afternoon." He looked to the ground.

"I... was wondering if I could follow your course to Earth... and live there..." He looked up, a slight blush on his face.

"You would have to use some sort of charm to make yourself look more human, but I think it would be a wonderful idea." He smiled brightly, glad his friend wasn't upset. Edameonus gave a relieved half smile, folding his arms.

"I'm glad to know you're not shocked by this decision." He replied, looking away as his smirk dissipated.

"Ever since Archy died, I have nothing to cling to these overachieved worlds. I want somewhere to go where I'd be useful... somewhere to wait in peace for him..." He looked down.

"The court only gets together on extreme cases, so my absence for long times wouldn't be much to deal with..."

"It'll be fun." Fay chuckled lightly thinking of Kurogane's reaction to seeing Edameonus on Earth with him. The blonde brushed his long bangs behind his ear, his hair had grown since he had arrived and with everything occupying him Fay hadn't had enough time to worry about it.

"I'm sure you'll like it there." Edameonus walked over to Fay with a slight smile.

"Hopefully." He stood close, looking the blonde over. The red eyes narrowed and he grimaced.

"You look like shit. When's the last time that kid's let you have a decent amount of sleep?"

"He's as energetic as his other father, even though I've not been able to feel him move, his aura keeps spiking and pulsing. It's hard to sleep feeling that." He laughed. The blonde hadn't been aware that, after the first few weeks, he would be nauseous most of the time because of the orb inside him pressing against his stomach or that he would have to eat so much more because of the baby drawing on his own energy.

"Tch. Should've thought about consequences before you had him." Edameonus chuckled, though pain clearly shown through his eyes. Archellevon had revealed to Fay that he and the demon wanted children, so whenever they got on the subject of Kurogane and Fay's son, the other showed his envious depression only through his pupils.

"That's no way for Uncle Edameonus to act now is it?" He smiled, knowing that the other was thinking again of Archellevon.

"Besides, I don't mind, it lets me know that everything's alright." He had been worried since arriving that after everything something could have happened to the baby, which was one of the main reasons why Fay had been religiously reading every paternity book he could get his hands on in the library. Edameonus turned and went back to the bed, picking up one of the books to scan the cover.

"Are male pregnancies accepted on Earth as much as they are in this cluster of planets?" He asked casually, removing his thoughts from his late lover.

"No, they actually don't happen there. I guess when I'm really starting to show I won't be able to go out." Fay had considered that, but he still didn't know exactly how to go about dealing with it, he would have to ask Kurogane about it once everything was settled. Edameonus flipped the book over, glazing over the back inscriptions.

"Ever thought about posing as a girl?" He said nonchalantly, knowing that wherever Kurogane had lived before would change due to his loss of memory.

"If you'd've gone out in the city where he lived, he's probably relocated or will be soon so no one will ask him about you... it's a good chance to start a new life I guess."

"I suppose I could..." Fay supposed he could pose as Yuui if he had to venture outwards. He frowned; he hadn't thought Kurogane would be moved. The possibility of him having moved already worried him, the blonde wasn't sure if he would be able to find Kurogane. Edameonus saw the look on Fay's face and put the book down.

"Hey..." he said slowly, walking over to place a hand on Fay's shoulder.

"...if he's already been relocated, I'll be there to help you find him."

"Thank you, hopefully Toriho wouldn't have moved him." Fay could only hope the man had wanted to wait to do anything drastic in hopes the blonde would return.

Another knock came to the door, only it was sharp and quick. Edameonus removed himself from Fay to go to it. He opened the door and looked out. There were a few words exchanged before the Ginryan closed the door, a golden paper in his hand. He smirked and turned to look at Fay.

"News of your ship." Fay smiled brightly and hurried to his friend.

"It's early." He could feel a jolt of energy from Toshihiko that had resulted from his excitement. Edameonus grinned wider and folded his arms.

"So... looks like we're leaving today?" He glanced out the window.

"Say... your boyfriend wouldn't appreciate me popping out of nowhere with you... should I have a back story as one of your relatives so your fans don't kill me?" He teased, looking back.

"A cousin should work, though you look more like Kuro-min than me." He chuckled, happy that it would be that much sooner until he was reunited with Kurogane.

"Besides, last time I checked I didn't have any fans."

"Cousin, eh? I guess that'll work for Kurogane." He smiled slightly.

"Perhaps the story can change if and when he gets his memories back so that I'd be related to him rather than you."

"If he doesn't throw a fit about you being there in the first place. You can never be too careful when it comes to his short fuse." Fay smiled and moved to gather the rest of his things as he finished packing.

"Heheh, sounds like a true Ginryan son to me." Edameonus chuckled, looking to the door.

"Hm. I have to do a few things before I can go though. I'll be ready to leave in about an hour, is that alright if you wait that long?" He said, smirking at the other's poorly hidden excitement about returning. He wondered if it was just because of Kurogane, or for Earth as well.

"I won't make any promises, but hurry." The blonde was almost giddy at the idea he would be leaving soon. His eyes glanced over to the books lying haphazardly in his room.

"Do you think it would be okay for me to take a book or two?" Slender fingers traced the cover of one as he thought.

"If you pay for them I'm sure they'll be fine with it." Edameonus said in regards to the librarians. He turned on his heel and walked to the door, but before he went out he gave Fay a small smile.

"...It makes me wonder... will he come to me on Earth?"

"With as strong a connection as the two of you have, I'm sure he'll find you." He smiled and held one of the books close to his chest as he looked at Edameonus. The demon looked to the floor in thought, the smile not leaving his lips, before he let out a small chuckle and closed the door. Fay watched until the door closed before he returned to his packing. He couldn't help the joyous feeling washing over him as he thought of Kurogane.

~later~

By his word, Edameonus should up around an hour later, holding his own case of moving materials. He had smiled and ushered Fay to the ship port where their ships awaited them. Edameonus had told the court he would be the temporary ambassador to check out Earth's process in changing its title of 'Abandon'. He convinced them easily and got a small ship, one that could easily follow Fay's.

"I'll see you on Earth then." Fay smiled, his only bag was held loosely in one hand as he stood in front of his own ship. He had expected the trip wouldn't take more than a few days and was eager to get underway.

"See you on Earth." Edameonus said, holding out his hand to grip Fay's as a parting. He smirked and ignored the stares they received from passersby.

"I expect we'll be there soon enough. We're gunna scare the shit out of Souhi." He said with a diabolical laugh.

"Kuro-chan will be even more surprised." He could only imagine either man's face when they arrived. Fay returned the gesture smiling fondly at his friend. Edameonus continued to smile and turned toward his ship.

"Got your ship set for Earth?" He said as he began walking toward the dark colored spacecraft.

"Yes, and yours?" The blonde rested a hand on his hip as he smirked at the Ginryan, ignoring the few people who walked past them.

"Set to follow you." Edameonus replied over his shoulder. He turned and started walking backwards.

"Ey, get on your ship and let's go! I'll meet you there, ok?"

"I should be saying the same to you." Fay laughed and looked over his shoulder, seeing Edameonus's amused smirk, before walking towards his own ship. The demon got aboard his ship and sat in the pilot's seat, smiling to himself as he started the ship. He pressed a button that was contact to Fay's ship and grinned wider when the blond appeared.

"Strapped in and ready to go, Fay-chan?" He questioned, starting the engines.

"Of course." Fay smiled as he started the ship's launch sequence. He sat back in his seat and thought about Kurogane as the ship rumbled and moved before it launched itself out of the port.

"Alright, now all we have to do now is lay back and relax until we get there." Edameonus casually said, folding his arms behind his head and laying his feet against the dashboard. He closed his eyes and smirked to himself as thoughts of the new mysterious planet ran through his head.

"Once we get there, I'll set the ships to return to the nearest port, wouldn't want anyone after us for supposedly stealing two ships." Fay said. It reminded him of the first time he had left Valeria. Blue eyes glanced out the nearest window to see his home world growing smaller by the second. Sighing he placed a hand over his stomach, feeling the aura there and smiling.

"Hm. I suppose if they'll want us they'll come and get us." Edameonus replied through the screen, yawning slightly in exhaustion from the rushing around.

"Guess it's naptime for me, Fay-chan. Wake me when we get there."

"Alright, I'll see you then Edameonus." The blonde smiled at the transmission as it went on standby for him. Fay sat rested and leaned over to rummage through his bag to pull out one of the books he had brought with him to read and pass the time.

~on Earth~

The dark haired man got off the motorcycle, sighing to himself. He looked up to the sky, having a slight déjà vu, before going into his home. His black eyebrow twitched, seeing his house almost completely cleaned and packed up. It had been almost two weeks since the incident on some messed up spacecraft or whatever, and his father had up and decided for him that he was moving. For some reason he wasn't allowed into town to see any friend or family member and he could only drive around the fields to clear his head every now and then. Toriho brought him food and helped him pack, but besides that he was alone.

He flung his keys across the room in aggravation, remembering the blonde out of nowhere. He didn't understand why there were secrets and knowing that there were only served to anger him more. He looked about the room to get his mind off of him. He let his mind wander back to his supposed first day home, seeing his house was in total ruin. There was the lingering smell of sex and its aftermath all over each room, and it pissed him off severely that he didn't know why. He spent a whole day trying to get his house back in tip top shape, burning any sheet or furniture item he couldn't clean well enough.

The house didn't have the same feeling as it had before. It didn't feel like home to the man anymore. Most of the furniture was packaged and piled up ready to move to where ever his father had planned to ship him to. Yuui sat in hibernation mode in the computer room next to the boxed up computers and smaller androids that Kurogane had been working on before.

He sighed, looking around at the almost dead house. He walked through it slowly, looking about all the packages and wrapped furniture. He couldn't place it, but he knew the reason it didn't feel like home was not only for the moving... it was something. Something missing. He just couldn't place it. He looked to Yuui. He hadn't figured the code out yet to get her programming right, so she still thought she was Fay. It had been nearly two weeks since whatever the hell it was had happened to him and everything since then had felt strange, something was out of place. It was hard to place it, but it made everything else seem surreal and out of place to the human.

He ran a hand through his hair and growled, angered by not knowing. He walked to his bedroom to lie down. Turning on the light, he stared at the empty room forlornly. He strolled over to his bed and flopped on his stomach, smothering himself in the pillow and not really caring. He thought about the blonde once more, wondering lightly if he had anything to do with it.

The trees ruffled as both ships moved above them. Each of them slowed for landing, Fay had since awoken Edameonus from his nap and was currently making sure he didn't crash into anything. Fay had put his ship into a hyperdrive to arrive sooner, and in doing so Edameonus's ship had automatically done the same. The ships' windows filled with images of the lush foliage around them as both ships came to rest.

Kurogane removed himself from his bed, hearing a low rumbling sound. It was far off, but he still heard it. He looked out his window, though when nothing peculiar met his vision, he went back to his bed to wallow in confusion and anger a little more.

Edameonus kept his eyes on the ground, making sure he didn't destroy anything. When the ships had fully extended landing gear, he grinned.

"We've arrived." The blonde immediately stood once his own ship had landed safely. He tossed the book he had out back into his bag before throwing it over his shoulder and hurrying outside to meet Edameonus. The demon turned his ship on standby and unbuckled, walking casually out of the ship's lowered gear. He smiled when he saw Fay and looked around.

"So this is Earth?" He smiled wider in fondness of it all.

"It... It looks and smells much nicer than any planet I've been on thus far..."

"It's all the flowers." He looked at the trees and smiled as fond memories came back to him.

"Before we go we have to change some things. Wouldn't want people to panic if they saw us." The blonde smiled before he brought his fingers to his ears, and like before, changed them to appear more human. Edameonus watched Fay and copied him. He had a circle light up around his feet that slowly went up his body. It changed his clothing to look almost human made, removed his horns, and shortened his nails and ears. He smiled, appearing almost identical to Kurogane with the coloring of hair and eyes.

"Hn. I've done a little research on the clothing..." Fay took out the pouch, containing the charm, ready for what he was going to do.

"Shall we go now?" He smiled, almost ready to drag Edameonus along towards the house he knew wasn't too far away from them.

"Heh, you bet. Cousin on your father's side from a place called 'Italy'. Got it." He said for the millionth time to himself. He and Fay had gone over a back story many a time, and he was very proud for memorizing it in an hour's time. He let Fay lead the way, though he kept up to at least three steps.

Kurogane decided suffocating himself wasn't the best way to solve problems, so he decided to get up and go to the living room to continue packing.

With each step he took Fay could feel his heart race that much faster. The charm was clutched tightly in one hand; it still made him slightly uneasy to be touching the object, as his bag was carried over his shoulder. The Valerian smiled from ear to ear, he knew he probably wouldn't be received well by Kurogane at first, but he knew things would change once soon after once the other man remembered.

Edameonus stared at the architecture they were approaching, unfamiliar with such an insubstantial house as humans' buildings. He followed Fay right up to the porch, looking at the transportation bike with strange things called wheels that were out of date. He folded his arms as Fay knocked on the door. Kurogane looked up from his packaging and went to the door and opened it, about to snap at the person. When he saw it was Fay, he was rendered speechless.

"Hello...I..." He couldn't believe it, he had everything planned out, what he was going to do, say, everything. One look from Kurogane had apparently made him forget all of his plans. He took a quick breath and tried again, but couldn't find the words to say anything. Instead he held the pouch out to Kurogane, his face reddening with each passing second. Kurogane looked at the pouch slowly, before looking at Fay. His eyes narrowed and then they moved to Edameonus and widened again.

"What the fuck is he doing here?!" He spat, making the demon raise his eyebrow.

"Charmed to see you again, too..."

"Just please take this, it's yours." A fight breaking out between the two dark haired men was all Fay needed as he tried to catch Kurogane's attention again. The other man looked back again to Fay and he glanced down at the pouch.

"Mine...?" He asked, taking the string of the pouch to hold up.

"What the hell is it?" He asked.

"Moreover, what the hell took so long? Any later and you asses would've missed me." He said, waving to the cardboard in the living room.

"Heh. I guess you two can come in." He said, turning to go in. Fay looked to Edameonus for a brief moment, the Ginryan had been right about Toriho's decision to have Kurogane move. "Toriho came across and wanted to give it to you, but I ended up with it." He was anxious as he watched the taller man holding onto the pouch, not to mention it seemed strange for Kurogane to not ask anything else of him immediately. The human watched as the two other men walked in and Edameonus close the door. Once it was closed and the two were inside, Kurogane stepped closer to Fay.

"Why the hell do you two look different?! Don't tell me it's some kind of magic trick, I won't believe you!" He snapped, making Edameonus snort. Kurogane glared at him and pointed.

"And you! What the hell is your problem, tagging along?! Who the hell do you think you are?!" The demon smirked and placed his hands on his hips.

"I'm Edameonus Fluorite." He said with a grin. The name struck a cord with Kurogane, though he didn't know why.

"A cousin of mine, but I-" He paused thinking over his words carefully before beginning again.

"The answers you were asking me for before...if you take what's in the pouch you'll have your answers." He tried to smile, hoping Kurogane would think it suspicious of him. The other man's eyes squinted at the blonde, and he lifted the pouch into his vision once more. He glared at Fay and frowned.

"If this is a trick..." He warned halfway, letting his stare tell his threat the rest of the way. He opened the pouch and dropped the gem into his hand. He blinked and looked at Fay.

"What the hell do you take me for? I'm not a-" He was cut off by a blast of pain in his head.

The blonde quickly stepped forward in case Kurogane fell over, worried as he watched the effects of the charm take its toll. Edameonus also watched as Kurogane groaned and grabbed his head with both hands, dropping the gem. He took a few steps backwards and hit the wall, leaning forward in an almost curled position. His teeth were clenched tightly together and his eyes were squeezed shut as memories of everything that had been erased flooded back all at once.

Before he could register it, Fay had moved to stand in front of Kurogane, his hands stilled from touching the man as he all but withered in pain. Edameonus stayed, not wanting to interrupt the soon-to-be reunion between the couple.

Kurogane's rushing memories finally slowed to a halt as the sweat started to bead on his face. He let out a harsh breath, finally released from the pain. He slowly straightened, looking at Fay. For the first time in two months for Fay, he could see recognition in the red orbs when they fell upon his own blue ones.

"Kuro-min, do...you remember me?" Fay asked hopeful as he smiled up at Kurogane. His heart raced as slender hands shook from wanting to bring the other closer to him, but he kept still. Edameonus smiled and shook his head at the two, reminded of his own lover. Kurogane's eyes blinked and he frowned darkly.

"Don't call me girly names." He said roughly. Before Fay could react though, Kurogane took the outstretched hand and pulled him into his own body, embracing him tightly.

"Idiot..."

"Kuro-san should be used to them by now." Fay smiled as both hands clutched tightly to the fabric of Kurogane's shirt. His bag and everything else forgotten as he took in Kurogane. Edameonus smiled wider when the two hugged, though he had to turn away. His heart slightly hurt from looking at their closeness. Kurogane buried his nose into Fay's hair, taking in his scent as his hands fisted the other's shirt.

"Hn..." He pulled away a little to look Fay in the eye. He gave a smirk and brought his lips so close they barely touched the pale ones.

"Welcome home...Fay..." A tender smile made itself known before Fay closed the gap between them and kissed Kurogane. The blonde sighed into the kiss as the past two months of worry and tension washed away. He had almost forgotten what it had been like to kiss the other, his hands tightened their hold as he tried to press himself even further against Kurogane. The human complied, moving one hand from Fay's back to the mop of hair, pressing their lips further together. He could almost smirk when he heard Fay sigh, knowing they shared similar feelings of relief and pure bliss.

Fay removed his grip from Kurogane's shirt, to wrap his arms around his lover's neck. He smiled feeling the other's hand threaded fingers through his hair to bring them closer. The taller couldn't help but growl in approval as Fay snaked his arms around his neck. Kurogane licked Fay's lips, wanting more of his partner's being. He fell in love with the feel and taste all over again, swiping the smooth lips twice over.

Fay's lips parted, eager to continue reacquainting himself with Kurogane's kisses. He smiled and tightened his grip around the other man. Edameonus blushed and looked away from the two. Kurogane searched Fay's mouth with his tongue for what felt like the first time, and very much with first time eagerness. He found Fay's tongue and mingled with it, claiming his mouth all over again. A moan escaped Fay as he continued his kiss with Kurogane. The blonde's slender fingers moved to run through the taller man's hair, taking in the familiar softness of the dark hair.

With their bodies pressed together, Kurogane realized an unusual bend to Fay's. He reluctantly pulled away from his lover, looking down. His eyes widened when he saw the baby bump, though a soft smile spread on his face.

"...He's safe as well..."

"He's grown a lot and he's pretty energetic for being just two months along." Fay smiled brightly at seeing the others look as he noticed their growing child. Kurogane looked at Fay, eyes displaying new emotions.

"Hn... proves he's my kid." He said with a widening smirk. He rested his forehead against Fay's and sighed.

"We're finally fucking free..." He whispered. Edameonus started, looking sharply to Kurogane who had just said what Archellevon had said before he died. Fay looked to meet Kurogane's eyes and smiled warmly at the other's last words.

"Kuro-kun will have put up with me now for a lot longer than a week, not to mention Toshihiko will be here soon enough."

"Heh, I think I can handle that." He said, grinning cockily. He caught a glimpse of Edameonus out of the corner of his eye glaring at him and he frowned.

"What?" He asked, making the demon look away sharply.

"It's nothing... I'll be outside, Fay-chan." He snapped, turning his heel to leave. Kurogane looked at Fay quizzically.

"'Fay-chan'?"

"He's the only person I had to talk to on Valeria, and after everything that happened, he decided to come here." A sheepish smile replaced his previous one. He had hoped it wouldn't have been brought up until a little bit later so he could try and ease Kurogane into it, but he supposed the other man was in a fairly good mood. Kurogane frowned and glared at the exiting man.

"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" He asked darkly, knowing that the person closing the door was a member of the Galactic Court.

"He didn't try anything either? If he did, so help me gods..."

"The only one that I would let try anything is Kuro-tan. Edameonus is a gentleman and he already has someone he's waiting for." Fay's hands lowered to rest against his lover's arms as he meet his gaze. Kurogane frowned deeper, but he nodded.

"Good." He said simply, planting a chaste kiss against Fay's lips once more, which the blonde savored hungrily, almost.

"And Toshihiko's ok too? Nothing bad happened for the two weeks I've been gone?"

"It's been two months for me… aside from keeping me awake and causing me to eat a lot more than I normally would he's perfectly healthy. In fact I brought some books that I wanted to finish reading so we wouldn't be unprepared."

"Heh. You can never prepare enough for a baby. The troublesome little squirts." He said with a smirk, before looking to the door.

"...What is his problem? He was fine until I started talking."

"You don't remember?" Fay frowned wondering how Kurogane wouldn't remember that Edameonus had lost his own lover in front of them. He looked over his shoulder and saw that the Ginryan had gone outside, he sighed and wondered if he should go and comfort his friend or give him time. Kurogane blinked and then looked back to the door.

"Hn... I didn't understand when it happened... I guess I do now..." He said slowly before sighing. He was about to suggest letting Fay go outside with him before they heard a loud squawk from two people in unison where Edameonus had gone.

"Should we go see?" He smiled towards Kurogane. He had a fairly good idea as to what had happened and wondered how things were going outside. Kurogane felt a muscle twitch next to his eye as he sighed and nodded. He let Fay pull away from him so he could lead the way outside. He opened the door and saw his father standing by his car staring at Edameonus and pointing, and when looking at the other Ginryan he was doing the same thing. Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"What are you idiots doing?" Fay chuckled and shook his head at Kurogane as they ventured outside.

"The hell are you two doing here?!" Toriho pointed at between Fay and Edameonus, the older man shocked at seeing them. Kurogane folded his arms and sighed, embarrassed by his dad's antics. Edameonus regained his composure and cleared his throat.

"I... I am now the Ambassador from Ginryuu visiting Earth for research to remove the title 'Abandon' placed on it." He said with a broad smile, making both Toriho and Kurogane blink. Fay tried to contain his laughter at the identical looks on both father and son's faces. He felt another pulse from Toshihiko's growing energy and put his hand to his stomach to try and calm him. The blonde looked to Edameonus in amusement as Toriho kept his eyes focused on the other Ginryan.

"I've come to this planet to research for a couple months. Most likely I'll be here a long time. I came with Fay-chan. I'll be living under the alias as Edameonus Fluorite from 'Italy'." He informed, making Kurogane growl.

"I don't think I like the sound of that name."

"Kuro-wankoro's jealous?" Fay wrapped his arms around one of Kurogane's just in case the other man thought to attack Edameonus. Toriho moved his focus from his friend towards his son and Fay questioningly. Kurogane blushed.

"Hell no! I just don't like it!" He said, looking away. Edameonus grinned evilly, knowing the truth. Though instead of instigating like a certain blonde, he sighed and let it die.

"Well, what do you suggest, Kurogane?"

"Kuro-chan, Edameonus-san would only be acting as my relative." He smiled deviously, the familiarity of teasing Kurogane coming back to him after so long.

"Tch! He looks nothing like you!" Kurogane commented curtly, looking back to Fay.

"He looks more like me or dad!"

"Then maybe he could pretend to be related to you?" He smiled innocently up towards Kurogane. Edameonus shook his head at the blonde. Kurogane paused and looked at Edameonus.

"...if that's gunna happen, there's no way he'd be from Italy." The demon in disguise cackled at that, finding it odd that people from the same planet looked different.

"Then he can be from around here, it won't be too hard to explain that way." Fay smiled, releasing his hold on Kurogane's arm. Edameonus placed his finger against his chin in a curled position.

"Where though, would I be from, if not 'Italy'?" Toriho smiled, knowing the perfect place.

"You live around where we live." He blinked.

"Uh... how are we going to explain that to Tomoyo?"

"He could be from your side of the family?" Fay suggested. Toriho looked at Fay for a moment as he contemplated the idea.

"Hmm... Tomoyo would have to be told a story about why she's never met him before, and Tsumebe would have to be informed." He smiled.

"But otherwise it's a flawless idea." Kurogane huffed, still not liking the idea.

"So, what? Is he my brother, cousin, uncle?"

"Cousin will do fine, we won't have to explain why a closer relative was never mentioned if he's anything else." Toriho sighed and walked towards the others.

"I guess this means you won't be moving?" He looked to Kurogane and then to Fay. Kurogane also looked at Fay.

"Nah. Why move now?" He replied, wrapping an arm around Fay's waist. Edameonus smiled fondly at their closeness before looking at Toriho.

"Who is Tomoyo, Sir Souhi?" He asked, making Toriho flinch. He laughed loosely.

"Eh, don't be so formal here, I'm Uncle Toriho to you, Ed, and Tomoyo is your other cousin on your Aunt Tsumebe's side." The blonde smiled at Kurogane's words as he leaned into the touch.

"Maybe we should all come inside and talk more?" He suggested not wanting to stand outside especially when he was going on little sleep. Toriho nodded and walked up to the porch steps.

"Yeah... I guess we can help Youou unpack." Kurogane sighed at his real name being used, but he let it slide as he opened up the door to let his family members in. Edameonus frowned slightly.

"...My name seems very different... won't that be suspicious?" He asked as he entered the house.

"It's not too strange; I doubt my name sounds as if it comes from Italy." Fay smiled as he followed Kurogane inside. He tucked some of his hair behind his ear, taking in all of the wrapped furniture and boxes scattered throughout the room. Kurogane closed the door and instantly went to work taking the boxes off the couch.

"Hnn... He'll have to have a family name." Kurogane grunted. Toriho started taking the tape off of another box sitting in the corner.

"Suwa will be fine... as for the 'holder of line' name..." He stood straight, contemplating for a moment.

"hmm... maybe 'Hien'? You did attack the guards with fire and all... yes, I heard about it..." Fay moved to the couch with Kurogane removing boxes with him and opening them.

"Hien it is then." The blonde smiled while staking open boxes in piles. Edameonus smiled softly at the name, before he too turned and started unpacking.

"So Edameonus Hien Suwa?" Kurogane looked at him.

"No. Hien Edameonus Suwa. Edameonus will be your family name so you'll keep a low profile. Just like me and dad." Fay smiled as he listened to the others. He opened another box, revealing some of Kurogane's clothes. He paused briefly and turned to look over his shoulder at Kurogane.

"Kuro-wan, did you pack my clothes?" The blonde thought back to that and wondered what the man could have done with his clothes. Kurogane paused, looking slowly over to Fay. He thought for a moment about what he had done with the blonde's clothing. He looked around quickly before going into the bedroom.

"Uh... I think I didn't move them yet..." He opened up the closet and sighed; Fay's clothes all hung up in a line.

"Nope. Didn't move 'em. I didn't know who they belonged to, so I was stuck on what to do with them."

"I'm surprised Kuro-san didn't throw them away." Fay smiled as he ventured into the bedroom to see his clothes were in fact hanging up.

"I burned a bunch of crap, so some of the clothing is missing." Kurogane said, a light blush going over his face when he remembered exactly which articles he had set aflame.

"They weren't for wearing outside anyway."

"What clothes did you burn?" The blonde frowned, he would have tell Tomoyo why some of the clothes she had gotten him went missing.

"...The ones you wore on the night before we were taken." Kurogane muttered, the blush darkening when he thought back to the clothing.

"I still didn't have my memory, ok? I was disgusted someone wore that in my house!"

"Tomoyo won't be happy." Fay laughed at thinking how Kurogane must have reacted, his own cheeks heated as he remembered the clothes the other man was talking about.

"But on the other hand it was only clothes, though it is cute that Kuro-puu was so embarrassed by it."

"Shut up! I'm not embarrassed!" Kurogane barked, blushing darker at the accusation. He folded his arms and looked away.

"...I also burned sheets and some blankets... and... a couch covering..." Kurogane froze when he heard a chuckle from the doorway.

"Why'd'ya burn all that?" Came Edameonus's voice passed a smile.

"Something Kuro-chan's embarrassed about." Fay smiled sheepishly knowing what Kurogane had been talking about. He hoped no one else had been with Kurogane when he had come back and discovered the condition the house had been left in.

"I told you I was not embarrassed!" Kurogane growled through his teeth which made Edameonus laugh.

"If you're not embarrassed, tell me what it was." He said, making Kurogane turn redder.

"I-I... It's none of your damn business!" Kurogane snapped, frowning.

"Kuro-myu's blushing." Fay pointed towards his lover's scarlet cheeks. Laughter erupted from his lips, the blonde couldn't remember the last time he had truly laughed, and leaned forward a bit as he tried to contain himself. Kurogane gritted his teeth.

"I do not blush dammit!" He informed, though he saw it futile to try to convince the blonde any other way. Edameonus raised an eyebrow and smiled at Fay's laughter, not hearing it for a long time. He decided to take his leave then, noticing Toriho was the only one who still was unpacking. The blonde wiped a stray tear from his eye as he collected himself, he put a hand to his stomach and smiled.

"You mean like you don't cuddle?" Kurogane was about to comment back on that, but only a trickle of sound left his throat. He closed his mouth and turned on his heel.

"C-come on Blondie, you gonna stand there all day or are you going to help unpack?!"

"Kuro-san does say I'm lazy." Fay frowned, wondering why Kurogane had changed the subject so abruptly. The other man went to the living room where the Ginryan were unwrapping the coffee table and unpacking a box off to the side. Edameonus held up a remote.

"Where does this go?" He asked Toriho. The supposedly older man smiled and patted the table.

"Usually right here." Fay walked in behind Kurogane, still a little unsettled by Kurogane's sudden change. He ignored it for now, instead helping in unpacking the rest of Kurogane's things.

After an hour of getting things settled back into the right place, Toriho made Fay take a break because of the baby. Edameonus then complained about being tired as well, making Kurogane a little angry, but Toriho allowed him to lie on the couch in the TV room. Kurogane then ampted that they all take a break so they could eat and rest. Toriho sat on the couch next to Fay with a smile while Kurogane went to fix food.

"Feel good to be home?"

"Yes." Fay smiled as he arms lay loosely around his slightly protruding belly. The blonde had been glad for the break, the baby was a continuous drain on his energy unless he happened to be eating, then it took its energy from whatever nutrients his body absorbed.

"I'm surprised everything has worked out so well, it seems unreal." Blue eyes scanned the room and the empty boxes scattered around. Toriho smiled and looked at the work in hiatus.

"Sometimes you need to go through the worst to get to the best. Lucky for us one happened right after the other." Fay thought on the Ginryan's words as he relaxed. Another low pulse of energy from the baby caused the blonde to move a hand to his stomach. He turned to look at Toriho and smiled.

"In a few months you'll be a grandfather, you must be excited." Toriho let out a hardy laugh.

"To tell you the truth, Fay-chan, I never thought I'd ever be a grandfather. Always wanted to be, but assumed I wasn't." He looked at the blonde with a faint blush of enthusiasm across his cheeks.

"I'm happy you give me the honor..."

"Kuro-kun's told me some things from when he was younger, I wonder if Toshihiko will be the same. Even though I haven't felt him move yet, he likes to show he has a strong aura." Fay laughed thinking back to what Kurogane had said earlier about their son.

"Besides, I think you would make a good grandfather, after all you managed to raise Kuro-chu." Toriho laughed again, the blush glowing a little redder.

"Oh please! As hard as it was to tame Youou? Hell! I still didn't have it down pat!" He smiled wider when the subject matter walked in the room, a bowl in his hand. He set it down it front of Fay and folded his arms.

"Been a while since you had Earth food."

"What is it?" Fay asked as he lifted the bowl and inspected it. He smiled at Toriho who was still smirking.

"I'm sure Toshihiko won't be as much of a troublemaker." The older man gave Fay a smile and looked to Kurogane with a frown.

"Where's my food, slave?" Kurogane growled at him.

"Bite me." He looked back to Fay.

"It's noodles in broth." He said before looking around. He then went over and started picking up the random boxes.

"Thank you daddy." Fay suppressed the laugh that threatened to escape before he began to eat. He smiled, it had been awhile since he had eaten earth food, everything he had to eat on Valeria hadn't been nearly as good to his taste buds. Toriho stood as well, going over to a new box.

"We didn't pack as much as I thought we did." He said nonchalantly, pulling out books that went on the bookshelf by the couch. Kurogane set the empty boxes in the corner, looking at his father.

"We only began this morning, dad." He commented.

"...I was here for almost two weeks, why didn't you move me out sooner?"

"I have some books of my own to go with those." Fay said nonchalantly as he ate another fork full of noodles. He was curious however to why Toriho hadn't moved Kurogane out sooner even if he had a vague idea as to why. Toriho gave a small smile before setting the books down.

"...I hesitated... because I had hope that something as random as this would happen..." He said before smiling wider. Kurogane stared at him for a moment, before smirking.

"Hn."

"I'm glad, it would have been harder to find Kuro-kun if you had moved him." Fay smiled, grateful for the older man's choice.

"Kuro-chii, would you get the other books from my bag?" The blonde asked as he sat his now empty bowl down on the table. Kurogane paused from his organizing to go to Fay's bag obediently, making Toriho raise an eyebrow.

"...He actually listens and obeys..." Kurogane stood straight when he heard this, glaring at his father. He didn't say anything to it though, setting the bag down unceremoniously down in front of his lover.

"Here."

"Kuro-puppy is well trained." Fay laughed before he opened his bag, and pulled out the two books he had bought before he left Valeria.

"I am not a damn dog!" He barked at Fay, turning on his heel to storm over to the unpacked boxes. Toriho could only join in the blonde's laughter as the man threw a temper tantrum, glad that his son and the Valerian were seemingly back to normal.

"Kuro-wanwan isn't a dog, he's a puppy." Fay laughed before standing, books in hand as he walked over to the other books Toriho had piled up next to the shelf they belonged in. Kurogane turned his head sharply to Fay and growled again.

"I'm not a puppy either, idiot!" He snapped. It was then Edameonus opened the TV room door sleepily. He was rubbing his eye with an angry pout on his face. His shirt was off, and all who looked saw a well built body with a tattoo on his left breast.

"Damn you guys are loud..."

"It's Kuro-tan's fault." Fay smiled as he looked over to his friend before turning to put the books on their shelf. Had he looked to his lover, Fay would've seen a curious glance from Kurogane when Edameonus appeared half naked into the room. The curiosity turned to a scowl.

"My fault?! It's yours for instigating!" The once horned man clicked his tongue as he lazily slinked into the room.

"Either way, damn you all..."

"You shouldn't be sleepy anyway, you slept on our way here." The blonde said as he put book after book up.

"And besides Kuro-rinta shouldn't be so angry, I call you Kuro-wankoro a lot and you never said anything." His back was turned to the three other men as he busied himself. Kurogane sputtered before he turned away as well.

"I did too say things!" Toriho smiled.

"Oh quit being such a brat, Youou." The other Ginryan took a seat next to Toriho, where Fay was previously sitting. He looked to Fay with a slightly interested look.

"Yeah? So? I can be lazy every now and then when I'm not acting all uptight with the Court."

"You sleep as much as I probably should." Fay laughed as he finished putting away the last of the books. Toriho chuckled before opening another box. Edameonus smiled.

"Maybe you should go take a nap then. You were awake the entire ride, and I was tired when I got here." He looked to Kurogane.

"No doubt you were out when you first arrived on Earth." Kurogane looked at the demon with a frown, remembering the first day Fay appeared.

"I won't be able to sleep much anyways, so it's not a problem." Fay smiled before standing and moving to see what else he could help with. Kurogane looked to the clock on the wall.

"...Maybe what he said is right. It's getting late anyway." He placed the throw rug he was holding to the side of the floor before walking over to his family members.

"Mom wouldn't want you to stay here, dad. She'll probably want to know that I have my memories back and that Fay's home."

"Kuro-chu said my name." Fay smiled warmly at Kurogane. Kurogane looked back at Fay and blushed a little, gazing away.

"...Why wouldn't I?" Toriho smirked and stood.

"Youou's right; Ed, are you staying here or coming with me?" The older Ginryan looked to his friend. Edameonus placed his hands on his hips.

"I don't know. I don't understand this world yet..." He thought for a moment.

"I should stay here. I don't think your wife would appreciate me there."

"I'll see you later then, just don't let Youou get too out of hand." Toriho nodded, before he turned to leave. Edameonus folded his arms.

"We'll have to come up with a storyline next time we meet." He said before Toriho exited.

"Until then, farewell friend." Kurogane looked at his father.

"...Tell mom about him, but don't bring her to visit next time ok?"

"You know your mother will want to see Fay-chan, especially now she knows she's going to be a grandmother." Toriho smiled towards his son. Fay blushed a bit at the other's words. Kurogane sighed and looked to Fay.

"So be it." He said lowly, making Toriho smile. The other man exited the house and soon his car made the sound of driving off down the road. Edameonus peered out the curtains to watch.

"...That contraption... it... it's amazing... how does it run?" The other Ginryan rolled his eyes and looked back to the boxes, not wanting to explain the mechanics once more to an alien.

"Strange isn't it?" Fay chuckled at the other's amazement. The blonde turned to Kurogane before walking towards him.

"Tomoyo will want to visit too."

"Yeah I know." Kurogane grumbled, stacking the leftover boxes in the corner. Edameonus stared outside still, taking in the scenery again as the sun began to set. Kurogane looked to Fay and motioned the blond to come to him.

"You really do look tired, idiot. Quit ignoring it and get some sleep."

"It's hard to sleep, I'll just be awake." The blonde watched his lover move about before his eyes went to Edameonus, who still peered outside the window. Kurogane wrapped his arm around Fay and grinned.

"Maybe it's because you weren't sleeping next to me." He said lowly, moving his other arm to join the mechanical one still wrapped in a fake skin.

"He's restless already. Must mean something other than growing." He murmured, kissing Fay on the cheekbone.

"I'm hoping it doesn't mean he'll be as much of a handful as you." Fay smiled, his cheeks heating at the tender kiss. He could only imagine Toshihiko having a temper like Kurogane's on top of the fact he knew their son would be an energetic child.

"Heh. What's wrong with that?" Kurogane growled playfully as ruby met sapphire once again. Edameonus stayed looking at the street, his eyes glossing over forlornly as he listened to the reunited couple. He wondered if staying with the lovers was the best option when they talked so deeply to one another, especially about a child they planned to have.

"Nothing, just means we'll have to keep a close eye on him." A sigh escaped past his lips as he thought of their future together. The Valerian could almost feel the silence that had fallen over his friend and wondered if he should really be talking about this in front of the man, especially after everything he had been through with Archellevon.

It was then Edameonus stood. He walked over to the stack Kurogane and Fay were standing by and slowly began to take the top box off the stack. The other dark haired man gave him a quizzical look, and when the disguised man saw it he gave a stale smile.

"You two go to bed. Fay-chan's been up for a long time and I can only assume he'd need Kurogane to be comfortable."

"Thank you Edameonus, I'll see you tomorrow morning." The blonde was thankful for his friend, hoping that it wouldn't be too awkward between them in the future.

"Is Kuro-grump tired?" He looked up to his lover in question. Kurogane shrugged in reply, still looking at the demon.

"...And what will you be doing?" He asked suspiciously, seeing the Ginryan take the box over to sit it on the coffee table.

"I'll stay up a little more and finish unpacking the boxes. I can't guarantee I know where everything goes, but I'll do that so you guys don't have to." He sat back in the couch, still smiling a tiny smile.

"You don't have to you know, we can all finish it tomorrow." Fay suggested, feeling guilty about leaving his friend to do the rest of the work. Edameonus shook his head.

"Nah, Don't feel bad about it. It'll make up for my portion I took a nap through." He said positively, taking out random articles from the container.

"...Alright, but don't stay up too long. I guess if someone comes to the door that you've never seen before, come get me." Kurogane informed.

"If you're sure..." His smile faltered about, still not positive on the idea.

"Goodnight Edameonus." The blonde moved from Kurogane's hold, only to grab the taller man's hand and walking towards the bedroom.

"Goodnight." Edameonus replied, only frowning when Kurogane turned his back and followed. He stopped unpacking when he heard the door close and looked back outside, keeping his mind to no avail off of Archellevon. Kurogane inside the room leaned against the door once he locked it and sighed.

"He clearly hasn't gotten over his issues." He said lowly, looking at Fay with a knowing expression.

"He loves Archellevon, has for a very long time." Fay frowned thinking back to his conversations with the angel. He turned away from Kurogane looking at the room. It hadn't really changed since he had last seen it, though several things were missing or packed away.

"...Well, either way, him living here might help." Kurogane grumbled as he walked forward. The bed was unmade and only had the materials for slumber lying on top of the mattress. He moved the blankets to the floor as he spread out the sheet over the bed.

"Was he very violent afterward on your planet?"

"No, he stayed mostly to himself." He watched as Kurogane prepared the bed for them, his mind going back to his days on Valeria and how Edameonus had been insolated.

"That's good." Kurogane said, not really paying attention to his own words as he threw the pillows haphazardly onto the top of the bed.

"As long as he didn't do anything to you, I'm fine with whatever kind of past he has."

"Is Kuro-tan jealous?" He smiled, letting the other's words slide, and walked up to Kurogane as the other finished. Kurogane eyebrow twitched.

"Why the hell would I be jealous of him?" He growled, opening up the newly laid blanket for Fay.

"You sound suspicious and besides I did spend two months with Edameonus." He couldn't help teasing the other man, thinking it cute how flustered he got. Though in reality he knew there was only friendship between them, each of them already had someone they loved. Kurogane glared at Fay with a small pout.

"...That's two months I'm not comfortable with." He said after a moment. He then turned away.

"Che. Whatever." He muttered as he began to remove his shirt.

"Kuro-rinta should know that I love only him." Fay chuckled. He looked at his own clothes, knowing he wouldn't be comfortable sleeping in them.

"You didn't burn my night clothes too did you?"

"No. I only burned the ones I couldn't clean properly." Kurogane replied, walking over to the basket to discard his shirt there and to open the closet for Fay's clothing.

"...Which side do you wanna sleep on?" He asked as he pulled out a sleeping outfit Fay had yet to wear. It was loose fitted, so the taller man thought it would be more comfortable.

"It doesn't matter to me." He smiled, glad that he wouldn't have to replace everything.

"I bet Kuro-puu was embarrassed to see everything when he came home." Blushing, he could only imagine what had gone through the taller man's mind. Kurogane blushed as well, handing the clothing to Fay.

"...You have no idea..." Chuckling the blonde grabbed the offered clothes and stripped. He slipped the shorts over his long legs before he moved to idly moved a hand to his stomach. It wasn't too noticeable if he was wearing clothes, but without a shirt the small protruding was more distinguishable. He smiled at the thought before slipping the shirt over his head.

Whilst Fay was in the middle of dressing, Kurogane crawled into bed on the far side, thinking it wouldn't be as comfortable to lay against the wall and a person for the pregnant man. He looked up just in time to see Fay place his hand on his stomach, and that was the first time he saw the little bump. His eyes were captured, even when Fay slipped the shirt on, by his growing son.

"Kuro-san?" Fay asked as he felt his lover's eyes on him. He smiled before crawling into bed next to Kurogane. The other man snapped to attention before watching Fay lay next to him. He reached over and clicked the lamp off, allowing the room to fall into darkness. He then wrapped his arms around the blonde while still sitting up.

"It's nothing." He said, kissing the pale shoulder his shirt had fallen off of.

"Just thinking about Toshihiko."

"Daddy's excited?" Fay placed a hand on the other man's arm affectionately. It was nice to think about their son being born and the blonde thought of what it would be like to hold him. Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"Am I not allowed to be?" He replied, also thinking about the son inside his lover. He let his mind wander to the possibility of what he'd look like.

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Fay smiled before taking one of Kurogane's hands and placing it on his stomach.

"Though he's not developed enough to be able to move around, you might be able to feel his aura, even if it isn't that strong." Kurogane blinked at the gesture but he didn't remove his hand. Instead, he smoothed over the blonde's belly warmly, smiling slightly when he felt a pulse of something there.

"Hnn... Seems like the brat's going to be a handful..." He said affectionately, wrapping his other arm tighter around Fay.

"He _is_ yours, after all." He chuckled light heartedly at seeing the look in the other's eyes. Fay relished the tight embrace as his hand covered Kurogane's own. Said man gave a small laugh as well, lightly entwining their fingers together. He let his mind wander once more and the smile began to fade.

"...You were upset... when you thought it was his kid?" He asked, not remembering seeing the blonde after his memory wipe.

"Yes, especially when I didn't remember how I ended up pregnant." He thought back to the short time he hadn't known any better and the fear that had washed over him as a result.

"Hn... then I'm glad... knowing that those aren't the feelings you have now..." Kurogane replied, closing his eyes as he laid his chin on the lithe man's shoulder. During his own memory wipe, he had no idea that there was a child waiting for his presence halfway across the galaxy. It kind of hurt to know he had forgotten such an important thing for a long time, even though two weeks wasn't that long. Fay tightened his hold on Kurogane's hand as he kissed his lover's forehead tenderly.

"Kuro-rin and Toshihiko are my two most important people. I would never feel like that with either of you." He said softly as he took in the taller man's presence. Kurogane smirked and looked at Fay in the eye.

"Good." He moved one hand to guide the blonde's chin toward him and softly brought their lips together. He was relieved to know the bulk of their hardships was now over, and hopefully it would stay that way. Fay relished the kiss, sighing into it as he moved closer to Kurogane. It was a lot for either of them to take in, they had found each other again after everything and now they had their child's birth and hopefully many years together to look forward to. Kurogane smirked as they pulled away, kissing the blonde's ear.

"Hn...Get some rest, idiot." He said slowly, moving himself and the other down to lie in bed. He pulled the other tighter in his embrace, enjoying the warm but small body against him.

"Toshihiko likes to keep me awake." A small laugh left his lips at the missed name. It had been awhile since he had last slept well, the baby and his nerves had both done a good job of keeping him restless and unable to sleep for long. Being next to Kurogane was very noticeably different than sleeping alone on a planet he wanted to so badly leave behind. The man was holding him securely and the smell of him was enough to know that he himself was protected wholeheartedly.

"Maybe he'll settle down and let me sleep for more than a few hours." He smiled as he rested against Kurogane. The other man being embracing him had nearly lulled him to sleep, but he wasn't sure if he could, still happy about finally reuniting with his lover.

"Hn. Maybe. I'll be here when you wake up, so don't force yourself to stay awake." He heard Kurogane grumble. The other man had obviously lacked sleep, but he was making sure to keep himself up in order to watch the blonde slumber peacefully.

"But I want to stay up with Kuro-rinta." The blonde closed his eyes as he relaxed. He knew he would most likely end up falling asleep regardless, but tried to fight the urge to so he could stay awake with Kurogane a little longer.

"Tch. Child." Kurogane teased with a faint grin, closing his eyes as well but moving his arms tighter around Fay.

"Go to sleep faster so we can wake up and spend the day together." He commanded, letting his muscles ease up as the blankets and Fay around him molded into the shapes of one another in and on his arms.

"Daddy's mean." Fay pouted halfheartedly before he sighed, knowing the other was right. A smile spread across his lips, his eyes still closed, as he tried to drift off to sleep. The last thought passing his mind was how he would be with Kurogane tomorrow and what would happen.

Kurogane grunted in reply, wanting to be nowhere else at that moment. He listened to the rest of the house as silence filled the gap between him and Fay. He could hear Edameonus moving about in the living room, and was suddenly pitiful when he heard the slight gasping noises made every now and then followed by forcedly quieted exhales. He couldn't help but feel the want that other man would end up happy as himself with Fay.


	18. And we were given a second chance

Ashine-chan named this chapter 8D

**Mirika-rin:** =3= my life is too busy I swear. BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE HERE FOR 8D Let's begin the next plot point, shall we~? I'll definitely try to upload the next chapter soon~!

**Ashine-chan: ***dances* finally done with the second arc! And we have a mostly happy chapter with some fluff for everyone. X3

* * *

Fay woke up to the smell of something being cooked. At first he had no idea where he was, but once he felt muscular arms around him, he knew he was home. But... if Kurogane was holding onto him, who was cooking? He looked up, and seeing Kurogane still asleep, the blonde smiled. Shifting a bit, the alien tilted his head up to give his lover a quick kiss.

"Kuro-min?" He spoke gently, trying to rouse the other man. Kurogane instantly stirred, the red eyes cracking open a bit as the figure wondered hazily who was trying to wake him. Seeing it was Fay, the dark haired man offered a gentle yet small smirk.

"Oi..." He blinked. The whiff of food caught his nose.

"...Who's cooking?"

"Kuro-sama's guess is as good as mine." The blonde said as he thought about whom it could be, he didn't think it could be Edameonus. Kurogane blinked again and unraveled himself from his lover to sit up. He ran his hand quickly though his hair before getting off the bed over Fay. He looked over to his lover and frowned.

"I'll look." He said before walking to the door.

"Is Kuro-rin going to bring me breakfast in bed then?" He smiled, trying to decide if he should investigate or not with Kurogane. The other man raised an eyebrow before scoffing, opening up the door. He frowned even deeper when he was greeted enthusiastically by someone he did _not_ want to see.

"You." In the kitchen stood Sorata, humming and cooking up a storm. When he saw Kurogane he practically squealed.

"Kurogane!! Welcome back! Did you sleep well?"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE!?" Fay heard Kurogane's exclamation and decided it would be best for him to check it out; after all it wouldn't be good for his lover to maim someone. Throwing the blanket off him, the blonde stood and made his way into the kitchen. He was surprised to see Sorata and wondered how the man had gotten in. The cook smiled brightly and pointed out of the room to the living room.

"Your father let me in. He said your cousin wasn't feeling the best so he asked me to make something to eat for all of you." Kurogane's eyebrow twitched.

"Lemme guess, you decided to barge in but couldn't until the key came home." Sorata just smiled to that before he saw Fay. Again, practically squealed.

"FAY-CHAN!!"

"Sorata, it's good to see you again." The blonde smiled as he stood beside Kurogane. He wondered where Edameonus and Toriho were, seeing as how he hadn't heard them moving about on his way to the kitchen. The chef obviously thought nothing of the baggy clothes, for he went straight back to cooking.

"Breakfast will be done in a moment!" He sang out, glad to see Kurogane and Fay safe and sound back home. Kurogane sighed, knowing it was too late to do anything about it, and he began toward the living room.

"Dad?" He called halfheartedly.

"Why are you back here?"

"To help finish you and Fay-chan unpack of course." Toriho smiled as he held an empty box in one hand, while Tsumebe and Tomoyo were taking out clothes. Fay followed close behind Kurogane, not expecting to see both women so soon. He barely noticed Edameonus sleeping on the couch, his attention focused on the others. Kurogane felt his eyebrow twitch again, not liking so many people coming into his house uninvited. He growled slightly but didn't say anything to his parents or real cousin. When Tsumebe saw Fay she smiled brightly.

"Welcome home, you two. How was the trip?"

"As good as it could be I suppose, though coming back was much better." Fay smiled sheepishly, not knowing how much Toriho had told his wife. After all he didn't want to say too much in case the other man had said something to the contrary. Tsumebe smiled wider.

"That's good, I'm glad you and Youou had a fun time." Tomoyo smiled and walked over to give each of the men a hug.

"I missed you two! I had left for a fashion trip the day after you two did, I didn't come home until two days ago! I'm glad you're safe and sound." She said, hugging Fay. The bump on his stomach didn't seem to faze her, for she pulled away still smiling.

"Sounds like you had fun Tomoyo." He hugged the girl back, glad to see her again.

"That reminds me, it seems Kuro-san misplaced some of my clothes." Blushing faintly, Fay wondered if he should have just kept it to himself about the burned clothes, seeing as how most of them hadn't been too appropriate. Kurogane shot a glare over to Fay, daring him to give away too much information. Tomoyo frowned at looked at her relative.

"No surprise there." The statement made Kurogane squawk indignantly.

"No surprise?! Tomoyo what are you implying?!" Fay moved away from both cousins to help Tsumebe.

"It's good to see you again, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make it back." It had been nerve raking for the blonde to think about all the people, especially Kurogane, that he might not have ever seen again. She smiled back knowingly.

"Yes, I was also afraid." It was then rustling from the couch caught her attention. Edameonus sat up with a frown, glaring at the entire family.

"You all are evil." He threatened, rubbing his eyes.

"Can't a damn person sleep in this house?" Kurogane growled.

"Hey! Watch what you say around my mom!" He shouted with a glare. The demon glared back, tempted to run off a bunch of foul language.

"Kuro-san shouldn't talk." Fay said as he folded another shirt.

"You could go and sleep on the other couch, though I can't promise Kuro-wankoro won't start yelling." Tsumebe laughed at the blonde's words as she continued to work. Edameonus's expression lightened when Fay talked to him. He gave a small smile and shook his head.

"Eh. It's fine. Not like I need all the sleep." He stood then, stretching greatly before he began to walk to Kurogane. It was then Sorata came in.

"Breakfast is ready!" He announced, looking to everyone in the room. When he saw Edameonus and Kurogane standing next to each other a small blush covered his face.

"...You two look so much alike..." The shirtless men looked at each other and then to Sorata with identical scowls.

"I guess we should all take a break and enjoy the nice breakfast Sorata's made." Fay smiled as he stood, offering Tsumebe a hand, and tried to keep Kurogane and Edameonus from saying or doing anything. Tsumebe took the hand and smiled in silence as the supposed cousins glared in unison to Sorata. Toriho looked at the two and laughed, glad that they were fitting their roles just perfectly. Kurogane shoved his hands in his pockets and followed after Fay, growling to himself about how much he didn't approve of Sorata being there.

"Kuro-wan shouldn't be so grumpy in the morning." He smiled as both Tsumebe and Tomoyo sat at the table. Sorata moved to stand near Fay, his expression almost unchanged, while the other three men filtered into the room.

"Tch. Thought you'd be used to it by now..." Kurogane muttered, making Toriho's eyebrows raise. Edameonus took an open chair and sat in it, folding his arms. He liked happy families, but so early in the morning was annoying.

"You're not always." The blonde smiled.

"It's good to see you back Fay-chan, the boys have missed you!" Fay watched as Sorata wrapped his arm around his shoulders as he talked. Tomoyo hid her laughter behind her hand as Tsumebe began stood and moved to hand out plates to the others. Kurogane felt a muscle twitch around his eye when he saw how cozy Sorata was being, but he held his tongue and looked away. Edameonus leaned a little forward, slightly letting himself doze off in the chair. Toriho helped out Tsumebe and started placing food on the plates for her to hand out.

"Sorata shouldn't be too friendly with Fay-chan, Youou might get jealous." He sneered and Kurogane blushed.

"I won't be jealous!"

"Kuro-min doesn't like to admit it." It had surprised him to see Kurogane not say anything to the man who still was practically hugging him.

"It seems our Youou has learned to control his temper." Tsumebe smiled as she set plates down in front of the others that were seated. Kurogane narrowed his eyes at his mother before looking away again. He instead occupied his time watching Edameonus almost fall asleep sitting up in his chair.

Sorata moved to help Tsumebe. "Fay-chan and me are friends and I expect him over at the shop once he's settled back in, maybe I could bring over some more food from my hunny?" Fay nodded, looking forward to seeing the twins again. Toriho placed a hand on Fay's shoulder.

"Go ahead and sit down, Fay-chan. You should be starved." The other blushed faintly, knowing what the taller man was referring to before he nodded again and took a seat.

"It's been a while since I've eaten something like this." He was happy for the familiarity breakfast brought him, a bit overwhelmed at seeing everyone so quickly after rejoining with Kurogane.

"Well, go ahead and eat up; there's plenty for everyone." Sorata commented, taking his plate and leaning up against the wall. There were only five chairs, so he and Kurogane ampted to lean against the walls. Tomoyo looked to the tattoo on Edameonus's chest with curiosity.

"...Why exactly haven't I heard of or from you before, Hien-san?" He snapped to attention, staring at the girl before looking to Toriho in silence.

"It's been awhile since we last talked, but we've known each other for years." Toriho tried to think of what to say to cover Edameonus's stay. Fay took a tentative bite of food, listening intently to Toriho's explanation. Edameonus looked down to his food before smiling at Tomoyo, resting his chin in the palm of his hand.

"What do you think about it, Tomoyo-chan? Why do you think I've never contacted you before?" The girl blinked but smiled back.

"I'm not sure; you're Uncle Toriho's brother's son, correct?" He nodded, but the girl frowned.

"I didn't know Toriho-san had a brother." Edameonus's smile never faltered.

"That's because our jobs keep us in secret."

"You should know all about that Tomoyo-chan, what with your parents working for the government as well." The Ginryan was glad for his friend's quick thinking. Tomoyo smiled once more, understanding.

"Oh. Ok." Edameonus smiled back wider before sitting up straight.

"I just realized I haven't formally introduced myself." He placed a hand over the tattoo.

"I'm Hien Edameonus Suwa. I'm Uncle Toriho's brother's only child." Kurogane stared at the other man, wondering if he could keep up with his fake background. Fay laughed before finishing the last of his food. Hopefully all of them could keep Edameonus's relation straight. Not to mention in another month or so he and Kurogane would have to explain why his stomach had grown and the explanation that would follow their child's birth.

"I'm sure Tomoyo will like Edameonus once she gets to know him better." Tomoyo smiled to Fay then giggling lightly.

"I'm sure I will too!" The statement made the man of the matter blush and look down to his plate. Kurogane crossed his arms, slightly glad that his cousin was taking a liking to Edameonus. Fay stood, taking his plate to the sink, smiling as he did.

"We'll also have to go out again, since I couldn't the last time you asked." He smiled fondly towards the girl, knowing she would be excited about another shopping trip.

"Oh of course! We should take Edameonus-san with us! I'm sure you've come from far away." The other man had to laugh at that.

"You have no idea, little lady." Tomoyo giggled again at the nickname before her previous curiosity got the better of her.

"Say, Edameonus-san-"

"Just call me Hien." He interrupted with a smile. She smiled back.

"Hien-san, what's the tattoo for?" Toriho looked over to Edameonus, waiting for his explanation. Meanwhile, Fay took his seat once room as, he was hoping Toshihiko wouldn't be too draining on his energy now that he had eaten. The blonde looked to his friend, just as curious. The man under the nickname Hien smiled playfully.

"First, answer me this; do you believe in angels?" The alien men flinched in the room, not expecting that. Tomoyo nodded, unaware. Edameonus smiled wider and looked to his chest.

"You know they say angels are born from eggs, correct? And that one of the purest heart has to sing to them for them to be born?"

"That's a very old story." Tsumebe said softly as Tomoyo nodded confused. Fay smiled sadly as he looked to Edameonus, knowing that it would most likely be painful for him to talk about Archellevon. If he was in pain, it was only seen through the red eyes that suddenly closed.

"From where I'm from, they say that it's true... but…" He opened them again, a spark twinkling in his orbs.

"Do you know where demons are born?" Sorata stood straight against the wall.

"...That topic isn't-" Edameonus shot a glance over to the man, making him fall into silence. Fay's frown deepened, knowing it wouldn't be best to interrupt his friend, though he was curious why Sorata would try to stop Edameonus from explaining. Hien continued.

"I suppose no one told you the tale about demons' births', considering they're looked down upon wherever I go... but... to me, it's not shameful at all." Toriho smiled sadly, knowing he was talking about the Ginryan race. Edameonus looked to his tattoo, which was a rose falling apart with two dark wings piecing together near the petals.

"Would you like to know that story, Tomoyo-chan?"

"If you don't mind Hien-san." The girl smiled as she looked to him. Fay watched the exchange glad the two were getting along.

"Demons, just like angels, are born from an object. Only unlike angels, demons are born only from the reddest of roses." he looked to Tomoyo.

"Once the petals start to fall, a demon of righteous honor must set them ablaze. When the petals burn, they turn into wings, horns, hair and eyes of the demons, and the rest of the flower becomes the demon."

"I've never heard that story before Hien-san." Tomoyo sat in awe of the story. Fay sat still, listening intently, wondering how much of the Ginryan's story was true about demons. Edameonus smiled brightly.

"That's alright. Most people don't know it." He leaned back in his chair as the girl looked at his tattoo once more.

"...If that's so... why is your rose covered in ice?" The red eyes slowly looked up to the girl, but no more words left Edameonus's mouth. An awkward silence suddenly fell over the room, mostly everyone staring at the tattooed man.

"Maybe we should go back to unpacking, there's only a few things left and then there's cleaning the dishes." Toriho said quickly, trying to divert attention away from his friend. Tsumebe and Fay both stood and went about gathering everyone's dishes. Tomoyo stared momentarily at Edameonus in curiosity, but when his eyes glanced down to the table at his half eaten food, she stood as well. Kurogane watched as Edameonus's expression changed whilst the others cleaned and moved to the living room. The demon looked blank and then upset, but after he opened his eyes Kurogane could plainly see disgust radiating through them as he stood to join the rest of the family.

Fay gathered the plates from the table and put a hand on the Ginryan's arm in concern. It must have been difficult for the man to think back on the meaning of the tattoo. The blonde dropped his hand as he finished gathering the dishes and moved towards the sink where both women stood washing.

Edameonus let his eyes linger on Fay after he had done the kind gesture, but he still held his frown as he went to help Toriho move things about in the other room. Kurogane walked over to Fay and gave him a slight look as well before following his fellow Ginryan. The Valerian had smiled as best he could, too distracted by what had just happened, as he dried a plate Tsumebe handed to him. Sorata took the plate from the blonde smiling brightly.

"Maybe Fay-chan should go in the living room, I'm sure me and these lovely ladies can finish up in here." Nodding in thanks, Fay dried his hands and left. Edameonus was depositing the garbage in the trash bin brought in by Toriho when he walked in, his calm expression once more on his façade. Kurogane was placing the rug in front of the door for muddy shoes to be wiped upon while Toriho was moving empty boxes to be removed or thrown away. He smiled when he saw Fay.

"Seems like they believed his occupation story." He said lowly, as to not be heard in the kitchen.

"It's at least better prepared than my own." Smiling sheepishly, Fay moved towards the couch, trying to find something to help with. Kurogane stood straight and placed his hands on his hips.

"We need to stick with it too, in case we don't want to be found out." He reminded them, frowning sullenly. Edameonus and Toriho nodded before the longer haired man wiped his hands together.

"Fay-chan should sit down; we're almost done." He said with a smooth smile.

"I feel like I've just been sitting around while the rest of you work." He returned the other man's smile and sat down on the couch.

"Well, what's the use of overworking a soon-to-be 'mother'?" Toriho said cheerfully, making Kurogane blush. Edameonus moved another box and stared, having stumbled upon the forgotten Yuui.

"It will be a few more months before I really won't be able to do much of anything." A hand subconsciously went to his stomach. He looked over and was surprised to see Edameonus reveal Yuui, who seemed peacefully asleep. He was worried about the others seeing her, they had yet to come up with a story for the android other than her being Fay's twin sister. Edameonus seemed to have the same idea, for he wasted no time in picking her up and walking over to the TV room. Kurogane watched him wearily as he entered the room. It wasn't much longer before Edameonus came back out and closed the door, expression that of relaxation.

"We'll do something about her later." He said simply before walking over to his discarded shirt.

"We'll have to think of something later for her history as well." Fay looked to the room Edameonus had left Yuui in and hoped none of the others would venture in and spot her. Kurogane nodded and walked over to Fay to sit down next to him. Toriho looked at his watch and called into the kitchen.

"Hey, Sorata-kun! Didn't you say you had work at noon?" It was a brief moment before the brown haired man came in with a smile.

"Thanks for reminding me. I'd be late if I didn't leave now."

"Goodbye Sorata, tell Syaoran and Syaoron I said hello." Fay waved at the man as he sped past them.

"Goodbye Fay-chan!" The shop owner waved enthusiastically before leaving. The blonde smiled and leaned against Kurogane who sat beside him. Toriho smiled as the man zoomed out, but looking at his clock again he sighed.

"Hn. All the boxes are unpacked, Youou." He said lazily, looking at the men on the couch. Kurogane cocked an eyebrow.

"What is it?" Fay smiled faintly, enjoying the warmth for the other man as he sat against him. He had slept fairly well last night, the baby calming down enough for him to let Fay catch up on the sleep he had missed in Valeria. Edameonus stood straight after setting another empty box down and yawned. Toriho shook his head.

"Nothing. Just wondering if you wanted to let your cousin know when Fay-chan would be free for shopping." Kurogane narrowed his eyes at his father, knowing he had some other meaning hidden. Kurogane then sighed and looked down to Fay, blinking when something hidden by his hair was visible at the edge of his collar.

"I won't be able to go in another month or two." The blonde said. In a few months time he would really be showing, which was another set of problems they would have to figure out, not to mention having to explain to Tomoyo and everyone else why they suddenly had a child. He felt his lover's eyes on him and titled his head up to look into red eyes.

"Kuro-min?" The man's expression was that of hidden worry.

"...That spell... is it still in effect?" He asked lowly, talking about the tattoo on Fay's back. Toriho looked away to the kitchen where the women were just finishing up. He jumped slightly when he saw that Tomoyo was staring directly at Fay. Said man ignored Kurogane's question as he saw the older man's reaction, he turned to follow Toriho's gaze and was surprised to see Tomoyo standing just outside the living room.

"Tomoyo?" He smiled at the girl, not sure if she had heard Kurogane or not. Tomoyo's eyes didn't leave the blonde as she slowly walked across the room. Her façade was serious as she sat down on the coffee table, right in front of Fay.

"...Fay-san..." She began before smiling sadly.

"Why did you really leave?" Kurogane blinked as well as Toriho. The elder man gave a nervous laugh.

"Tomoyo, you know he went to Italy-"

"I was in Italy, Uncle... I searched all over and found no trace of a Fay Fluorite... so... where were you really?"

"I had to leave, Tomoyo, it was too dangerous for me to stay." Fay's smile faltered as he met the girl's eyes. He didn't want to lie more to the girl than was absolutely necessary.

"Fay-san..." She began, her smile slowly falling.

"I also looked for Kurogane-kun... there wasn't any sign of him." She looked to her uncle with a serious look.

"I think I'm ready for the truth, Uncle Toriho; where is it that you really work?" Edameonus clicked his tongue in aggravation; this kid knew how to read between the lines.

"They weren't in Italy...and as for my job I'm not able to say too much about it, just know it deals with space exploration and finding other...signs of life." He ran a hand through his hair sighing at his niece. Fay looked sadly to Tomoyo, not wanting to see her distressed by them lying to her. Instead, Tomoyo's eyes lit up with the knowledge.

"You work with aliens?" She asked cutely, making Hien snort. He looked away and allowed the family to come up with a better explanation.

"You could say that..." Toriho looked sheepish as he laughed. Tsumebe came from the kitchen then keeping to quiet as things were explained to her niece. Tomoyo looked at Kurogane.

"You knew?" She asked and Kurogane simply nodded.

"You're not angry are you?" Fay frowned, worried about the girl's feelings on the matter. Tomoyo looked to Fay and shook her head.

"No, I'm not mad. I'm just glad that you've all decided to tell me the truth now." She looked to Toriho.

"So... does Fay work with you?" Again, Edameonus snorted.

"No, he doesn't...Fay-chan is a special case." He tried to think the words through, not wanting to say anything that could worry the girl. She tilted her head to the side.

"A special case?" Kurogane sighed, not liking his father beating around the bush.

"Tomoyo; he's not from Earth."

The girl looked back to her cousin with wide eyes and then to Fay in question.

"Kuro-wankoro shouldn't be so blunt about something like that." The blonde glared at Kurogane for a few moments before he sighed and turned to Tomoyo.

"It's true." He tried to smile, but found it hard. Tsumebe walked silently to her husband smiling at him before she focused her gaze on Tomoyo. Toriho smiled back and watched as his niece pieced things together with the help of the alien. Tomoyo blinked.

"You... are an alien...?" She asked slowly, making Edameonus have to turn away to stifle his laughter. Honestly, this child, was it something so hard to comprehend? Tomoyo looked about, trying to figure it out.

"So... where are you from?"

"Very, very far away." Fay shot another glare to Edameonus as the other shook with barely contained laughter.

"You're not upset at all?" It wasn't something one came across everyday and the blonde was afraid Tomoyo might be concerned about things. The girl paused before shaking her head.

"I knew something was different when you appeared soon after the earthquake that was left unexplained... and Uncle Toriho's job was also vaguely described, so I assumed something was being hidden." She smiled.

"I never expected it to be something as interesting as this!" Fay laughed at seeing the girl's excitement. Not to mention he was relieved that she was okay with the revelation.

"It wasn't a very good story to begin with, Youou didn't think things through." Toriho chuckled as Tsumebe moved to put a hand on her niece's shoulder, glad she was alright. Kurogane growled.

"Oi! Shut up!" He barked as his father, but Tomoyo simply giggled.

"It's alright, the others in town believe it nonetheless, and they don't ask questions." She looked to Kurogane.

"So... where were you guys when you said you went to Italy?"

"A place called Edonis, its a few days journey from here." Fay smiled warmly, happy for the light atmosphere that had settled over everyone.

"A place called 'Edonis'? Is that where you're from?" She asked the Valerian, smiling in her cluelessness. Edameonus walked over then, smiling a knowing and highly amuse smile.

"No, Edonis is a place for something much higher ranked than living." Tomoyo looked to Edameonus.

"... How do you know this?" she asked, making the other smile.

"From work."

"It more of a place where some of the world's leaders go to hold meetings...and trials." The days he had spent there came back to the blonde. It wasn't a place he would like to ever go back to, being filled with too many painful memories.

"Trials? Why did you have to go there for a trial?" Tomoyo asked, looking to Kurogane and Fay. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, but kept silent. Toriho chimed in.

"Youou didn't go, Tomoyo. He stayed at the base while Fay went on... for lack of better words, jury duty."

"It's not something I like to talk about." He tried to keep up his smile for Tomoyo, grateful for Toriho's explanation. Across from him Edameonus watched his friend intently. Tomoyo nodded while Toriho smiled sadly. She didn't need to know that Kurogane and Fay had created a high crime that almost got them killed. The girl then looked to Edameonus.

"So... if you worked at Uncle Toriho's work, why do I never see you?" Edameonus smiled wider.

"My father and I are kept on secret jobs with aliases all the time, I'm hardly ever here... I usually go to different places... like Italy..." He explained, not knowing any other place besides that one.

"I'm glad that you're fine with all of this Tomoyo, but I think Youou and Fay-chan have something else they should tell you." Tsumebe spoke gently, her proud smile evident as she looked to both men sitting together. Fay blushed and stole a glance at Kurogane while smiling sheepishly as Tomoyo tilted her head to the side in confusion. Kurogane blushed as well and looked away, not wanting to be the one to break the news to his cousin. Edameonus chuckled lightly at their embarrassment; if he and Archellevon were having a kid he'd shout it to the heavens anywhere he'd go.

"You know how Toriho and Tsumebe are always saying how Kuro-tan should give them grandchildren? Well, in a few months they will be grandparents." Fay could feel his cheeks heating as his blush deepened.

"Isn't that right Kuro-wan?" Tomoyo's eyes widened once more as she looked at her cousin and his lover. Kurogane nodded slowly, and instantly the girl squealed.

"AH! A baby?! You two are having a baby?!" She said excitedly, not going easy on Kurogane's already withering boldness as he blushed more.

"In a few months he'll be born." Smiling Fay watched as Tomoyo clapped her hands in excitement, listing things a baby would need. The girl stopped and looked at Fay.

"A few months? But you're not even showing." Toriho laughed slightly.

"Valerian pregnancies don't last as long as Earth's."

"About four months to go." The blonde could barely contain his happiness, grateful that Tomoyo had taking it all well.

"I'm a bit surprised that Tomoyo is handling this, after all it isn't normal for men to carry children on earth." The girl laughed.

"No, it's not normal indeed." She smiled and took Fay's hand.

"But I'm glad either way, I was so upset when I heard Kurogane's previous girlfriend died before my cousin could've had a child, but now there's no need to worry anymore!" Kurogane cocked his eyebrow again when Claudina was mentioned, but he simply rolled his eyes. Edameonus gave Kurogane a curious but pleased look. Fay nodded in agreement. He was glad that he could give Kurogane a child after everything they had been through.

"We'll need to get things ready for him soon." Tsumebe smiled fondly at the blonde as Toriho wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Yes! I want to help with that!" Tomoyo said cheerfully.

"Now, Tomoyo, don't force your help on those who don't want it." Toriho said, but Tsumebe laughed lightly.

"I don't think Youou and Fay-chan would mind." Edameonus folded his arms, which brought the girl's attention back to him.

"Tomoyo can help all she wants, can't she Kuro-rinta?" Fay laughed and looked up to his lover. Kurogane sighed in reply, knowing the girl would help whether they wanted her to or not. He then looked over to the demon with a frown. Edameonus met Tomoyo's gaze with his own questioningly.

"What?"

Tomoyo smiled. "I was just wondering... you said you worked with Uncle Toriho right?" Edameonus raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah...what of it?" Fay watched intently, wondering what Tomoyo was going to ask the Ginryan. He had hoped everything was settled, but it looked as if the girl had found something else to ask about.

"Why exactly are you here now?" She asked, making the man blink.

"...What do you mean?"

She smiled again. "I'm curious as to why you've suddenly decided to come here to Kurogane-kun's."

"I met them on the job and decided it best to come here and stay." Edameonus explained; he had told the truth, even if he left some of the more important parts out.

"That..." Toriho said, looking to his supposed nephew.

"That crash was Fay landing, as you've assumed, Tomoyo." He added with a smile.

"He has an important rank on his planet, so they want him to come back to serve under jury duty and to check up on him as well... they allowed him to come back to Earth as long as one of ours decided to watch over him." Again, the truth, but vaguely so. Hien smiled.

"And that was me. For no other way of describing, I'm assigned to be Fay-chan's bodyguard."

"Hien is going to stay here for a time to see that everything's alright." Fay smiled, glad for Toriho speaking up. Tomoyo nodded and smiled wider.

"Well that's good! I'm glad they allowed someone we're related to become someone to watch over Fay-san!" She said happily before standing. Kurogane looked to her and sighed, glad she accepted all the bent truth.

"Yes, we were lucky." He smiled thinking how true the words actually were. It was almost unreal to imagine how things had turned out for the better. He put a hand to his stomach, something he had noticed he did quiet often over the weeks, and smiled. Kurogane slipped his arm around Fay's waist, watching him as he touched his son indirectly. Toriho smiled proudly, before looking at Tomoyo.

"Sorry from keeping all this from you, Tomoyo. We didn't think it'd be wise to talk about it before Fay-chan left. I guess it can't be helped now that Youou couldn't keep his hands to himself." He said with a teasing expression, making Kurogane growl.

"Shut up dad!"

"Toriho's right Kuro-kun." Fay blushed at the implications as well as his own memories from before they were taken away. Tsumebe smiled and put a hand to her husband's arm, chided him gently for embarrassing both men. Kurogane blushed before looking at Fay.

"You too?" He said, his anger weakening. Edameonus leaned against the TV room door while folding his arms, his shirt now loosely draped on his body.

"I guess I'll be living here until something changes, right Uncle?"

"Yes, we'll have to see if we can't find you your own place." Toriho said as he turned to look back at his friend. The demon smiled back.

"If that's alright, Kurogane." He said simply. The other man nodded slowly, not really liking the idea, but he supposed it was going to happen either way due to circumstances.

"Until you get a house."

"Kuro-myu's really growing up, normally you would have protested more." Fay poked his lover's cheek with his finger to emphasis his point as he teased Kurogane. Tomoyo tried to keep her laughter in check as she watched the blonde. Kurogane growled.

"You wanna continue that crap, Blondie?" He asked threateningly, grabbing the pale hand to make Fay stop. Edameonus rolled his eyes and walked over to Tomoyo with a smile. He decided she was interesting, he wondered what type of a person she was. Toriho and Tsumebe had sense settled down in the unpacked chairs and watched with interest as their son talked with his lover. Fay, in turn, wrapped his hand around Kurogane's and moved his other to pull on one of the taller man's bangs.

"And Daddy calls me childish." Kurogane scowled and moved his hand from Fay's side to grab the other hand as well.

"Yeah I call you childish! Because you are!" He barked. Edameonus stood near Tomoyo and was about to say something when he realized he didn't have anything to talk about. Instead he closed his mouth and looked away.

"Hien-san?" Tomoyo look up from her seat to see the Ginryan standing next to her, she smiled at him encouraging him to speak.

"Kuro-chu's the one yelling." Laughter erupted from the blonde's lips, happiness swelling inside him at the familiarity teasing his lover brought to him. Kurogane couldn't help but smirk at the alien's laughter, glad that everything bad was now behind them.

"I'm only yelling because you make me yell, idiot!" He snapped, keeping Fay's hands away from him. Edameonus looked down at the girl before he smiled.

"What's your field of work, Tomoyo-chan?"

"I'm a designer." Her eyes lit up as she remembered her earlier suggestion.

"Hien-san, are you still willing to come with me and Fay-san shopping?" Fay chuckled at Tomoyo enthusiasm before returning his attention to Kurogane.

"I don't make you do anything Kuro-grump."

"Tch. that's a lie if I ever heard one." Kurogane said, a suggestive grin suddenly flashing on his face. Edameonus blinked and blushed slightly at what Tomoyo had said, completely oblivious to what the other two were conversing about.

"Eh... I don't think that'd be a good idea." He said, looking to Kurogane briefly. He wondered just how protective the man was over Fay.

"Kuro-wankoro is the one who's always starting things." Fay grinned, his hands still trapped by Kurogane. Tomoyo looked to Edameonus and laughed at the man's comment. Kurogane looked to the rest of his family and sighed lightly; things seemed to be back to normal. He let go of Fay's hands and leaned against the couch again.

"Oi, you wanna go shopping before you really begin to show?" He offered, knowing Tomoyo would pounce on the offer once it was spoken. He knew there was no real harm in it, but when Edameonus looked over too he received a sour taste in his mouth.

"It would be best; after all I don't know how I would explain things if anyone in town saw me later on." The blonde wondered about Kurogane's sudden change, but ignored it, not seeing anything wrong. Tomoyo jumped up from her seat.

"We should also get things for the baby while we're at it." She smiled brightly thinking of all the things they needed.

"Do you plan to take me with you?" Edameonus asked Fay, trying to fit the role he was under. Toriho smiled.

"It'd be best to; for you to go."

"Of course, Tomoyo asked you earlier and it would be a good time for you to explore the town." Fay added, not wanting to let Edameonus feel left out. The demon gave a small smile in gratitude before looking at Toriho.

"How do we get there? Do we ride in...that?" He pointed to the car outside and the man nodded. "Yes, you will go in the car."

"Would Kuro-rinta like to come with us?" Fay teased, knowing the other man wouldn't want to be stuck carrying things.

"Tch. I still have my house to put together." Kurogane complained, standing up as he observed the living room.

"You guys helped unpack, but you ain't got a clue where anything goes." He commented lightly.

"Alright, we'll see you later then." Fay smiled as he stood as well. Tomoyo moved around the table and towards the door.

"Hien-san will have fun with me and Fay-san." She smiled, knowing how Kurogane acted whenever she had dragged him out to town. Kurogane watched Edameonus carefully before he looked to Fay. Said man quickly went into the bedroom, changing out of his sleeping clothes into something that would be worn outside. Edameonus had met Kurogane's gaze before he turned and left in the direction Tomoyo had taken. Toriho smiled and pulled out his keys.

"Guess I'm driving you guys around, eh?" He smiled widely before looking at his wife.

"I'll be back whenever they don't need me anymore." She nodded and leaned up to give her husband a light kiss. Tomoyo opened the door for Fay and smiled.

"I wonder how the rest of town will react to you being home." She said cheerfully, looking at Fay when he came back in, dressed in his light clothing. Edameonus buttoned up his shirt as he exited the house, knowing it was most likely not appropriate to be so loose with the fabric.

"I don't know that many people in town Tomoyo." He smiled as the girl walked through the front door in front of him. He looked over his shoulder briefly to Kurogane and smiled before following Tomoyo and Edameonus out, the door closing behind him.

"Hehe, either way those who know you will be happy." She replied. Kurogane nodded to Fay as he closed the door. The demon looked at the car and frowned, unsure of how to approach it. He was slightly unaware of how to ride it. Seeing his friend hesitation Fay walked to the car door opening it for Tomoyo who thanked the blonde and got in.

"Here you are Hien." He smiled while Toriho smirked and got in the car. Edameonus smiled back and entered the car as well, sitting next to Tomoyo while Fay took the front seat.

The trip to town didn't take long; Fay had kept his eyes trained out the window, taking in the missed sight of the trees and fields. Parking the car, Toriho stepped out, and opened the door for Tomoyo. Fay smiled, glad to see things hadn't changed as he stepped out. Edameonus had practically been glued to the window, staring at the scenery along with feeling uneasy with the car's movements. He had a hard time opening the door, but it didn't take him long to figure it out. He stood and smiled when he got out of the car, unaware of the ladies and some men swooning over him instantly.

"Where would you like to start Tomoyo?" Fay said, he had found his other friend obliviousness to passersby amusing. Toriho had the same thought as he nudged his friend in the ribs. Edameonus looked at Toriho and frowned, before looking to Fay.

"Hey, what's the best shop? Let's go to that one first!" Tomoyo laughed at Hien's enthusiasm and smiled.

"Let's start with the clothing then!" Fay nodded and followed Tomoyo as she grew more excited with each step to the nearest clothing store.

"Excited, Hien?" Fay asked the other man nodded and smiled, making viewers sigh in delight.

"Yeah, thanks, Fay-chan." The shop bell rang above the door as they entered the store. Tomoyo immediately went to a rack of clothes and sifting through them, holding certain ones up and looking to either Fay or Edameonus. The demon raised an eyebrow at the girl and leaned closer to Fay.

"Does she always do this, Fay-chan? Or is she just happy that you're back with a friend to try on clothing?" He said with a smirk.

"I suppose it's a little bit of both." He watched as Tomoyo draped clothes over her arm and moving to a table of folded shirts. Toriho chuckled at his niece's antics.

"She's always been this way, even when she was younger."P

"She likes clothes that much?" Edameonus said with a bigger smile, looking at Tomoyo fondly. He certainly had taken a liking to her. He wondered if they would continue to get along...

"Fay-san, Hien-san." Tomoyo called both men, lifting her arms to show the clothes she had already gathered for both of them. Fay smiled at his friend before taking the offered clothes and venturing to the back of the store and to the fitting rooms. Toriho laughed and gave the Ginryan a nudge towards the girl. Edameonus blushed and took the clothes before following to where Fay went. He looked through all the clothes and his cheeks continued to flush.

"These are a little... tight... don't you think?"

"It's best not to question Tomoyo's choices, it is her job after all." Fay smiled from his stall next to Edameonus. He blushed slightly, thinking back to the clothes Kurogane had gotten rid of and the result of the girls taste in clothes, as he slipped on a purple top. Edameonus sighed and pulled off his clothing, placing an outfit together.

"Alright, but if I put something on wrong, don't make fun of me." He commented, pulling on a pair of jeans.

"Of course not, though it's not that complicated." Fay smiled as he finished changing.

"Fay-san." Hearing Tomoyo the blonde nodded and stepped outside the fitting room. She squealed in delight when he exited, seeing how the top had fit so nicely. It was stretchy yet loose, so you could barely make out the blonde's stomach.

"That should stretch to fit better when the baby comes along..." She said as she observed with twinkling eyes.

"Thank you Tomoyo." Fay looked over the shirt, smoothing over the folds as he thought on her words.

"That reminds me, seeing as how Kuro-chu threw away some of my clothes, we should replace them." Edameonus stepped out next, fiddling with his own clothes.

"Of course, Fay-san!" Tomoyo squealed at him too, seeing his rather gothic style clothing was well fitted. His white shirt under his dark jacket bent with his muscle so you could see his toned body underneath. He blushed lightly.

"Is this really appropriate?"

"It looks fine." Fay smiled before walking back and closing his fitting room door. Toriho chuckled.

"Don't be so modest Hien." Edameonus gave a small pout before going back in as well. He thought to himself how Archellevon would react, and gave a small sigh.

"Fine..." He pulled on another set of clothing, this time with articles of jewelry.

Tomoyo had soon ushered them out and to the next shop. Toriho trailed behind carrying the bags while the girl ushered the two other men towards the store's fitting rooms as she gathered clothes for them to try on. Edameonus had gotten used to the trying on of clothes and he seemed to be enjoying himself whenever Tomoyo shoved him into the dressing room with a new outfit. Toriho had to smile when the Ginryan came out looking so nicely made for the clothing on Earth. Fay looked to his friend as he became exited, showing his latest outfit to Tomoyo.

"Hien cleans up nicely doesn't he Fay-chan?" The blonde laughed at the older man's attempts to embarrass their mutual friend. Edameonus blushed, but he smiled and rubbed the back of his head.

"This clothing is strange to me, so I don't know what looks bad or good..."

"Anything Tomoyo chooses will look good." The Valerian said with a smile, and Tomoyo blushed at the compliment before she shooed the blonde back to change into another set of clothes.

"Fay-chan's right, Tomoyo's been matching fabrics and colors since she was a toddler." Toriho grinned, watching his niece. Tomoyo laughed.

"Uncle Toriho, you remember that?" She said with a small smile. She looked over to Edameonus, who had turned his back, and smiled knowingly.

"...Hm..."

"Of course I do." He smiled.

"It was me after all he had Youou act as your guinea pig when you got better." Fay smiled as he listened to the others, he would have to ask his lover about that story when they were alone. Edameonus sighed and stepped out of the dressing room with the pile of clothing.

"Ok... I think I'm done trying on clothing."

"I suppose it is a lot for one trip." Tomoyo smiled before she asked Fay if he was done.

"Kuro-tan's not going to be too happy when he sees that he has all of this to put up with." The blonde grinned as they made their way to the front of the store.

"Heh, He'll get over it because it's you, Fay-chan." Toriho commented when he set the extra clothing on the counter.

"It's not like he doesn't get a bunch of clothing."

"Very true uncle." The girl of the group smiled, knowing it was partially her influence. Fay watched as Tomoyo set some more clothes on the counter, that he hadn't tried on before and had a good guess what they were. Edameonus looked to the Valerian questioningly.

"...Wh..." He began vaguely, looking at the clothes. He looked to Toriho and kept silent, not wanting to bring up a subject that would embarrass Fay.

"Alright then, shall we go?" Tomoyo smiled unaware of Fay's flushed face. Toriho nodded and grabbed the bags, along with Edameonus's. The demon smiled and offered his hand to Fay.

"Let's make sure to keep up with them." He said with a slight smile. He wasn't sure about human tradition of showing affection between cousins, maybe holding hands was ok.

"Thank you Edameonus." The trip had tired him and the blonde was happy to go home. He smiled at the idea, it had been awhile since he had last thought of a place as home. The dark haired man held Fay's hand as he led him out of the store. He could see the blonde was tired, and maybe if he helped steer him to the right direction it would ease up his thoughts a little. He was unaware of the glares and shocked looks he was getting when the people of town saw Fay with another man. Toriho grinned as he opened the trunk of the car and set all the bags inside. He turned, noticing some of the people around him were trained on the two younger men getting into the car.

"It's been a busy day, Fay-san are you alright?" Tomoyo asked concerned from the back seat. The blonde smiled looking back and reassured her he was only a little tired. Edameonus looked out the window and let out a small grunt.

"Why are there so many people staring at us?" He questioned, finally seeing how many mixtures of eyes were trained on him through the window.

"Not every day they see such attractive people out and I suppose all the bags we've been carrying didn't help either." The older Ginryan said as he started up the car.

"Is it custom to get glares from people who think you're attractive on Earth?" Edameonus asked in complete confusion.

"...That would make sense, considering how much Kurogane glares at Fay-chan."

"I think that's strictly Kuro-kun's way of showing affection." The blonde smiled, happy to sit and rest for a few moments. Toriho looked into the rearview mirror to Edameonus, frowning at his observation. The demon had a frown on, but he kept his questions to himself, most likely thinking it wasn't the best time to be curious. He sighed and leaned back.

"...Does Tomoyo-chan have a shop to herself?" He asked, changing the subject with a smile.

"I mostly work from home, but a lot of my clothes are sold worldwide, some of the shops here even sell them." She smiled glad for the subject change. Toriho continued to drive as Fay closed his eyes and rested.

"That must be exciting, to know your passion is publicly adored." Hien commented, staring out the window. He thought about Earth professions that he had heard before and realized he didn't know of any.

"Hey... what are some jobs that are popular?"

"Movie Stars, fashion models, doctors..." Tomoyo thought as she listed off occupations to the man. Toriho smiled, glad to see the two of them getting along.

"Hm... which one do you think I'd fit under?" He asked Tomoyo, sitting forward in his seat to pear at her in the front seat.

"You know, besides the one I have now."

"You could probably be a big celebrity if you wanted to, you seem to have a good disposition to be a doctor or work with other people." She returned his smile as they drove past familiar scenery.

"Work with other people? Tch." Edameonus commented, remembering his real job. He folded his arms and looked out the window again; being ambassador was certainly going to be an interesting job. He froze then, remembering his question from earlier. He looked at Tomoyo, wondering if she had caught his question; if she had, that means he would've slipped out that he too wasn't from Earth...

"We're almost there." Toriho said before anything else could be said. Fay sat up and smiled, excited to rejoin Kurogane.

"So Hien, did you have a good day?" The blonde said as he looked out the window.

"Yes, I'm happy to finally get out and enjoy events with my friends... and family..." He said, covering up the fact he had no relation quickly, being more careful with what he said. As soon as the car had come to a stop in front of Kurogane's, Fay unbuckled himself and left the car. Shaking his head in amusement, Toriho left going to the trunk to open it and getting their bags, Tomoyo and Edameonus followed suit. Kurogane opened the door, seeing Fay practically running to get inside.

"Oi." He greeted, opening his arms when he saw Fay was coming in for a tackle. Edameonus smiled when he saw their closeness, but frowned when he remembered the loss of his own. He turned to Tomoyo with a new smile.

"So, Tomoyo-chan, anyone special in your life?"

"No, not at the moment, things have been rather hectic." She smiled as she watched her Fay run into her cousin's arms at full force. Toriho smiled as he walked past them and greeted his son.

"Hn." Hien grunted in reply, closing the trunk.

"I suppose that goes for me too..." He commented vaguely, turning from the car to follow Toriho.

"Kuro-san's been busy?" Fay laughed as he was held by Kurogane.

"Don't mind me, lovebirds." Toriho side stepped them with his bags. Kurogane glared as his father passed him but didn't say anything as he turned to look back at Fay.

"Yeah. Mom helped me put everything away... though... she stumbled upon Yuui..." He said lowly, as for Tomoyo to not hear.

"Nothing too bad I hope?" Fay smiled and wrapped his arms around the taller man's neck. Edameonus walked passed them rolling his eyes, as he carried in the last of the bags.

"She wasn't surprised, actually, she said it wasn't that shocking coming from a son of an ambassador of space." Kurogane watched Edameonus with a frown before he looked to Fay. His lover sighed.

"Kuro-daddy should see all the new clothes Tomoyo bought." The taller raised an eyebrow at Fay's comment.

"All the new clothes? How much did you buy?"

"Edameonus got some too, but Tomoyo had to replace the ones you burned and she got some that would fit me later on." He continued to smile as they stood in the doorway. The sounds of bags rustling and the others talking met Fay's ears.

"Tch. I'm sure they're as exciting as the ones before." Kurogane said with a slight smirk as he kissed Fay's disguised ear.

"I didn't get to really look at all of them." He smiled at the tender kiss and sighed as he relaxed in the other man's embrace.

"Hn. It doesn't matter; I don't think you'd wear them until after the kid's born." He commented, looking outside. He didn't see the harm of keeping the front door open; it was a nice enough day outside.

"What does that mean?" His head tilted to the side in confusion. Kurogane raised his eyebrow.

"You wanna have sex while still being pregnant?" He asked Fay skeptically, though making sure his family members didn't overhear or eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Don't you remember, when I was explaining that I could get pregnant...in the shower?" Fay blushed, thinking of how he had embarrassed himself. Kurogane paused for a moment before blushing and looking away.

"....Oh yeah... I... I remember now..."

"It's not really necessary though." He blushed, his smile diminishing a bit as he looked away embarrassed at bringing it up.

"...Why wouldn't it be?" Kurogane inquired. It was then Kurogane was hit in the head with the remote. He stumbled away from Fay somewhat before roaring and glaring into the living room.

"WHO THE HELL DID THAT?!" He demanded. Toriho let out a very girly squeal and took off down the hall to the laundry room.

"Are you alright Kuro-chan?" Fay moved over to Kurogane, worried about his lover's injury. Kurogane rubbed his head and looked at Fay.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be right back. Gotta go kill a fucker." He said with a vehement smile before dashing off after his father. The rest of the family could hear grunts, snarls, laughter, and banging as the two men carried on down the hall. Tsumebe laughed lightly while Edameonus just looked completely lost. Fay sighed and walked inside the house, making sure to close the door behind him.

"You'll get used to it." He smiled at the Ginryan's reaction, knowing it would be strange for most people to see Kurogane and his father fighting. Said man actually stumbled down the hall then coughing as the wind was knocked out of him. Toriho pounced on top of him, capturing him in a choke hold. Kurogane gasped for air angrily before he turned, forcing Toriho into the wall.

"Dammit, Dad!" He said as he sat up, grabbing the elder man's shirt in the front.

"Why do you always have to pick a fight!?"

"Looks like Kuro-rinta's going to lose." Fay smiled and took a seat near Tsumebe. It was nice to see things going back to normal, even if Kurogane was trying to regain his breath at the time. Tsumebe shook her head.

"No, Youou has the upper hand. It won't be much longer." She turned, and by her words Toriho tried to pull Kurogane off, only to be flung to the ground and stepped on by Kurogane. Toriho let out a grunt before he flung up his hands.

"Alright! You win!" Kurogane smirked and got off, holding out his hand to his father.

"You're an ass, dad."

"Hopefully Toshihiko won't pick up on Kuro-tan's language." He smiled knowing it was already too late to think his son wouldn't be pouncing and wrestling with his father in a few years. Tomoyo laughed.

"Kurogane's language only became sour when he started high school." She declared, making Kurogane fold his arms.

"Tch. Not my fault." He looked to Edameonus, who was still staring at him. Fay sat amused watching as Toriho stood up, looking worse for wear.

"The first word out of my grandchild's mouth had better not be anything bad Youou." The older man teased as he smirked at his son.

"Heh, well that's what you get for cussing around me all the time." Kurogane replied while folding his arms with a smile of triumph on his face. Edameonus smiled lightly and leaned back against the couch, amused by the family. Toriho flinched remembering how Tsumebe had been angry with him and how long it had taken for Kurogane to say something else. The woman in question only smiled, amused. Kurogane went over and picked up the remote that had been tossed to hit his head and sighed.

"You really should learn a better way to declare a fight against me besides hitting me with something." He said to his father, placing the remote down on his coffee table. Fay looked to Toriho, wondering why the man had chosen that moment to throw the remote at Kurogane. He had a sinking suspicion that the older man had overheard them. Toriho smiled at Fay, having no clue what the blonde was thinking of.

"Well, you two were letting in a draft, and I didn't want to go over and interrupt your conversation." Edameonus smiled smugly.

"You mean you were too lazy to tell them to close the door." Fay blushed and looked away. The two women in the room laughed, being used to Toriho's antics.

"Oi, oi! Come now!" Toriho said with a weak smile, making Kurogane growl. He looked to Fay and sighed, glad that his father hadn't interrupted them due to conversation topic.

"Maybe we should leave and give them some time to themselves, after all they just finished unpacking." Tsumebe smiled almost knowingly between her son and Fay. The blonde grinned, wondering how intuitive the woman actually was about things. Toriho nodded and looked to Tomoyo.

"Is it alright if we leave, Tomoyo? Have anything else to ask your cousin?" Kurogane then looked to Edameonus and groaned lightly, remembering he was staying.

"I'm sure it can wait until tomorrow at least, Fay-san must be tried from shopping today anyways." She smiled at the blonde before standing. Fay returned the smile; he would have to thank her for buying him more clothes. Toriho nodded and smiled, taking his wife's hand.

"Well then, I guess we'll be off. Have fun being back you two." He said. Tsumebe smiled.

"Again, welcome home." She said, giving both Kurogane and Fay a kiss on the cheek. Tomoyo shook Edameonus's hand.

"It was nice to meet you!" He smiled and nodded in reply.

"Goodbye." Fay smiled while Toriho ruffled Kurogane and Edameonus's hair in turn. Tomoyo laughed as the Ginryan growled at the treatment. The family exited as a whole, with Edameonus standing in the door, and they filed into the car. The Ginryan watched as the car took off down the road and didn't look away until it was out of sight.

"Fay-chan, I just remembered I left something in the ship. It's still outside right?"

"Yes, they're still there, we actually forgot to put them on autopilot." He grinned, having completely forgotten about the two cloaked ships not far from the house.

"Good. I'll send them off after I get what I need. Anything you want from your ship?" He said briefly, looking over to Kurogane. The man was giving both of them a curious look, wondering why there were two ships sitting outside of his house.

"No, I got everything when I left yesterday." He could feel Kurogane's eyes on both Edameonus and himself.

"Kuro-san?"

"...Nothing." The taller man replied, looking down to the coffee table. Edameonus then took his leave, starting his trek to the middle of the field with a small radar he retrieved from his trench coat pocket to help find the ships. Kurogane looked at Fay then.

"...I'm... I'm glad you're home..." Fay stood from his chair and moved to stand beside Kurogane.

"I'm happy to have found you again." He smiled up at the taller man. Kurogane gave him a smirk before leaning down to kiss the blonde on the lips.

"Welcome home, Fay." The smaller smiled into the kiss, always loving it when the other said his name.

"It was horrible waiting." The blonde said almost softly after they had broken apart. Two months away for Kurogane had been much harder on him than he had ever thought it would be.

"Tch. Hopefully that'll be the only time you'll ever have to wait that long to come back to me." He said with a smirk, wrapping his arms around the smaller body.

"I hope so too." Fay smiled and tilted his head up to kiss Kurogane again. His arms found their way around the taller man's shoulders almost instinctively. Kurogane kissed back, closing his eyes as he relished the gesture. They were finally together, and they were finally home. He hoped to whatever gods there were that it would stay like that for a long time.

~Meanwhile~

After having run into the side of the ship and cussing rather loudly, Edameonus got aboard, grumbling. He set the radar to the side and looked about the now visible room. He sighed and sat down in the captain's seat, rummaging through the cabinet underneath the control panel.

"Where the hell did I put it?" The Ginryan swore colorfully as he searched the compartment. He couldn't believe he had left something behind, but he supposed it was because of Fay's excitement to see Kurogane again. He smiled forlornly, thinking of Archellevon.

It had been almost two months since he lost the angel, but it still felt like the man had died in his arms only an hour ago. He clinched his fist tightly on his chest, over the tattoo, before once again searching for the item. He smiled when his hands touched glass and he pulled out a jar holding a white and fuzzy creature. He smiled, and pulled the container out to inspect it.

The small creature inside it looked to be peacefully asleep and Edameonus continued to smile as went about opening the small jar. Once the airlock was opened the creature seemed to sigh. He turned the jar over and let the creature roll into his hand.

"...Hey... wake up... it's time for you to do your job." He said. The small creature mumbled, its small paw smoothing over one of its long ears as it slowly began to wake. Edameonus sat back in his chair as he watched the thing stir. He couldn't help but smile as she looked around.

"Hey... I'm your master, Edameonus. You were put under my care by Yuuko Ichihara, the head Council Member. You're aware of this correct?"

She yawned before nodding in confirmation as she finished waking herself up from her long sleep.

"Wonderful. You're Mokona Modoki Soel, aren't you?" he questioned, glad he had gotten everything straight.

"Mokona Modoki Soel at your service, Court Member Edameonus." The small creature saluted the Ginryan, having finally woken itself up enough to talk. The man smirked and set the creature down on the control panel.

"Good. Then I have a request."

"Yes?" Soel stood alert and looked up, waiting for Edameonus.

"Contact Head Court Member Yuuko Ichihara. I have report of landing and day 2 ready." He said, adjusting his collar to look presentable to Yuuko. He decided it better to leave the spell on, in case he would forget before he left the ship. Mokona nodded before the jewel on its head glowed and a projection shown forth in front of Edameonus. Yuuko, with all her gaudy attire, appeared on the screen in front of the demon. Edameonus nodded at the familiar lady, his smile dripping off as he took the stoic role of the Ginryan Court Member once more.

"I have report."

"It seems you've properly assimilated on Earth." She smiled wistfully and nodded.

"You can send any papers you have through Soel." Edameonus nodded and pulled a folded paper out of his pocket. He had made sure to write down everything of the landing on there before he went to sleep, and also wrote about Kurogane's family while supposedly being asleep in the TV room.

"There's all the information up until this afternoon, Yuuko. I'll have to tell you the rest verbally." He said, giving the papers to Mokona. Mokona nodded and ate and swallowed the papers. A few moments later and Yuuko lifted Edameonus's report to show that the transfer had worked.

"You may begin."

"I have fallen under the alias of Hien Edameonus Suwa, cousin on the father's side to Sir Youou, bodyguard to Sir Fay, and Co-worker to Sir Souhi. Starting at noon I watched the interaction with Sir Youou's family and Sir Fay. They seem to have taken a liking to him. Also, his cousin on his mother's side, named Tomoyo, took me out to view the town and surrounding areas." His expression softened.

"It's very much like our home planets..."

Yuuko nodded, intently listening. "You're to send weekly reports via Soel, if anything significant happens; you're to report it immediately." Her red eyes scanned over the documents that had been sent to her earlier once the Ginryan had finished.

"Of course. I have yet to find out any more information about the mechanics of Earth, but as soon as I do, I'll write a report telling you everything." He said, thinking back to the vehicles he had seen in town.

"Is there anything else?" She gave him a cryptic smile, having finished looking over his report. Edameonus frowned.

"...Sir Youou and Sir Fay have their memories back and fully restored. I have no idea how this happened." He thought back to when he and Fay had first met up with Kurogane.

"...Sir Fay had a gem with him, but I don't know what he did to make the spell break."

"I will have to inform the rest of the Court about this." She nodded, her faint smile never wavering. Edameonus shook his head.

"There's nothing to be done about it." He looked to the ground in a slight gaze.

"...They're happy though... I've never seen two people so in love before..." He looked back to Yuuko with a strained smile.

"They're where they want to be. Right now."

"It would be a moot point to perform a memory wipe on them again, so it will go without any punishment." Her own smile reflected Edameonus's own; the death of the angel had been hard for all of them.

The demon frowned again in seriousness, nodding at the transmission. "Yes. I'll make sure not to let the two know I've been keeping tabs on them, like you said."

"Very well." Yuuko said in her usual monotone voice.

"Is that all you have to report?"

"For the time being; I'll ask Mokona to record any message I have if I remember anything." He said, noting the background in Yuuko's screen.

"Be sure that no one finds out some of the specifics of your reports." Red eyes looked to him, knowing it wouldn't be a very good idea to let Toriho or the others know the Court was keeping track of them.

"Of course." Edameonus replied, glaring at Mokona in hopes that she could keep a secret.

"Sir Fay had planned to set the ships to autopilot for a course back home, so I won't be able to keep Mokona in here." He sighed.

"What story would you like for me to tell the two?"

"You're an ambassador for the planet; you will need Soel for communications. Do relay the things you see on earth so the court can make a decision on whether or not the planet's status should be changed." The woman folded her hands on her lap as she spoke.

"Want me to record the scenery?" Edameonus asked, slightly sarcastic in doing so.

"I plan to give you reports every week of the condition of the planet. I'll send things from their archives and mechanics that are popular, though it might be hard to get my hands on those things."

"Whatever you feel is best." She smiled despite his tone.

"Yeah, yeah... I need to leave; Sir Fay and Sir Youou only expected me to be gone for a short while." he said before sighing. He would've much rather enjoyed sleeping in the captain's chair than the human's couch.

"Until next time Edameonus." Yuuko bowed slightly before the hologram dispersed. Mokona looked up to the Ginryan.

"What would Sir Edameonus like for Mokona to do?" The Ginryan stood then, stretching his body dramatically before letting out a hot breath of air.

"Hn. You're about to be in the presence of those whom I'm observing. I want you to keep my contact with Yuuko Ichihara a sworn secret and I want you to keep the details of my messages only to yourself. When around two men named Kurogane and Fay, you're allowed to act alive and real, but in the presence of others, you're only a stuffed doll. Got that?" The creature nodded slowly in understanding, before it jumped on Edameonus's shoulder. It stretched its tiny limbs and yawned once more.

"Mokona swears to keep Edameonus's mission secret." The man smirked and touched the white belly with his finger.

"Good girl. Now get ready to say hello to them." He said lightly before programming the ship to its destined course. Mokona hummed in appreciation as she leaned into the man's touch. She watched in interest as Edameonus typed in coordinates for the ship. He finished in no time before he placed his hands in his pockets and strolled out of the ship. He listened to the machines hum as they took off, knowing if he looked he would see nothing.

~meanwhile~

Fay smiled, his arms still around Kurogane as they stood in the middle of the living room.

"Kuro-rin's head doesn't hurt from the remote, does it?" He had been surprised when Toriho had hit Kurogane with the thing.

"Heh, I told you I was fine..." He gently smoothed his hand around in a circle on Fay's back subconsciously.

"You never answered my question about your tattoo, though."

"It still works, I was going to try and use the gem to see if anything would happen, but I was afraid of getting sick again, and I didn't know what could happen to Toshihiko if I tried." He stomach churned at thinking of the sickness that accompanied him after being near the charm.

"Maybe you should just let it wear off like the Court said. It wasn't a permanent spell." He said, glowering as the thoughts about who was to blame for the permanent tattoo on Fay's back flooded through his head.

"It doesn't bother me, what energy I have that's restrained is used by the baby; it's probably why he's so active at such an early stage." He sighed and rested his head against Kurogane's chest, thinking over what he had read in the books he had read back on Valeria. The mention of stages made Kurogane's face heat.

"...What stages... did he supposedly need my DNA?" He asked uneasily, resting his chin on Fay's mop of hair.

"Well, the books I read said it should be early on. Seeing as how the baby uses my own energy to help sustain itself it also absorbs more of my genetics...the other father gives his own DNA so that the baby will have an equal share of both parents' genes. It helps keep the baby from looking nearly identical to one parent." He blushed, thinking of the books he had read and the information he'd gotten from them.

"...What do you mean 'early on'? Like... how early?" Kurogane said, wondering if it would be awkward to get jiggy with it whilst his partner was carrying a baby.

"Every few weeks, though like I said before, it's not necessary." He blushed, even though they had already had sex, it didn't help the blonde with his embarrassment over the subject. Kurogane felt his cheeks heat up as well.

"Hn... So you want him to look like you..." He thought aloud, staring at nothing in particular across the room.

"...It... It doesn't matter... to me..."

"That's not what I meant, you seem...put off about the whole idea and… I don't want you to feel like you have to if you're uncomfortable about it." Fay could almost swear he could feel his heart was ready to burst from his chest as the situation he had found himself in.

"I'm not put off by it." Kurogane commented sharply as he pulled away from Fay's head to look at the blonde's face.

"...If the kid needs it, he needs it. There's nothing else to it." He said sternly, despite the light blush etched on his cheeks.

"I don't want you to feel like it's something you have to do." Fay frowned a bit at Kurogane's words. His arms slipped from around his lover's neck to rest against his chest.

"Tch." Kurogane ran his nose against Fay's cheek while closing his eyes.

"Do I feel obliged to helping my son out and giving my lover pleasure?" He asked, rephrasing the statement into a question.

"To me it seems only natural." At that Fay buried his face against Kurogane's chest, to try and hide his flustered face. It also served to cover the faint smile that had spread across his lips at the other man's explanation. Kurogane smirked to himself, knowing the blonde was hiding his face for a reason. He knew good and well that Fay wanted to do things according to the book, after all, the last two months and a week were all out of bounds and breaking rules. It was then they heard Edameonus come up the porch stairs.

Fay moved his face until his cheek rested against Kurogane as he heard Edameonus walking up to the house and to the door. The halfbreed watched as Edameonus walk in. He felt his eyes widened when he saw the Ginryan was accompanied by a furry creature perched on his shoulder.

"...What the hell is that?!" The other man raised an eyebrow and closed the door.

"Mokona Modoki, but you can call me Soel." The white puff ball bowed as it stayed on Edameonus's shoulder. Fay turned to see Mokona, surprised at seeing such a strange creature.

"And where the hell did it learn how to talk!?" Kurogane barked, making Edameonus sigh. He lifted Mokona from his shoulder and smiled.

"This little creature is a Mokona. She's a mixture of biomechanics and magic, though she's mostly based off the latter. She was created with a duel partner on Valeria and was given to me before I left."

"You never told me about her, Edameonus." Fay stood watching Mokona in amazement. It was truly surprising to see such a thing.

"Heh. You didn't need to know about her until now." He said before sitting on the couch. He lowered his hand to the coffee table and allowed the critter to walk onto the wood. Kurogane stared at it and wrinkled his nose.

"It looks like a shiromanjuu."

"Mokona is Mokona!" Soel pointed her small paw at the man and waving it angrily. Fay grinned and introduced himself to the small being, facing away momentarily from his companion. Kurogane, however, growled at being talked to like that from what looked like a meat bun, and he decided he didn't like it.

"Why the hell do you have that thing?" He asked Edameonus. The demon smiled knowingly.

"I have to have _some_ sort of communication device with the Court if I'm to get Earth out of the 'Abandon' stage."

"She's able to send and receive transmissions?" Fay grew more amazed with the small creature with each passing second. Mokona nodded, confirming Fay's question.

"That's right. She's like a little person too." Edameonus said, reaching forward to tickle Mokona behind the ear. Kurogane's voice rumbled in his throat, a sign he was clearly not pleased.

"Mokona's very cute, I'm sure she won't cause us any problems." The blonde smiled, trying to keep his lover from getting too angry. Soel blushed and thanked the slender man for his praise. Edameonus leaned back in his seat.

"Well... We have no choice but to keep her here; the ships are already gone and I need to have her." He looked to Kurogane with an equally angered gaze.

"She's staying here until I get my own home."

"It's not a problem, is it Kuro-rinta?" Fay clutched the fabric of Kurogane's shirt and looked up to him. Mokona watched the exchange, not liking how the two dark haired men were glaring at each other. Kurogane sighed, weakening under Fay's words.

"Do what you want." He said in defeat, though red eyes never left Edameonus's, which stared back. The demon smiled and he broke the eye contact to tickle Mokona again.

"You hear that? You're allowed to stay, Soel!"

"Mokona won't disappoint!" The small being hopped about the table excitedly as it cheered. Smiling Fay watched the small creature's joy as he kept his hold on Kurogane.

"Hn... Hey... Kurogane... Can I sleep on something other than the couch? Since I plan to stay here a while..." He looked sheepishly up to the owner of the house, who sighed.

"The TV couch pulls out into a futon." He said angrily, not remembering that fact until just then.

"I can get you a pillow and blanket Edameonus." Fay smiled as he pulled away from Kurogane.

"Mokona will stay with Edameonus." Mokona was reluctant to leave the man that had awoken her.

"That's fine, I'd rather you do that, Soel." Edameonus said as he stood. Kurogane moved to the TV room door and opened it, seeing Yuui still 'sleeping' on the couch there. He picked her up without any effort and set her to the side before unfolding the couch. After making sure it wouldn't collapse back into the couch (which would've been damn funny), he picked up Yuui again and carried her out.

"Bed's ready." He said and Edameonus nodded. It didn't take the blonde long to secure a pillow and blanket for his friend, and he laid them on the edge of the sleeper.

"Here you are, you don't need another cover or anything?" He asked Edameonus.

"Nah, it's fine how it is. Thanks Fay-chan, you're a really big help." The demon said before offering the lithe man a smile.

"It's not a problem Edameonus." The blonde returned the smile as Mokona giggled and dived into the folded blanket, she rolled around the soft cover humming. The man lay down on the bed and placed a hand on the creature to make her stop rolling around. Kurogane waited until Fay was out of the room before he turned off the lights and closed the door.

"Somehow I feel like I'm putting a child to bed..." He said flatly, taking his partner's hand.

"Think of it as practice before you'll have to do it for real." He smiled, returning the grip Kurogane had on his hand with his own as they walked past the living room and towards their own bedroom.

"Tch. I guess." He replied while turning off the light in the hallway. He sighed, knowing it was going to start getting darker quicker now that October was nearly there.

"Kuro-rin doesn't look forward to it?" He chuckled as they entered the bedroom. Letting go of Kurogane's hand, Fay turned towards the closet to grab his night clothes to change into. Kurogane simply pulled off his shirt, having not really changed out of his night wear.

"...I'd be lying if I said I wasn't..."

"I'm glad." Fay smiled, stripping his own shirt off as he looked through the clothes hanging up for something to wear. It was then that he felt Kurogane's arms slink around his stomach, the taller man planting a kiss against the pale shoulder.

"Kuro-san?" Fay smiled fondly as one of his hand's found its way into Kurogane's hair. Slender fingers brushed through dark hair as he felt his body mold into the other man's.

"Hn..." the half breed grunted in reply, his lips gliding up the smooth neck. Kurogane's hands lingered against Fay's hips, holding him loosely there.

"Kuro-chan's not very talkative." He grinned and closed his eyes, glad to feel Kurogane against him; it reassured him and caused the blonde to relax as he felt his lover's lips brush against his skin.

"Do I always have to talk for you?" Kurogane asked in a slightly annoyed tone. He moved his hands from Fay's hips to wrap around the blonde's chest in an embrace.

"Have you not yet learned to appreciate silence?"

"Kuro-puu should know better." He laughed, his other hand moved to rest against one of Kurogane's arms as they snaked around his torso.

"Hn, then shut up." Kurogane commanded, though not harshly. He appreciated Fay talking to him, but when there was seriously nothing to say, he wondered why the lithe man decided to continue talking. He kissed the alien's neck warmly once more, occupying his time.

"That's not very nice Kuro-kun." Fay pouted a bit as he leaned back against his lover. He opened his eyes and smiled, enjoying the taller man's affectionate side.

"Tch. You should know that by now." Said man commented with a grin. He looked at the clock then before sighing. It wasn't that late, and he wasn't that tired. But he knew the Valerian was, so he pulled away slowly.

"Come on, let's get to bed." Fay smiled to himself before nodding. The blonde changed quickly slipping into his night clothes before climbing onto the bed and under the comforter. Kurogane turned off the light and crawled into bed next to his lover. He looked over to him before lying down next to the paler man.

"It's been a busy day." Fay smiled as he watched Kurogane climb into bed next to him.

"Nn. Hopefully the family won't see it fit to visit out of the blue tomorrow." Kurogane added, pulling the blankets to be even on the both of them.

"Why's that?" The blonde knew that Kurogane didn't care much for having so many people around him, but his family hadn't been that bad.

"I don't like not getting a notice." The taller man said with an aggravated grin. Honestly, his family members liked to barge right into things most of the time.

"It's not that bad." Fay moved closer to Kurogane, trying to make himself comfortable.

"Tch." Kurogane replied, letting his mind wander back to the events of the day. He couldn't help but think about the child and what activities seemed to be required for the embryo.

"Kuro-sama?" Fay looked towards Kurogane, seeing the other was thinking about something. He moved his hand to cup the side of his lover's face in a loving manner as he smiled. Kurogane looked back, before giving a slight smirk.

"It's nothing." He said, moving Fay's palm with his own hand to kiss it gently.

"Just thinking about our kid..."

"It's exciting to think that it won't be long before he's born." Blue eyes watched intently as Kurogane kissed him.

"Yeah, and my family seem to eat the idea up." Kurogane said and rolled his eyes, thinking of Tomoyo's reaction to knowing. He thought back to their previous conversation, wondering about something.

"Hey... does he give you... signs... of when you need DNA?"

"The books didn't say anything about it, so I don't think so." Fay's cheeks were dusted dark pink at Kurogane's words.

"So then how do the authors know that you need it?" He asked lazily, just wanting more information about the whole process.

"I'm sure there've been all sorts of studies on the matters over the years. It only said it helped the baby have a more diverse genetic code, and didn't make it a near copy of the father that was carrying it." Fay moved his hand to tuck some of his hair behind his ear as he spoke. Kurogane watched him idly.

"...Uh-huh." He grunted slowly, not really believing the blonde but agreeing anyway. He sighed and wrapped his arm around Fay's side, pulling him closer.

"...If you ever feel like you need it..." Kurogane began, blushing a little.

"Just tell me." He said, looking away from Fay.

"And I don't want you to feel obligated. If you don't want to while I'm pregnant, it's fine, it won't bother me." Fay sighed wondering why Kurogane was acting so strangely over the matter. The other man cocked an eyebrow.

"When did I say I didn't want to while you were pregnant?" He questioned, trying to recall the incident.

"You didn't, but I can tell you have a problem with it." His frown deepened as he avoided Kurogane's gaze. He brought his hand up to his own chest and sighed.

"I don't have a problem with it." Kurogane grunted.

"I clearly remember saying _that_ before. I'm just... curious, ok? That's it. Never heard or dealt with something like this before."

"It doesn't matter." The blonde pursed his lips together before he rolled over, his back facing Kurogane as he tried to get comfortable once more. He closed his eyes and tried to relax.

"It's a new experience for me too you know, I've spent the last two months reading up on it, so if anything happens I won't be taken by surprise." Kurogane sighed again, closing his eyes in aggravation; were these the dreaded mother hormones? He didn't ask about it, but instead wrapped his arms around Fay once more, kissing the blonde's ear.

"Hn... well... night then..."

"Kurogane..." Fay sighed once more, not knowing what to think about all of this anymore. He stared at the wall opposite him, not knowing how he should feel about Kurogane just dropping the matter.

"…Hn?" The other replied, staring at the same wall. He didn't know what to expect now from the Valerian, slightly nervous of saying something wrong to him. It didn't help that Fay had said his full name…

"I feel strange." it was the best word he could come with. The blonde lay confused and didn't know what to think. He swore mentally at himself for even bringing up the matter and wished he hadn't, especially if it was going to cause any problems between him and Kurogane. The half breed smirked lightly and kissed the pale ear again.

"Don't worry about it... you'll be fine..." He said in a very out of character tone. He wanted to make sure the blonde was secure with himself, even if it meant tossing his own pride of being a tough guy to the wind.

"I shouldn't have said anything about it." His brow furrowed as he frowned. Fay hadn't thought it had been that much of a big deal, but Kurogane's reaction to it had been odd to him. Kurogane paused for a moment before he lifted himself up on the palms of his hands so he was hovering over Fay. He stared down at the blonde, his frown not budging once.

"You're an idiot."

"You're an even bigger idiot." He avoided Kurogane's eyes, keeping his own focused on the wall. He felt guilty about the whole thing, though he wasn't entirely sure why, except that it had made things somewhat awkward between them.

"And you're childish too." Kurogane said with raised eyebrows, a slightly amused smile on his face. He moved to balance himself on one hand while the other moved to turn Fay's vision toward his own.

"Come on, stop being stubborn and look at me."

The blonde knew there was no use in fighting, so he turned and looked up at Kurogane. "You're just as childish."

Kurogane gave a small chuckle before bending down to give Fay a kiss. "Idiot... don't feel bad for saying how you truly feel about something. I know you feel strange, I can only assume so. Having a kid inside you isn't something that happens every day of your life." Kurogane explained, staring Fay in the eye.

"No, but it doesn't help things." Fay continued to frown as he looked up to Kurogane. It wasn't like him to act so oddly, but the other response to the whole situation had bothered him and on top of that made him feel insecure.

"Yeah..." Kurogane replied, still hovering over his lover.

"Look, I'm only trying to help... I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to do anything other than that, ok?" the half breed continued, almost apologetically.

"How is acting strange about it helping?" Fay felt guilty about how he was talking to Kurogane and wondered if he stopped talking about things, if the taller man would let things drop. Kurogane cocked an eyebrow again.

"Acting strange about it? How am I acting strange about it? Haven't I been saying it doesn't bother me?"

"Because when I first mentioned it you didn't think I wanted to, you thought it was strange. And ever since then the way you say makes it sound like you only want to have sex because of what I said about the baby, likes it's something you have to do instead of want to do." He bit his lip and looked away, embarrassed with himself, he averted his gaze from the man above him.

"Do you want me to tell you I want to have sex with you, Blondie?" Kurogane asked, slightly annoyed when the Valerian had explained himself. Honestly. If this was all the awkwardness was over...

"It...it doesn't matter we just won't until Toshihiko's born." He didn't meet the other's eyes, not wanting to start a fight with Kurogane after only being reunited yesterday. Kurogane tried not to smirk in triumph.

"I knew it; you do want me to say it." He announced, looking at Fay in his small victory. The taller man leaned down, grazing his lips over Fay's ear.

"If you want me to, I'll say it. It won't kill me to, so if you want me to say it tell me."

"I want you to mean it if you're going to say it." A sigh escaped past his lips as he felt warm lips brush against his skin. Kurogane's lips broke out in a smirk.

"Alright." He said before chuckling haughtily.

"Let me fuck you, Fay..." Kurogane whispered deeply in his lover's ear while one of his hands snaked up the blonde's shirt.

"I want to be in you..."

Fay's eyes widened and his cheeks felt as if they had burst into flames at Kurogane's words.

"K-Kuro-chan's rather blunt." Fay laughed as he felt his lover's hand move over his skin.

"Heheh, you said to say it like I meant it." Kurogane replied, removing his hand from his lover's flesh. Kurogane flashed a smile of victory spread across his face when he saw how red Fay's cheeks were.

"If you want to, I don't have a problem with it." The blonde teased his lover lightly as he tried to regain his composure. Fay, though, should have known Kurogane would have been straightforward about something like sex and his cheeks darkened at the thought.

"If you want it, I'll give it to you right here and now, asshole." Kurogane said cockily, tempting his lover to ask for it. The blonde rolled his eyes before smiling innocently up at Kurogane.

"I'd like Kuro-kun to fuck me." He wondered briefly if it was possible for him to faint from embarrassment as he felt his entire face redden.

"Heh, good." The dark haired man smirked wider before the tanned man lowered himself over Fay to give the blonde another kiss. He couldn't give a rat's ass about if Edameonus overheard them or not. Fay smiled into the kiss as he brought an arm up to thread his fingers through Kurogane's hair. He shivered as memories came back to him of what it was like to be with the other like this.

The red eyed man allowed Fay to pull them closer together in the kiss, content with the pale fingers on the back of his head. He slipped his hand back down under Fay's shirt, moving his hand along the pale side at the same time he removed the shirt. Fay's moan was muffled by their kiss, but the blonde shifted so Kurogane could properly remove his shirt, all the while continuing to kiss the taller man. Kurogane slightly shivered when he heard the other man's noises, having not heard it in a while, and instantly he wanted more. He parted with Fay only to discard the clothing haphazardly across the room and rejoined his lips with the blonde's almost instantly.

"Kuro-san..." He sighed breathlessly, as his other hand was placed atop Kurogane's shoulder. His body was reacting already to Kurogane's touches and the blonde felt a chill run up his spine because of it. The darker skinned man kissed the blonde's neck in reply, making a trail of them from the pale jaw line to the collar bone. His hands slipped up Fay's sides slowly, only to travel back down, feeling every curve possible.

"Shouldn't Kuro-rinta get something for us to use?" Fay smiled as he felt his lover's lips pressed against his skin. His body jerked at Kurogane's touch, he missed sharing this with the other man. Kurogane pulled away and looked at the blonde before reaching over to get in his nightstand. He reached for the bottle that he had become familiar with, but paused when he felt an unusual bottle. He pulled it out and blushed.

"When the hell did I get this?" He turned the bottle around and he froze with sudden hate. There was a little tag on it that had a card. On the card was scribbled 'From Tomoyo - Enjoy!'

"What is it?" Fay lifted himself up on his forearms as he wondered what Kurogane had found. His lover showed Fay the bottle of lubricant.

"When did she buy this?" He asked sternly.

"She must have slipped and bought it when we were shopping?" The blonde looked curiously to the bottle then to Kurogane. The elder man sighed before setting it down on the table, ready for use.

"...Guess it's better than lotion..." The Ginryan grumbled before looking back to his lover. He smirked lightly before moving back to where he had been previously, planting kisses on the collar bone. Fay chuckled, as he lay back down on the bed. He blushed at the thought of Tomoyo buying something like that for them, but ignored it as he enjoyed Kurogane's touches.

The half breed straddled his lover then, relishing in the taste and scent of Fay. Every now and then between kisses the dark haired man would swipe his tongue across Fay's flesh, slowly working his way down to the Valerian's chest. His breath hitched and Fay withered as he felt Kurogane against his skin.

"Kuro-myu." Fay smiled as his back arched off the bed when he felt Kurogane's tongue run across his skin. The other man smirked before his tongue ran over Fay's nipple, his hand gliding up the smooth body to occupy the other whilst his mouth toyed with the first.

"Kuro-kun." Fay mewled, his eyes shut tightly as he focused on what Kurogane was doing.

The human clasped his mouth around the skin, nipping and licking at it gently. Once he had enjoyed himself enough with that one, he moved over to give the second the same treatment. Pale hands moved to lace themselves into Kurogane's hair as the blonde gasped. Fay opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling above as he felt Kurogane tease him. Said pulled away from the wet skin to smirk again.

"Hn....like that, don't you?" He asked before once again attacking the heated flesh with his mouth.

"I like… everything Kuro-chan does." Fay spoke in between panting, his eyes half lidded as a wave of pleasure raced down his spine. A deep chuckle escaped Kurogane's throat before he removed himself from the tender flesh. He traveled lower and paused.

Slowly, he kissed Fay tenderly, right above his naval. He then removed his lips from the Valerian's stomach and stared at it, before continuing his way down to the younger man's pant line. Fay smiled at the loving gesture, and ran his fingers soothingly through the taller man's hair because of it. It had always been a bit of a surprise to him to see how gentle Kurogane could be during such intimate moments.

The man stopped kissing his lover around the lower section of the stomach, his finger tracing the pant line briefly before Kurogane pulled himself back over Fay. He brought his lips to the blonde's once more, kissing him passionately. Fay kissed back fervently; it had always been one of the things he enjoyed doing most with the other man. Slender legs shifted, the knees bent, so that Fay's thighs rested lightly against Kurogane's sides. He taller man slid his hand down Fay's side, only this time it just went under the pant line and continued, similarly to what he had done with Fay's shirt. He continued to kiss the blond zealously, wanting to taste more of his lover. Fay's nails dug slightly into the tanned skin of Kurogane's shoulder as he felt the other's hand move downwards. He ignored it for the most part, his attention focused on his lover kissing him.

Kurogane slipped Fay's pants off of him successfully, all the while kissing him deeply over and over again. He then smirked and started to take off his own remaining garments. Fay moaned once more as he felt Kurogane undress them. The blonde was far too excited and his lover teasing him only made it worse for the lanky man.

"Kuro-myu..." His voice was strained as he tried to speak in between kisses. Kurogane responded by picking up the bottle on the dresser and sitting up. He looked at it curiously before uncapping it. The scent of lavender filled the room, somewhat relaxing both of the men. Kurogane coated two fingers in it before setting the bottle aside and hovering back over Fay. With a kiss, he pulled up Fay's leg and entered his first finger in the blonde's entrance.

"Aaah, Kuro-san..." Fay felt his breath catch in his throat at the welcome intrusion. He tensed, his body not used to Kurogane after so many weeks apart. Said man worked his lover slowly, making sure to not hurt the fair skinned man. He kissed Fay's neck gently before he pulled out his first and re-entered it with the second. Fay wiped away sweat from his forehead as he tilted his head back against the pillow when he felt Kurogane stretching him further. His eyes were glazed over with lust as his hands fell to the mattress, clutching tightly to the sheets.

Kurogane moved his and away gently when he felt the muscles familiarize with the size of his fingers and once again grabbed the bottle. He sighed before pulling himself off of his partner and coated himself in the liquid, returning it to the dresser before he returned to his place over Fay. He stared down and leaned over to kiss the blonde.

"Ready?"

"Yes." Fay managed to reply a bit shakily as he met Kurogane's gaze. He took a deep breath, willing his body to relax for what was to come. Kurogane nodded and positioned himself at Fay's entrance. He looked to the lithe man's face as he entered slowly, not wanting to do any damage to Fay nor the child growing in him.

Fay's back arched off the bed as he was entered. A choked cry escaped his throat as he felt Kurogane fill him. It had been too long, his body felt more sensitive and he wondered if it was due to his lover's absence or because of the pregnancy. This caused the Ginryan to look at Fay in slight worry, wondering if the cry was from pain or pleasure. He paused briefly, before continuing until he was nestled up to the hilt inside Fay. He let out a small exhale, keeping still until Fay told him to move once more.

Fay's hand moved to plant themselves against Kurogane's back as the lithe man relaxed at the feeling of his lover buried inside him. It was several minutes before the blonde felt his body relax enough.

"Kuro-myu." He smiled warmly up at Kurogane, giving the man the go-ahead. Kurogane smirked back and gave Fay a small peck before he pulled out for the first time and re-entered, groaning slightly at the tight muscles around him.

"Kuro-tan." Fay panted heavily as Kurogane moved inside him. He tried to shift underneath the taller man, the position not as comfortable as he had expected. The blonde shuddered, expecting it was because of his current state. Kurogane looked down to his lover and frowned.

"...What is it?" He questioned, seeing the pale man move about awkwardly below him. He paused in his thrusting, not wanting to cause anymore discomfort than there already was.

"Lift my hips up?" He wasn't too sure what would make things more comfortable, and hoped if his hips were elevated it might help is some of the pressure. Kurogane blinked, not quite sure of what he meant at first. He assumed it was because of the baby inside his love, so he willingly obliged. He shifted his own body to where he thought the skinnier man would be more comfortable, his hand on the thinner hips to help guide them up.

"Better?" He asked, and Fay nodded and grabbed the pillow by his head and with a bit of effort moved it under him until his lower back rested on top of it. He sighed and smiled up at Kurogane.

"Alright, Kuro-rin can move now." Kurogane watched him move about before nodding. He used his hand to pull Fay up for better access and slowly pulled out again, moving only fast enough to start a rhythm.

"Much better." He sighed blissfully as Kurogane thrust into him. The blonde's eyes were half lidded as he watched his lover above him. Kurogane couldn't help but blush when he heard Fay say that. He smirked though, slightly relieved he had made it easier for his boyfriend to get pleasure.

The blonde tried to breathe evenly as he was filled. It seemed as if it had been a lifetime since he and Kurogane had last been together like this and to Fay it felt like the first time. He looked up at Kurogane and smiled, his hands moving to either of his lover's upper arms to rest, he could feel the muscles there moving under tanned skin as Kurogane tried to establish a rhythm. The taller man found a pace that was even yet gentle against his partner, moving against the raised hips smoothly. He looked down to Fay with barely open eyes, entranced by the other's face as if he had never seen it before during this activity. When Fay's hands gripped his arms, he moved his hand from the pale hip to his waist and felt over the blonde's curves.

Fay practically purred at Kurogane's treatment. He lay back enjoying Kurogane's hands roaming over his body, he could feel goosebumps rise where ever his lover's hand touched, causing his nails to dig into the other man's arm. And Kurogane growled in approval of, his head raising slightly with eyes closing as he felt Fay's nails carve into him. Gods, it had felt like ages since they had shared a bed, unable to fulfill the roles of lovers together. Kurogane moved slightly faster, the slow pace almost too sickeningly tempting. Fay moved his leg, bringing it up to rest over Kurogane's back, pushing the other man closer to him.

"Kuro-myu, kiss me?" He smiled impishly, his nails raking gently down his lover's arms. The tanner man leaned down obediently, bringing their lips together deeply. He grunted slightly, the angle not fully giving him leverage, but he maintained his thrusts, wanting more of the blonde's voice and body all at once. Slender fingers cupped Kurogane's cheek as they kissed. The alien's other hand snaked its way to rest against the back of the taller man's neck, Fay's fingers massaging the skin there tenderly.

"You can move faster you know, I won't break." He laughed teasingly as they broke apart. Fay could feel his heart racing in his ribcage as Kurogane moved inside him, he had missed feeling this close to his lover.

Kurogane's eyebrow twitched at the light hearted remark, but kept his comeback to himself. To be honest with himself, which was a hard thing to do when it came to his feelings, he was afraid of hurting the baby. He didn't know anything about Valerian pregnancies, so he didn't know how rough he could get. He obliged, though, moving apart from the blonde slightly in order to pick up the pace.

"Something wrong?" He looked at Kurogane intently, he had expected the other to say something, he had noticed the other man had done the same thing a few times already since they had been reunited; it was unusual for Fay to see Kurogane not saying anything.

"Tch. Nah." Kurogane replied curtly, a slight smirk on his face. He leaned down again and kissed Fay's forehead.

"Just enjoy it, idiot... and I'll be fine..." He said, slinking his hand down to Fay's hip once more. The smaller smiled and closed his eyes as he focused on Kurogane's thrusts. He could feel his muscles practically melt as the tension he had felt before was washed away by his lover's touches. He moaned softly as they moved together. The dark haired man jerked his hips a little faster, sweat starting to bead up on his skin all over. He watched as Fay's facial expression relaxed, smirking lightly at the fact he was giving the long awaited pleasure back to his lover.

"You...won't hurt me as long....a-as there isn't a lot of pressure on my stomach....Kuro-san." He shuddered once more, and moved to wipe his sweat plastered bangs from his forehead and the sides of his face. He breathed heavily as he withered beneath Kurogane, enjoying every movement of the other. Said other nodded in acknowledgement, moving the blonde to him a little more so he would go a little deeper. He let out a slight groan as he felt the pale body beneath him squirm slightly from the thrusts.

It wasn't very often Fay heard Kurogane being too vocal, especially when they were having sex, aside from when he was talking. The blonde smiled and used his leg hooked around Kurogane to bring the man as close to him as he could. His back arched off the mattress as he felt Kurogane brush against prostate, which in turn effectively silenced any thoughts he currently had. The other man noticed this change and smirked, aiming for the spot every time he thrust into the blonde. He moved faster, wanted to get more noise out of Fay.

Fay gripped Kurogane's shoulders tightly as he body was racked with pleasure with each of his lover's thrusts. Golden hair lay sprawled against the pillow as Fay turned his face away, his heated cheek resting against the cool fabric, his blue eyes shutting tightly as his body tensed around Kurogane again. The dark haired man growled deeply as the other's body moved against his own, his speed gaining more as he felt himself becoming closer. He moved his hand from Fay's hip the smaller man's appendage, curling his hand around it before moving it up and down in time with his thrusts. A moan caught in the blonde's throat as he felt his own neglected arousal taken by Kurogane's hand. His lungs burned as he breathed quickly and harshly, barely able to catch his breath as he felt his body begin to reach its limit. The growl emitted from his lover only caused the lithe man to mewl from all the sensations assaulting him at once.

Kurogane felt his head swimming in a tide of pleasure, moving quicker as he made sure to keep the blonde's stomach from being unharmed by the action around it. He felt himself almost hit the edge when Fay let out his own approval verbally, but he continued on and let a trail of sweat drop from his forehead to glide down his cheek. Fay's hand moved up to wipe away the sweat that slowly trailed down his lover's face. A moan escaped and he looked up to Kurogane, a small smile gracing his lips as they continued. The other man growled in approval once more, brushing relentlessly against the blonde's sensitive spot. Gods he wanted this, he wanted this so bad. He couldn't hardly remember the last time he had been so needy. He leaned into Fay's hand on his cheek, grunting as he shifted his legs so he could hold them both up better.

Fay cried out at the angle change, his fingers pressing against Kurogane's face as his hips jerked upwards. The blonde's head was spinning as he brought his other leg up to join the first around Kurogane. Fay knew he was close to falling over the edge as his lover's movements came faster. Kurogane became more vocal as they raced toward the end, his body tensing slowly in anticipation of climax. He looked down to his companion, his mouth opened slightly to pant. Fay watched him, his mind fuzzy as he tried to piece thoughts together as they moved together. It was overwhelming to him as he tried to find purchase against sweat slicked skin.

Fay smiled briefly before it fell and his body tensed as he reached his peak. His lithe frame arched and his lips parted in a silent scream. He left his eyes opened and tried to keep his gaze on Kurogane as his legs pushed Kurogane to him, almost pinning the taller man to him. The half breed grunted, his stomach being coated in Fay's seed. It was enough when the blonde's voice wrenched out of his throat, making Kurogane fill the blonde once more with his own essence. His body shuddered, mind instantly sloshing in the wonderful bliss of reached release. Even though all his strength had left him, he made sure not to fall on the other, keeping the child in between them safe.

It took several moments for the blonde to relax back onto the mattress. He smiled wistfully, his hand tracing small designs along Kurogane's jaw line lazily. The taller man let out a breath, leaning his forehead against Fay's sweat soaked one. He pulled his member out of Fay's body, grunting lightly as he exited. Chills ran down his spine at the sensation of Kurogane pulling out of him. With a half lidded gaze, Fay locked eyes with Kurogane, a small smile forming on his face as his lungs filled with much needed air.

Kurogane stared down, letting out small gasps of air that had been forgotten before. A smirk curved against the darker lips and he leaned down to claim Fay's mouth gently. Thin fingers moved to Kurogane's hair as they kissed, its tenderness and sweetness making Fay's slowing heart rate sped up a little more. It was one of the things the blonde enjoyed most about his lover as they broke apart. His other hand moved to tuck his too long bangs behind one of his ears as he smiled brightly.

Kurogane enjoyed the view of his lover's smile, glad that it was once again available to see. He briefly contemplated sleeping with how they were, but the dripping from his stomach made him instantly stick with going to clean up.

"Kuro-rinta." Fay said it with all the affection he could muster at the moment as his body relaxed against the cool sheets of the bed. His fingers idly moved against Kurogane's collarbone, tracing invisible patterns as he laughed lightly, too happy and sated to say much else. The other man leaned into the touch, smirking wider. The tone of his voice made his heart skip a beat, but he didn't want to bring that thought up.

"Hn... you've gone and made me messy, you prick..." Kurogane said softly. "I'm gonna have to wash it off now..."

"I'm surprised you're not swearing about having to do laundry." Fay chuckled, his fingers stopping to rest against his lover instead.

"Tch. That's because I'm making you do it this time." He said with a smirk, removing himself from being over Fay. He groaned lightly, body begging to rest from the aftermath.

"Kuro-daddy will have to show me." He stretched lazily, his body taut as Fay lay atop the rumpled sheets. The Valerian could feel sleep pulling at him as he watched Kurogane move, his blue eyes never leaving his lover as he did.

"Hn. Want me to bring you a rag or something?" Kurogane asked, placing his hand on his hip. He too was tired, at least now. He never expected sex after such a short amount of time to be so exhausting.

"If Kuro-pervy doesn't mind." He could barely contain his laughter as he sat up and looked up at Kurogane. The other's eyebrow twitched at the nickname and how childish it sounded.

"Tch." He replied turning on his heel before opening the door. He looked for any signs of Edameonus being up and about, and when seeing none, he walked to the bathroom and washed himself off. He looked at himself in the mirror briefly, startled by seeing bags under his eyes, before he made his way back to Fay.

Fay smiled as Kurogane re-entered their bedroom, the blonde had already moved the pillow back and tried to straighten the sheets as best he could before he was rested once more. His hand settled over his stomach. Kurogane tossed the slightly damp rag to his lover before looking at the discarded sheet on the ground. He picked it up and moved it, not wanting to step on it when he woke up the next morning. Fay grinned and cleaned himself before tossing it over to join the dirtied sheet.

"Thank you Kuro-rinta." The other man grunted in reply, once again crawling into the bed next to Fay.

"Now... you satisfied?" He said with a smirk, glad to have found out what was bothering the blonde beforehand.

"Yes, and you?" Fay smiled before he pulled the blanket over them and moved to rest against Kurogane.

"Hn." He agreed, allowing the blonde to snuggle against him. He wrapped his arms around the other man with a sigh, content with where they were right there and then. Fay smiled and wrapped his own arm around Kurogane's torso.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." The Valerian tilted his head forward to plant a small kiss underneath Kurogane's chin. The student lowered his gaze to Fay's and returned the gesture with a kiss to the lips. He smirked against the other's mouth.

"Hn... next time, just ask..."

The blonde grinned and flicked Kurogane's forehead.

"I ask, more or less." He kissed his lover quickly once more. Kurogane growled at the blonde, not liking being scolded like a dog. He grumbled, letting the Valerian kiss him.

"Tch. Idiot."

"It's true; I just don't say anything." Fay blushed faintly as he spoke, remembering the previous times they had made love. He rested his cheek against Kurogane's shoulder, sighing in contentment.

"Hnn... either way, you know how to get what you want." Kurogane said with a smirk before running his nose against Fay's cheek.

"Kuro-ruu's the same way." Fay laughed at how the other man was cuddling him and wondered if Kurogane knew how affectionate he really was.

"Hn. Maybe I am." He said with a slight scowl. He blinked and sighed, wondering how late it was.

"You always seem to succeed though."

"I remember Kuro-rinta saying once that he lets me get by with things. And besides you've never really complained when I do either." The blonde smiled as he rested against his lover, his eyes growing a bit heavy as the adrenaline that had been running through his veins began to dissipate.

"Hn. Maybe what you want to do is what I want to do too." Kurogane grunted, watching as Fay's eyelids slowly fell closed.

"Tch. Let's get some sleep."

"Kuro-san does look tired." He said as he moved to look at Kurogane, it was then he noticed the bags under the man's eyes. Fay grinned, his hand moving to lightly touch Kurogane's cheek.

"Hnn... you need it more than I do." The other raised his eyebrow slightly, before kissing the blonde.

"Night."

"Goodnight, Kuro-myu." Fay smiled and closed his eyes as he hugged Kurogane to him. The taller man tightened his arms around his pregnant lover, closing his eyes and sighing as he let himself fall into slumber.

Unbeknownst to the lovers, Edameonus's sharp hearing was still very much in place, even in disguise. He was staring wide eyed at the black TV, listening to them make love and then to their sweet nothings of goodnights. He was slowly petting Mokona by his chest, lying on his side as he all but tried to relate.

"Life sure is a bitch..." He whispered vehemently.


	19. Now let's live like we wanted

**Mirika-rin:** -sigh- so much work, it's so nice to have already edited chapters lying about on harddrives so I can put them up whenever. I just wish I was smart enough to edit them when I had time instead of watching freeman's mind on youtube. -sighs again- anyway, this is sort of filler until the next arc, or maybe its a smaller arc that overlaps with the next big one. XD idk.

**Ashine-chan:** More fluff now, and things are moving fairly quickly. There's a little bit of angst, but nothing too big. Everyone should definitely check out mine and Mirika's DA for some fanart for this. ^^

**Mirika-rin: **awwwww you flatter me, love -throws hearts at Ashine-chan-

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Unlike the previous morning Fay awoke without the sun shining in his eyes. He turned over, his back to Kurogane; looking out the window he saw that the sun was just starting to lighten the sky. The Valerian moved his hand through his hair and sighed, not wanting to wake his lover. Kurogane seemed to be out cold next to him, his face set in a serene expression and his body still except for his smooth breathing. It gave Fay the impression he might've moved a lot in his dreams again. He smiled faintly, wondering whether or not he should move to the couch for the next few hours until Kurogane woke up. Slowly Fay moved his hand to his stomach; Toshihiko's aura was still giving off faint pulses.

It wasn't much longer after Fay touched his stomach when he heard a soft tapping on their bedroom door. Carefully, so he wouldn't wake Kurogane, the blonde moved out of bed and towards the door where he quietly unlocked the door and opened it a few inches to see who it was. He could see it was Edameonus, dressed and wide awake. He smiled when he saw Fay, seeming to lose all other dark emotions that were stirred up the night before.

"Good morning, Fay-chan."

"Good morning. What are you doing up so early?" Fay looked to his friend questioningly as he opened the door further. Edameonus smiled sheepishly.

"I'm researching. I've been trying to look up things, but I can't seem to get the information I need." He backed away from the door to allow Fay out.

"Is there something I can access to research things?"

"I could try Kuro-san's computer, but I'm not entirely sure if I can get them to work." The blonde stepped out of the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind him as he led Edameonus into the computer room. The demon frowned in curiosity.

"Computer? He has one? Do all humans have one?" He allowed Fay to walk into the computer room first and stopped, staring wide eyed at all the gadgets and knickknacks lying about.

"I've never thought to ask, but I would think they're not uncommon here." The blonde stepped inside the room moving past Kurogane's projects until he sat down in front of one of the computers.

"Not uncommon? Why do you say that?" He said, moving to stand behind the moving chair. The computer instantly registered that someone was in the room and the dim lighting appeared in the square screen.

"No one else seems surprised that Kuro-san has them." Fay smiled as he watched the computer turn itself on. It had been awhile since he last saw the AI; he blushed briefly at the thought, and tried to shake it away before his blush became too noticeable. The AI appeared on the screen with his eyes closed, but instantly an alarm system went on.

"User Fay, there is an intruder in the room." Said Kamui's voice, though the computer's mouth didn't move. Edameonus just stared.

"It's alright Kamui; this man is a friend." Fay smiled as he watched the computer screen. He looked over his shoulder briefly at Edameonus, seeing the other man staring Fay's smiled broadened.

"Kuro-kun makes very good computers."

"I can see that." Edameonus said with a small smile. Kamui's eyes finally opened and he looked on. Seeing Fay he blushed deeply and looked away.

"G-Good to see you back, User Fay. When I first started talking about you User Kurogane was quite... forgetful."

"That problem's been fixed." The blonde smiled sheepishly as he looked at the AI. "Kamui, is there any way for you to help my friend with some research?"

"Of course." He said with a nod. Edameonus's eyes were wide.

"This is like another form of that android girl!" He said, leaning against the table. It was then Subaru blinked on as well. His expression was similar to Kamui's when he saw Fay.

"Yes, both of them are." Fay smiled and nodded in greetings to the other flustered AI.

"Edameonus, you can tell Kamui what is it you'd like to find." Edameonus nodded and stared at the AI program.

"...Go to the most used search site." He commanded, and instantly a small screen popped up. This excited the demon, for he was smiling widely.

"Alright, go to one of the most frequently searched sites." Again, almost instantly another screen appeared.

"This is amazing! It's almost as fast as Ginryan technology!" He smiled as he watched his friend ask Kamui question after question. Fay stood from his chair.

"Here; you can sit, I'm sure Kamui or Subaru wouldn't mind you asking questions. I thought I might make breakfast for everyone or would you like me to stay?" He wondered how long it would be before Kurogane woke, not knowing what time it was. Edameonus straightened up and smiled.

"You can do as you please, Fay-chan. Thanks. I'm sure Soel would like something to eat." He rubbed the back of his head, remembering the creature's and his conversation before bed.

"Alright I'll be back when I'm done." Fay moved around the other man before walking out of the room and towards the kitchen. Edameonus watched as the blonde left before taking his seat. He smiled and decided to continue looking through things, wondering if he'd stumble upon something of greater value.

Fay busied himself with breakfast, reminding himself to ask Kurogane about getting groceries since there were more than just the two of them living here now. It didn't take long for the blonde to finish cooking, as he plated everyone's meal with practiced ease. He heard footsteps shuffling about outside the kitchen, and not long after did he see the half dressed Kurogane. He grumbled a greeting before running a hand through his hair.

"Good morning Kuro-min." Fay looked over his shoulder and smiled at his lover before returning to the dishes. Kurogane moved lazily over to his partner and leaned in to kiss the pale cheek.

"Hn..." He grumbled in reply.

"Where's the others?"

"I'm not sure where Mokona is but Edameonus is doing research." Fay grinned and moved into the kiss.

"Did you sleep well last night?" He had been afraid he had tossed and turned again and kept the other man awake.

"Research?" He muttered in slight confusion before pulling away.

"Hn. I slept." He said, neither confirming nor denying Fay's worrying.

"Sit, I made breakfast." The blonde took two plates setting them on the table before he moved to get the others on the counter. Kurogane obeyed, sitting down heavily in his chosen chair as he tried to continue to wake himself up. He knew it was early and that it wasn't really necessary to be up at this time, but he had a lot of things to do that day.

"Kuro-chan should have slept in a little more." Fay smiled as he set a drink down in front of the taller man. He wondered briefly if Edameonus was finished and if he should go where Mokona was.

"I'll sleep when it's all said and done." He commented stubbornly, providing information that he was grumpy. Fay then heard more footsteps and watched as Edameonus entered with a casual smile.

"And the beast stirs." He said mockingly.

"Asshole." Kurogane grumbled, making the demon simply smile.

"Food's ready." The lithe man smiled and took a seat beside his.

"Did we wake you up?" The other in question shook his head and shot a glare over his shoulder to Edameonus. Said man joined the couple at the table before letting out a slight 'oh'.

"I should probably get Soel..."

"I'm sure she wouldn't like being left out." The blonde smiled at his friend as he began to eat. He could feel Toshihiko's aura once more as he ate, knowing the growing baby was feeding off his energy at the moment. Edameonus stood once more before exiting. It wasn't too long before he came in, Mokona curled up in one of his arms. Kurogane glared at the creature.

"It's quiet for once."

"Is Mokona tired?" Fay looked up at the small creature in the dark haired man's arms, worried at seeing her so quiet.

"Yes." Edameonus replied casually, taking his seat across from the other two. He then set down Mokona on the table.

"She'll wake up sooner or later." Fay ate quietly, glancing at Mokona who continued to sleep.

"Did you find everything you wanted Edameonus?" He questioned as before taking another bite of food.

"The device was fascinating, I don't think I'll be finished for a while." He said, continuing to eat. "That's good, maybe you could ask Toriho more about things once he's better." Fay smiled at Edameonus's enthusiasm as they continued to eat. Kurogane sat up straight, not liking how they were speaking.

"What device?" The Ginryan smiled at Fay before looking cautiously over to Kurogane.

"...Fay-chan let me use your computers... I've been doing research on the 'internet' and other things like it to help restore your planet's place on our charts." He informed before taking a mouthful of Fay's home cooked meal. Kurogane hesitated a little more before he joined in quietly. The blonde was a little surprised at Kurogane not even saying anything on the matter, but he quickly covered up his surprise and grinned as they enjoyed their meal. The disguised man sat up slightly and he stopped eating.

"Ah... are you waking up, Soel?" He cooed quietly to the furry creature.

"Mmm...Mokona's awake..." Mokona sat up rubbing sleep from her eyes with her tiny paws. "There's food for you Mokona." Fay said as he watched her wake up. Kurogane ignored the stirring magical animal, not thrilled with how Fay had taken a liking to her. Edameonus smiled a little wider and reached out to pat her head.

"Good morning, Soel." The man said. Fay leaned against his upturned palm as he watched Mokona wake fully and pick up a fork to begin eating.

"Fay's cooking is always great." Soel sang, now fully awake, waved her fork about before she began to eat in earnest. The blonde chuckled as he finished his own plate.

"Don't eat too fast." Edameonus warned idly, feeding himself the remainder of his meal. Kurogane leaned back in his chair, resisting the urge to stretch and yawn in front of the house guests.

"Toshi's making himself known." He grinned knowing that he had eaten had helped keep the baby from taking anymore of his energy for the time being. It was always a constant drain on him, more so when he hadn't eaten in awhile. Edameonus and Kurogane sat up in their chairs on alert. Kurogane simply stared while Edameonus's face broke out with an identical smile to Fay's. He looked down to Mokona, who stopped eating out of confusion.

"Ah, Toshihiko-kun's on his way to full development, Soel."

"Soon he will start moving for real." The blonde chuckled at the others; he was excited about the prospect wondering if it would mean the baby wouldn't keep him awake as much as he did now.

Kurogane slightly relaxed in his chair, though his eyes were still sharply focused on Fay's face. Edameonus smiled wider and turned back to his food. Mokona whined slightly.

"I want to feel Toshihiko-kun!"

"We won't be able to for another month or two." Fay smiled at Mokona's enthusiasm. It was exciting to think about being able to feel his son's first movements. It caused the blonde to remind himself to finish the books he had brought with him before Toshihiko was born. Mokona pouted and nodded, returning to her food. Edameonus stood then and bowed his head slightly in gratitude.

"Thank you for the food, Fay-chan. I'm going to return to my studies." He said as he took his plate to the sink. Kurogane watched him wearily as Edameonus made his way to the exit. Fay smiled as he stood to take his own plate to the sink. He walked back to his chair beside Kurogane while Mokona finished her own breakfast.

"...Did you sleep ok?" Kurogane asked, finally losing his battle of will by letting himself yawn, though he turned his head. Mokona giggled to herself.

"Kurogane is tired!" She commented, making the man glare sleepy daggers at her.

"I woke up early, but I don't remember waking up before that." The blonde said as he turned partially in his chair towards Kurogane. He grinned as he listened to Mokona tease his lover. The other man growled at the white creature when he closed his mouth again. He looked to Fay and frowned.

"Hn... I'm going to start moving things." He announced, standing.

"Would you like some help?" Fay watched as Kurogane stood from his chair. Mokona had since finished her own breakfast and was taking her plate to the sink with the others.

"Nah. I can do it." The dark haired man said while stretching, not caring anymore. He let his mind wander to all the things he had to do that day.

"Do you think Toriho and the others will stop by?" The blonde stared at the way his lover moved, but was distracted by wondering briefly if Toriho was even awake after drinking so much. Fay moved towards the sink ready to at least wash the dishes if he wasn't going to help Kurogane.

"Eh, never know with him. He might be coming over for measuring where the house'll be." The other man replied, rubbing his head.

"Knowing him we're going to get it done within the month."

"Isn't that a lot of work to do in such a short time?" His back to Kurogane as he turned on the faucet and waited for the sink to fill.

"Alcoholic, Workaholic, whatever. That's dad for you." Kurogane replied as he exited the kitchen. Fay grinned as he went about washing dishes and Mokona sat on the counter helping the blonde dry them. Smiling to himself Fay thought of how busy things would be in the following months leading up to his son's birth.

~Later~

Kurogane panted slightly and rubbed the sweat from his forehead. He grunted once more, moving his body against the thin frame.

"Dammit." He looked over to Edameonus, who merely watched with a grin. Kurogane growled.

"Will you make yourself useful for once?!" Edameonus sighed and stood.

"But I already did it twice." The Ginryan stood, walking over to the taller man, his hands on his hips.

"You know you still could have put moving all this off until later."

"Tch. The sooner it's done the better!" Kurogane barked back, making Edameonus chuckle lightly.

"Alright... have it your way..." He said, moving to stand on the opposite side of the other man.

"Ok, I'm ready." Mokona hopped in, having heard weird noises from the computer room, and was relieved when she saw the two men moving the computer table out of the way for the tv.

"Mokona wants to help!" Soel hopped up onto the desk as Edameonus and Kurogane moved it. Kurogane grunted.

"Don't hop on something someone's trying to move, idiot!" He snapped, setting down his side of the table where it was supposed to be. Edameonus followed suit and wiped his hands off on his jeans.

"She doesn't weigh that much." Edameonus smiled and petted Mokona who laughed.

"Now, what else do you need help with?" Kurogane rubbed his neck gently before looking at the room. He had successfully cleaned it all and now moved everything accordingly to make sure it could still function with additional furniture.

"We're moving the tv in here and the couch into the living room for the time being." He instructed, wasting no time on heading into the tv room.

"Come on Soel." He smiled at his 'daughter' while Mokona simply nodded and hopped up onto the man's shoulder as they followed Kurogane. Said man had no problem moving the tv by himself, but he made sure to get Edameonus to roll the dvd holder into the right spot. They were halfway through moving the couch when annoyingly loud knock came to the door.

"Stay here Mokona." In case it was someone they didn't know it wouldn't be a good idea for Soel to be moving about. Understanding Soel jumped down from her perch on his shoulder and onto the TV. Edameonus stood moving towards the front door, having a good idea who it could be. He opened the door and sighed slightly in relief to see it was Toriho. The man smiled back, though it looked like he wasn't the one who drove to Kurogane's house; it was obvious he was dealing with his hangover even now. Edameonus looked to the outside and choked slightly.

"What are all those vehicles?!"

"I did say I had most of the supplies for your house." The older man smiled at his surprised friend, though he winced at the volume.

"Where's Youou and Fay-chan?" Toriho peered over his fellow Ginryan's shoulder looking for a sign of the houses other occupants. Kurogane walked into vision, his shirt hanging loosely in his hand.

"Dad! What the HELL are you doing here!?" He questioned angrily, though he knew the answer all too well. Edameonus pointed to the construction vehicles.

"W...What are they used for?"

"You didn't think it'd be just the three of us working did you?" Toriho gave Edameonus a toothy grin.

"Come now Youou, my grandchild will be born soon I have to make sure you're not just sitting around and not getting ready for his arrival." His smiled widened at the mention of the baby. Kurogane blushed lightly but kept his frown.

"Sitting around? I didn't see you here helping us move shit around!" He replied, storming over to the door. Edameonus gave a wry smirk.

"Go put some clothes on, grumpy pants." Kurogane shot him a glare. His father chuckled.

"I was getting everything ready for your cousin's house." Toriho said and smirked at his son's temper.

"Maybe someone should get Fay-chan, I'm sure he would like to come see especially after being cooped up here since he got back."

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind doing that, Kurogane." Edameonus said with a smirk, making the other growl again. He didn't argue then and merely stormed off with gritted teeth. The demon smiled in triumph.

Fay listened as he heard the faints sounds of Kurogane arguing to someone as he sat on the edge of their bed. After having washed dishes the blonde had taken a shower while the two other men had been moving furniture. Now, the slender man had just finished changing clothes as he heard his lover stomping through the house. Kurogane appeared at the doorway with a frown.

"Oi, Blondie." He called, ignoring his own shirtless state.

"Dad's here. He wants to show off his caravan of construction crap."

"I guess Kuro-tan was right about his father coming over." Fay smiled and stood walked over to his lover.

"Hn." Kurogane agreed, looking at Fay's wet hair. He didn't comment on it, seeing no reason to, and led the way to the living room. Edameonus was now standing on the porch, staring at the machinery hungrily.

"Hello Toriho, feel better?" Fay smiled cheerfully as he followed Edameonus's gaze outside towards the large trucks. It seemed Kurogane was also right about Toriho wanting to hurry with his friend's house. Toriho gave a sheepish smile.

"Feel better? Ehheheh... I have a bit of a headache, but that'll work itself out." He said, regaining his composure. Kurogane rolled his eyes and moved to put his shirt back on. Fay watched the vehicles outside, curious about what Toriho had planned for today, knowing that whatever it was Kurogane would be exhausted afterwards seeing as how he had already cleared out the TV room this morning.

"Ok! First, let's check it out with the workers on where to build it!" He exclaimed, marching down the porch stairs to the very small gathering of guys in the field. Edameonus stared and simply followed. The other dark haired man looked to Fay while crossing his arms.

"You gunna stay outta the way, or are you going to annoy us?" He asked, really asking if the blonde was going to help them.

"Kuro-rin's not being very nice, but I suppose I could help and show that I'm not so lazy." Smiling Fay stepped outside onto the porch as Toriho began talking to the workers he had brought. Kurogane smirked a little and followed, placing his hands in his pockets.

"We'll see." He said curtly, going to where his dad was. Edameonus looked to the machines more than to the humans, seeming almost captivated by them. Shutting the door behind them Fay joined the others, standing off to the side so he wouldn't be in their way. He smiled briefly as he saw Edameonus looking over the trucks. Toriho clapped his hands and nodded, having come up with an agreement. He looked to Fay and Kurogane and smiled.

"Alright, right now they're going to set up markers for the house's corners."

"Is that all they'll be doing today?" The blonde asked curious as the other men went about their business.

"I don't think so. I asked them to start working on it today." He grinned playfully, making the others wonder what sort of motivation he gave the workers. Edameonus looked to the machines.

"Will these be used today?"

"Yes, the foundation will be poured and left to set today after they measure everything out." Toriho smiled to his friend as the workers he had hired set about mapping out the area several yards away from Kurogane's house. The half breed folded his arms and frowned.

"You plan to watch over them and make sure they don't fuck it up?" He asked his father, noticing the way Edameonus eyed the unmoving vehicles with barely hidden eagerness.

"I hired the best, but yes I'll be watching just in case." Toriho grinned at his son.

"Once we get the outside finished we can start on a nursery for your house." Fay blushed faintly at the man's excitement.

"Tch. Just focus on what you need to do now." Kurogane said irritably, though he too was blushing. Edameonus smiled to himself, his own 'daughter' coming into his mind.

"Kuro-rin's been working on it since this morning." Fay smiled at his lover's blush as Toriho only smiled. Kurogane raised his eyebrow to Fay.

"Seems I'll be working a lot more." He commented and Toriho nodded, turning to the workers that were spreading out on the open field.

"Kuro-min's the one who volunteered, and besides, Tomoyo said she wanted to do the decorating and I'll be helping too." The blonde smiled as he thought about the room. The other sighed.

"I know I volunteered, doesn't mean it's not troublesome." Kurogane muttered as he walked over to his father. Edameonus took that moment to inspect the machinery's gears.

~Later~

They had all been sitting out for a few hours now as the builders worked on Edameonus's house. Fay watched as a few of the men got into what Toriho had called a cement truck, driving over to the wooden place markers and began filling in the area that had been dug out beforehand. Edameonus smiled as he made a mental note of everything, watching with sharp eyes as the machinery moved.

Kurogane had gone back inside, having lost interest, and had successfully and single handedly moved the couch into the proper place, along with two bookcases and their books, along with the occasional cussing. Fay grinned as he listened to the faint sounds of Kurogane swearing inside. Toriho had since gone off to check on the workers progress as the blonde sat on the porch steps resting. Edameonus crouched down next to Fay and smiled.

"Happy?" He asked curiously, not caring that the cussing might've been a stubborn cry for help.

"Yes. Excited about your home?" He smiled as he leaned forward, resting his chin against his hand, his elbow resting on his thigh. Fay watched as cement poured from the trucks and the rest of the workers went about smoothing the substance evenly. Edameonus smiled wider.

"....You could say that." He concluded, knowing he couldn't care less about the house. He was more interested in the mechanics of it all.

"With the way things are going, you'll be in your new house soon." A small breeze picked up and Fay could tell it was going to be getting cooler soon. His hand moved and tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear as the truck emptied the rest of the cement and the men finished their work.

"Hopefully it'll be done before your child is born." The demon remarked casually. He looked up to the sky and watched a stray cloud pass overhead.

"With how excited Toriho is about it I'm sure he'll have everything ready." There was no doubt that the older man would have everything ready, it caused Fay's lips to curl into a faint smile. Edameonus smiled and chuckled.

"Yeah, I've known that enthusiasm most of my life, so it doesn't surprise me." He leaned back against the porch and stared at the machines.

"He must be happy here."

"It's peaceful here." Fay smiled enjoying the weather. It was something he knew he could get used to.

"Yes... nothing like Ginryuu..." He exclaimed, watching as Toriho motioned for workers to come inspect a hole in the ground. Kurogane came out of the door, his shirt once again off as sweat trickled off his chin.

"They're not done yet?"

"Kuro-rinta's been working hard." Fay tilted his head up to see Kurogane and smiled at his lover's state.

"I didn't think moving furniture was that taxing on you." Edameonus smirked as he continued to sit beside the blonde. Kurogane's eyebrow twitched and he let out a growl of a breath.

"Tch. Proved yourself wrong when you said you weren't lazy, asshole." He said while folding his arms.

"Kuro-san never asked." Fay said as he looked up to Kurogane.

"Besides you're the one said I shouldn't be doing heavy lifting right now." The man was silent for a moment before scoffing and looking away.

"Never said I needed your help." Edameonus rolled his eyes as he listened to the conversation and occupied his time with a split end of his long braid.

"I offered to earlier, but you said you didn't need it." It probably would have been better for him to have ignored Kurogane saying he hadn't needed his help earlier, but he sighed knowing it wouldn't do him any good now that the taller man had finished cleaning out the room.

"Would Kuro-min like to sit with us?" Fay could tell Kurogane was tired and knew it was partially his fault.

"Che. I'm not done." He answered, looking back in the living room.

"Yuui still needs to be moved and the computers need to be hooked up again."

"Would Kuro-wan like me to help then?" He said teasingly, knowing he could at last help Kurogane with that.

"Tch. Why start now?" The dark haired man replied, frowning to himself. He walked back inside and headed for Yuui. Edameonus sighed.

"Go help him out, Fay-chan. He's more stubborn when he's tired, apparently."

"He's _always_ stubborn." Fay nodded before standing and going inside after Kurogane. The man was crouched over Yuui, holding her head up as he looked her over. He didn't seem to notice Fay until he stood straight again.

"....What?" He questioned when he saw the blonde staring at him.

"Thought I could help you, seeing as how I didn't earlier." Fay grinned as he walked into the room and towards Kurogane. The other man frowned.

"...Why so eager to now?" He asked as he bent over to gather the android in his arms.

"You've already done a lot for the baby; I can at least do my own share of the work." He smiled moving out of Kurogane's way. The taller man stopped in his tracks and looked to Fay. He blushed a little and looked away again.

"...You're having the kid; that should be enough work on its own." He muttered before going down the hallway to the computer room.

"I'd still like to help while I still can." Fay followed close behind as Kurogane carried Yuui.

"Tch. Not much left to do around the house." The dark haired man replied, kicking the door open wider.

"All that's really left is to start decorating it." He commented, talking about the child's future room.

"Tomoyo and I can handle that." Fay frowned not wanting Kurogane to do everything by himself.

"You sure breathing in the paint fumes would do you good?" The half breed asked as he sat down the robot in his chair. The girl's head slumped to her shoulder, still on standby.

"As long as the room is aired out it shouldn't be a problem." He watched as Yuui was placed in the chair.

"Kuro-chu shouldn't have to do everything."

"... I already knew Tomoyo and you were going to do the room." He said as he stood straight again.

"Never said I'd cut in on that. Doing those stupid jobs is a pain in the neck."

"Tomoyo would be angry if you did try to help with decorating." He smiled thinking about how excited the girl had been over the prospect of helping.

"Heh, best I stay out of it then, huh?" Kurogane replied with a small smirk. He looked to his computers before going to crouch behind them.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked as he watched Kurogane plug in his computers. He saw Kurogane's hand come up to gesture toward the power button.

"Click that. Make sure Kamui and Subaru are still functional." He replied, moving wires back to their plugs. Fay smiled, eager to help in any way he could. Doing as he was told the blonde watched as the screens of both computers turned on.

"They should be on standby, so if they flicker off just press the button again." Kurogane informed, rubbing his eye slightly when his vision became blurry. He found it laughable he was sleepy at this hour, even after only doing housework. Since when did he become tired over that? Fay hadn't missed Kurogane's movement, frowning at seeing the other man so tired. It took a short time for both computers to load and both AI to appear on screen. Kamui and Subaru opened their eyes at the same time and blinked.

"Ah, the rooms changed." Subaru said with a pleasant smile. Kurogane stood, frowning.

"I moved you two around." He commented while he came into view. Kamui looked in front of him.

"Ah! And Yuui's here. Imagine that; she's dressed this time." Kurogane grunted.

"You need to be reprogrammed."

"Kamui needs to be reprogrammed?" Subaru asked questioningly at their creator. Fay smiled as Kurogane interacted with his computers.

"His attitude could kill." Kurogane clarified as he placed a hand on his hip. Kamui was about to retort to that, but when he saw Kurogane's revealed torso he covered his eyes.

"Why does someone _always_ have to be naked out there?!"

"Don't worry, Kuro-rinta's not naked Kamui." Fay smiled sheepishly as Subaru's eyes widened.

Kurogane smirked evilly.

"Unless it'll piss you guys off..." He said, his hand moving toward his belt buckle. Subaru and Kamui both shoved their hands in front of their faces.

"_NOO_!!" They pleaded.

"The memories!!" Kamui cried, making Kurogane chuckle in victory. Fay felt his face heat up as he watched Kurogane threaten his computers.

"K-Kuro-kun shouldn't upset Kamui and Subaru." He covered his face with a hand as his blush darkened at hearing the AI's protests. Kurogane looked to his lover and raised his eyebrows, a wry grin set on his face.

"You too, eh?" He moved his other hand to his front.

"How would that affect you, Blondie? Me getting naked?" He asked mockingly. Subaru and Kamui whined again, trying to cover their ears and eyes at the same time.

"Kuro-chan shouldn't joke about that." His blush intensified as he avoided looking at Kurogane. Instead he saw that Subaru and Kamui were still trying to protect themselves from hearing or seeing anything. The other man couldn't help but smile wickedly as he moved to wrap his arms around his lover.

"Now what's the harm in doing it again? The computers can't do anything about it." He murmured in Fay's ear. Subaru dropped his hand a little and was frozen in place, eyes wide and face red.

"I'm sure they wouldn't appreciate it." He could feel his heart beating harshly against his ribcage as he continued to blush, especially since Kurogane was now holding him.

"Hn? And you wouldn't either?" He whispered lowly against the pale flesh, his hands resting on Fay's hips. Subaru's face continued to turn a deeper red.

"Kuro-chan should know by now I don't mind, but after the last time Subaru and Kamui wouldn't like to see us." He continued to blush as he brought both hands to his heated cheeks. Kamui was still in a state of shock while Subaru stared with wide eyes.

"Heheh. Guess you're right." He said while planting a kiss on the exposed part of Fay's now rosy cheek. He let go of his partner and moved to stand in front of Yuui. He frowned, debating on whether or not to put her online. Both AI gave a relieved sigh while Fay tried to calm his breathing. He leaned against the desk the computers lay on and tried to calm his heart rate. Kurogane glanced up to his lover and couldn't help but smirk, satisfied with the knowledge that he could easily manipulate the blonde with offering sex. He lifted Yuui's chin so he could look at her face and frowned.

"...Kamui, her systems are running, right?"

"Yes, she's hibernating." Kamui glared, his own cheeks still dusted with a light pink. Fay turned towards Kurogane, watching the man as he examined Yuui. Kurogane chuckled to himself when he saw the damage done to his AI units, before looking to Yuui.

"Hn. I think keeping her on standby for now would be best. Too many other things are going on." He stood straight and continued to look at the doll, as if trying to rethink his decision.

"You're keeping her like that until later?" Fay knew having Yuui around would complicate things a little, especially when they were so busy with Edameonus's house and the baby's arrival.

"Yes." Kurogane agreed, nodding in his final decision.

"I'll get her up and running if I need to." He said, picking her up again and setting her on the vacant table for a more relaxed look. He then folded his arms.

"Chores are done for the day." He announced roughly.

"The workers should be finishing up outside as well." Fay said as he walked up to stand beside Kurogane.

"Would you like me to make lunch?" The blonde knew Toriho and Edameonus would soon join them once the work outside had been finished. Kurogane shrugged and blinked, his vision messing up once more.

"Dammit..." He uttered whilst bringing his hand up to rub both his eyes at once.

"Hn... I'm sure that guy would want to do research later..." He said, walking to the door like the eye thing not once happened. The blonde walked behind Kurogane and grabbed his arm.

"Maybe you should take a nap?" Fay suggested as he watched Kurogane. He was worried, knowing it was probably his fault that the taller man was tired.

"Forget it, I'll sleep later." Kurogane retorted, though he didn't shake Fay off. He moved to the hallway, seeing Edameonus walk in with Toriho following close behind.

"If you're tired you should sleep." Fay urged, frowning at Kurogane's stubbornness as they left the room. He should have known the other man would push himself even when he hadn't slept well last night. Kurogane gave Fay a weak glare and scoffed.

"I told you; I'll sleep later." He snapped, walking into the living room. Fay frowned in defeat, knowing he couldn't get the man to agree, before following his lover. Edameonus closed the door and instantly Mokona pounced on him.

"Mokona was bored!" Soel shouted. Edameonus gave the creature a sarcastic expression.

"Bored eh? Why didn't you go to sleep then?" He asked as he sat down on the couch. Kurogane was about to join him when his father stopped him.

"Youou, I forgot to tell you something." Kurogane raised an eyebrow and was about to ask when Toriho held up application letters.

"You need to go back to school." He instructed, making the younger man sigh heavily.

"Kuro-rin's missed a lot of school?" Fay moved around both men to sit on the couch next to Mokona and Edameonus. He had never thought about Kurogane going to school since he had come back.

"I wasn't allowed to go back when I first came home because I was supposed to have moved." Kurogane reminded his lover, folding his arms.

"I have to start from scratch then?" he asked his father.

"You have a lot to catch up on, but I'm sure if you give them a good excuse they'll let you make up any exams you missed." Toriho grinned as he handed the papers to his son. Kurogane growled.

"And what excuse could I give? That my dad's an idiot and wouldn't let me go to school? Or maybe that someone was sick?" He snapped, making Edameonus raise an eyebrow.

"There were a lot of personal issues that came up." Fay smiled as he spoke. Back on Valeria he had had to continue with his school work even if he had been further behind than his lover would be. Kurogane looked to the blonde and thought for a moment before going to the side of the room where his unused backpack lay.

"I'm gunna hear hell for this."

"It won't be so bad; it's still early in the semester." Toriho smirked as he sat down while Kurogane left.

"Kuro-rin will be working hard." Fay crossed his legs as he leaned back against the couch.

Edameonus looked to the Valerian next to him.

"We'll all be working hard, Fay-chan." He said, though he didn't want to elaborate in full detail.

Fay continued to smile, still worried about Kurogane overworking himself.

"It won't be long before we have everything done and besides Youou won't be doing everything by himself." Toriho grinned as he relaxed in his chair.

"We plan to help him out whether he wants it or not, so don't worry." Edameonus said with a smile, watching as Kurogane returned.

"Kuro-rinta keeps calling me lazy, I'll just have to prove him wrong." Fay turned and smiled up at Kurogane as the man reentered the living room. The man raised his eyebrow and frowned.

"What the hell are you talking about?" He asked with a scowl.

"Nothing, just talking about you Kuro-san." Lips curved into a faint smile as Fay met Kurogane's gaze.

"Fay-chan does plenty of work around the house." Toriho spoke up as he watched the couple. Kurogane's eyebrow twitched but he merely tossed his backpack to the side of the couch. Edameonus smiled at Toriho's words and nodded in agreement.

"You cook and clean a lot."

"I don't have a job or go to school anymore, it's the least I can do." Fay smiled back, shrugging at the fact that he really had nothing to do anymore. Toriho smiled also.

"I'm glad you're so willing to help out, Fay-chan." The father figure said while crossing his arms.

"In a few months I won't be able to do much of anything and then once Toshi's born I'll be taking care of him so there won't be a lot of time to do other things." Fay smiled, his hands moving to settle against his stomach. Kurogane looked to Fay for a moment.

"That kid would be more important than any job." He turned around and grumbled.

"A lot more difficult too..."

"Youou's right for once Fay-chan, you should leave everything else to the rest of us." Toriho said through his grin. Edameonus looked to his lap and smiled down to his daughter figure, allowing himself to pick up another book that lay on the top of the bookshelf. Kurogane glared blatantly at the subtle comment, but he looked back to his lover, his expression somewhat softening when he saw the joy obviously there.

~A few days later~

Fay had just finished making drinks for everyone, smiling as he set them on a tray. Construction on Edameonus's house had been going fairly quickly, already a few wall frames had been built and were now standing. Kurogane was lying on the porch in a I-don't-give-a-damn attitude with his arm over his eyes. Edameonus was sitting on the railing with Mokona in his lap, the creature pretending to be a doll. Fay, with tray held with both hands, walked towards the others outside. Balancing the tray with one hand, the blonde quickly opened the front door and walked onto the porch. Mokona's ears twitched, barely noticeable as she saw the slender man set the drinks down for everyone.

Edameonus noticed at the same time that Mokona did and smiled to the blonde. It seemed Edameonus had lost a considerable chip on his shoulder and acted a lot kinder now since the fight with Kurogane. He walked over Fay and hesitated from allowing Mokona to have one.

"Thank you, Fay-chan."

"Everyone's been here all day and it's been warm out." Fay smiled and handed Edameonus a drink.

"There's another one inside." He spoke quietly to Mokona, knowing the small creature would want to drink something but couldn't with the workers outside. Edameonus moved to block her from sight so she could jump down and get something to drink. Kurogane removed his arm from his face slowly and blinked, the sun blinding him somewhat.

"Kuro-min must be thirsty." The blonde smiled a glass in hand for Kurogane. The dark haired man sat up and sighed. They had been short on workers that day and he was volunteered by his father to help with the framework. He and the rest of the workers were taking a small break from it.

"Thank you Fay-chan." Toriho said as he walked up onto the porch. After drinking his own glass the older man took what was left out for the other workers. The blonde sat on the porch taking in everything as he sipped his own glass. Kurogane stood once he saw his father approach and leave, taking the drink offered to him.

"Tch. This house is so painstaking."

"With the way things are going it won't be much longer until it's finished." Fay smiled as the dark haired man stood, the blonde's arms moving to wrap around his knees. Kurogane rubbed the back of his neck and growled.

"Good thing too, I start school before much longer." He grumbled, downing his drink.

"Kuro-rin's cleared everything with his teacher's?" Fay wondered what he would do with his time once Kurogane started school again. Grinning he was at least glad he wouldn't be alone during the day.

"Hn." His lover grunted in reply, looking back to the construction site.

"Tch. Those lazy ass workers...." He muttered to himself, watching them as they ate huge sandwiches.

"They're taking a break like you are." Fay unwrapped his arms around himself and leaned back, using his arms to support himself. Long legs were stretched out as Fay rested. Kurogane placed his hands on his hips.

"And compare our work schedules." He retorted with a grunt, thinking back on his schedule.

"Tomoyo said she would be over sometime soon with paint samples for the bedroom." Fay switched the topic with a gigglechuckle; thinking of the girl's excitement as she had been told about the nursery being ready to paint brought a smile to the Valerian's face. Ever since Toriho had told her the previous day Fay had been told Tomoyo had been busy with color schemes. Kurogane's brow twitched once more, which was becoming more frequent with the passing time. He looked to Fay with a frown, but the blonde could see he was contemplating a reply.

"...Heh.... she must be excited for it..." He replied finally, seeming worn free of insults and harsh tongue.

"Tomoyo and I will be doing the rest of the room; it shouldn't take long once we get furniture moved in." He was a bit taken aback by Kurogane's lack of an insult, chalking it up to the taller man being tired.

"Tch. Can you handle moving the furniture or do you need me to again?" Kurogane asked sarcastically, starting down the porch stairs to return to the site.

"I don't know, depends on when it arrives." Blue eyes continued to stare out onto the yard, taking in the scenery. The demon's eyes wandered after the shirtless man, wondering what contribution Kurogane would do in the house building. Edameonus leaned against the door frame, watching as Toriho joined them once again to return his glass with a few others.

"Hey, what else do you plan to do today with the house, Souhi?"

"Once the frames are up that'll be all we can do for today, the insulation and dry wall won't be until tomorrow." Toriho smiled as he stood in front of the others.

"Almost done with the framework?" Edameonus chimed in.

"Just need the last wall in place." Toriho smiled satisfied with how things were progressing with the house's construction.

"We won't be able to help as much tomorrow, so Fay-chan could go to town to look for furniture for the nursery." He suggested as he looked at the blonde he was still sitting on the ground. The disguised man moved from the doorway and stood by Toriho.

"Ah... Something tells me the weather won't be too good tomorrow." He added, folding his arms.

"It'll soon be fall, it might rain." Red eyes glanced towards the sky.

"I've never seen fall weather before." Fay smiled wondering what it would be like.

"Valeria is almost always covered in snow and ice." Toriho smiled.

"Then you're going to be very used to the weather after fall." He announced, making Edameonus grimace.

"What? There's going to be snow here?"

"For several months." Toriho smirked, knowing how the other Ginryan wasn't fond of the snow.

"I would like to finish the nursery before it gets too cold." The blonde stood and stretched from having to sit on the hard wood.

"We're going to have to. The paint doesn't work too well in the cold weather." Toriho informed, placing a hand on his hip as he watched Kurogane bark at a worker across the field. Fay smiled sheepishly as Kurogane's swearing reached his ears; it seemed he wasn't too tired after all to argue.

"I'm sure Tomoyo will be excited."

"Haha! Most likely! She's always fun to have around when these things come about!" Toriho said with a grin.

~Later~

Night had fallen a few hours ago and everyone had moved inside, the workers Toriho had brought had finished for the day and left. Fay and Mokona passed out food to the others, having made a late dinner. They had all decided to eat in the living room, it having more room and more chairs to take up. Kurogane and Fay were sitting on the couch whilst Edameonus and Toriho took the chairs across from them, Mokona sat down on the table, singing and eating her food joyously.

"It's been a long day and tomorrow looks to be even more so." Toriho said as he continued to eat. Mokona sang as she danced while Fay smiled at her antics. Kurogane's eyes drooped slightly as he eat, his mind and body exhausted from the past couple of days. He didn't know if going to school the next day would be too great. Edameonus watched him, slightly amused.

"Maybe Kuro-rin should go to sleep? You'll have to get up early for school." Worried about his lover's exhaustion Fay looked up at Kurogane frowning. The other man growled lightly, but didn't disagree. Instead he continued to eat slowly. Toriho looked at his son and sighed, knowing being told to go to bed would only make him want to stay up more. Fay frowned as he stood and took his empty plate to the kitchen. Stopping her dancing Mokona finished the last of her own food, before she lifted her plate over her head and began hopping towards the kitchen after Fay.

Seizing the opportunity Kurogane stood and shoved his hands in his pockets, walking casually to their bedroom. Toriho smiled knowingly, guessing Kurogane didn't want Fay to see him obey the blonde's wishes like a dog. Standing over the sink Fay smiled and thanked Mokona as he washed dishes for the second time. His thoughts wondered briefly to Kurogane, hoping the other man wouldn't overwork himself because of everything going on.

It was then he saw the man of his thoughts walk into the bedroom across the hall. The red eyed man closed the door behind him, though Fay could acutely hear the bedspread fluff with a weight dropped on it and a small sigh. He smiled faintly before turning back to finish what was left of the dishes.

"Fay should go rest too; he's been helping all day and the baby drains Fay's energy." His hands stopped as they were drying a glass; he turned to look at Mokona surprised. He smiled tenderly and petted the small creature.

"Thank you Mokona." Edameonus stood and nodded to Toriho.

"You should probably get going. The Mrs. will be getting worried if you take too long to get home." He said to his friend. Toriho smiled sheepishly.

"I'll be bringing Tomoyo-chan tomorrow." The older man stood saying his goodbyes before he left. The faint sound of his car starting was heard as Edameonus stood in the living room. Fay looked outside the kitchen seeing Toriho had since left, Mokona hopped past the blonde heading towards her 'father'. Edameonus caught the little creature with ease as she jumped to him, a smile serenely on his face as she seemed to be happier the more she learned and grew. He looked up to the kitchen door, being at an angle to only assume of what Fay was doing. Stepping out of the kitchen Fay walked towards the living stopping to see the other two occupants of the house.

"I think I'll turn in for the night, wouldn't want to wake Kuro-grump later. Goodnight Mokona, Edameonus." Fay petted Mokona and smiled.

"Are you sure he's made room for you to sleep with him? He might've been too tired to remember to give you your side of the bed." Edameonus said with a frown, remembering how irritated the other dark haired man had been.

"I'm sure Kuro-rin will make room and if he's already asleep I can always move him out of the way." Fay laughed as he waved goodnight to his friend before walking towards the bedroom.

"Haha! Well if that's the case, goodnight then, Fay-chan!" The demon said enthusiastically, taking his 'daughter' with him to the couch. Since the TV room was now being renovated, he had been moved to sleep on the couch in the living room. Opening the door as quietly as he could the blonde slipped inside the room. Smiling he walked over to the closet to change hoping he wouldn't wake Kurogane after the other man had worked all day.

When he had looked toward the bed, he had noticed Kurogane had only removed his shirt and threw it on the ground right next to the bed. He had uncovered the bed, but apparently didn't have the energy nor motivation to throw it back atop of his body. He was lying on his stomach with his face turned to the wall.

Changing quickly, Fay picked up his lover's discarded shirt putting it with his own dirty clothes. The bed lowered with his added weight as the blonde settled in. Pulling the blanket over both of them Fay moved to lay on his side facing Kurogane. Seeing the sleeping man beside him brought a small smile to Fay's face. The dark man twitched, and for a moment it seemed like he was stirring, but he merely moved his arm, wrapping it around Fay's upper stomach and pulling him closer. Fay smiled as Kurogane brought them closer. Shifting around the blonde brought his hand to rest against the others arm sighing as he relaxed.


	20. Here is where I'll start again

**edit: Mirika-rin is a moron and posted the wrong chapter. Please excuse the fucktard's mistake, she's been very busy.  
**

**Mirika-rin:** -headdesk- It's obvious to see I'm not capable of meeting deadlines. BUT I've accomplished a lot since the last time I posted this :'D 1, I'm IN COLLEGE/UNI NOW. BOOYAH. But that also means I've got the obvious schoolwork to do orz anyway that's not bothering me atm since the semester just started. 2, I'm also a few pages away from publishing my comic, though I am OFFICIALLY a published artist now :'D My art was on the front of my mother's book that's online now -is happy- but I know you didn't come here to read about me. I'll try to start uploading chapters every other week (but don't hold me to it plz ;w; I'm a simple writer, after all) and try to keep on it o3o;;; Please enjoy~! Things start to move into the next arc in this chapter~! Please excuse the abundance of OC usage from here on out, trust me; it'll go back to kurofay before you know it ._.;;; (btw, if you haven't caught on, up until now all the chapter titles have been from Kurogane's POV, now they're switching to Edameonus's. Yes. that's right. Ed's. it won't last forever)

**Ashine-chan:** Some more angst for you because its Kurogane and Fai and they have to have some angst in whatever they're in, which seems like this was written forever ago. lol We also get more into developing minor characters and filling out the story, because there's a long way to go before we're done. XD

* * *

"FUCK!" Fay awoke to the grand shouted word and a toss of the blankets. When he felt the bed move and bounce back from subtracted weight, the assumption of Kurogane being the exclaimer was almost certain.

"Kuro-min?" His voice was still hoarse from having just woken up, his heart rate slowly returning to normal from being startled. When his eyes were no longer blurry, he could see Kurogane throwing on a shirt halfway out the door.

"I'm fucking late!" He said, obviously pissed. Things began to click together in his mind and Fay realized what had happened. Scrambling out of bed he followed after Kurogane worried. The dark haired man had just pulled on his second shoe when Fay entered the room. Red eyes looked up and all motion stopped.

"....What are you doing up? Get back to bed, idiot." He commanded, latching the top of his boot.

"You're not forgetting your books or anything?" He ignored Kurogane's words as he watched his lover scramble to get ready.

"Tch. No. Got it all together last night." The other commented back, standing as he slung his backpack on his shoulder. He looked at the clock on the wall and frowned.

"Shit. I'm an hour fucking late!" He barked to himself, striding quickly over to Fay. He wrapped one arm swiftly around the blonde's waste and gave him a chaste kiss. Fay blushed before kissing back. Thinking back the blonde knew he should have set an alarm or something last night when he had gone to bed after Kurogane. The taller man pulled away and turned, stopping dead in his tracks with wider eyes when he realized a smug grin on the other person in the room. Edameonus looked like he had been awake for a while and was lounging on the other couch in the room. "See ya, Kurogane. Be careful now." He said with a chuckle.

"I'll see you later today." Fay smiled trying to stop any argument between the two before it started. Kurogane, now blushing, looked to Fay and nodded. He turned on his heel and opened the door in a hurry, almost forgetting to snatch his motorcycle keys off the hook. It wasn't too long before another cuss word was heard, and then the revving of the bike before it zoomed by. Chuckling Fay turned and walked over towards Edameonus to take a seat in one of the chairs across from his friend.

'"Looks like it will be another hectic day." Edameonus chuckled, stroking the sleeping Mokona's head.

"You don't seem too bothered by knowing that. I'm sure he'd be angry if he heard you laughing about it."

"Kuro-wankoro's bark is far worse than his bite." He waved off the other as sat back in the chair and smiled. He thought over what they would be doing today; after all, they wouldn't need to help with Edameonus's house and Tomoyo should be stopping by to take them into town. The demon stood and flipped back his hair lazily, moving his hands to reside in his pant pockets.

"I'll take your word for it; I have seen both sides." He said with a smile, talking about the few punches to the cheek he had received.

"Toriho should be here any minute with the workers."

"Will you be staying or going with me and Tomoyo?" Crossing his legs the blonde relaxed back against the chair.

"Depends on if you want me to go with you two or not... or rather, if she plans to drag me along." Edameonus smiled serenely at the thought of the girl's excitement.

"You might need some heavy lifting to be done."

"You don't mind?" After all he didn't want Edameonus to think he only wanted him to go to carry things. The court member shrugged.

"It's going to be a while before you're unable to carry heavy things, but I still don't see it proper to make you and Tomoyo-chan to do all the work." He grinned.

"This isn't about me after all."

"Thank you." Fay smiled at his friend. The sound of the door opening alerted the blonde and he turned around to see Toriho holding the door open for Tomoyo, whose arms were full with fabrics and some sort of papers. Edameonus blinked and went to her, removing some of the fabric in order for the weight to be lighter.

"What are all these?"

"I wanted Fay-san and Kurogane-kun to choose the fabric for blankets and things that I'll be making." Tomoyo smiled as she laid out what she had left on the coffee table.

"I also brought paint samples for the room."

"I'm afraid Kurogane has left for school today." Edameonus replied as he too set down the materials on the table. He stood straight again and placed his hands on his hips.

"I don't know when he'll be back." Toriho looked at the clock and sighed.

"He was late, wasn't he?"

"Yes, over an hour." Fay smiled sheepishly as he leaned forward in his seat watching Tomoyo spread out everything in front of them. Toriho pierced his lips and sighed once more.

"He really needs to know when to not push himself." He grumbled, making Edameonus look over to him.

"Was this common? His behavior..." Toriho nodded and smiled at fond memories.

"Youou is always one who tries to be best at everything." Fay chuckled as he listened to Toriho.

"Tomoyo shouldn't have gone to all the trouble." The blonde smiled as he picked up a square of a light purple fabric.

"You've already done more than enough." The girl shook her head and flashed a brilliant smile.

"I'm glad to have helped at all." She replied, taking the blonde's hand.

"And I wouldn't miss helping out my soon-to-be-relative for the world!" She said cheerfully, making Toriho smile.

"Alright then, what would Tomoyo recommend?" Fay said asking about the samples the girl had brought with her. He was glad for the kindness his lover's family had shown.

"Well, if the baby's a girl, I didn't think Kurogane-kun would appreciate the mainstream pink, so I went with a lilac color or maybe a mango orange." She began as she pulled some fabrics forward to show the blonde.

"If it's a boy, we can also use these colors, but in a darker shade. See, like this one." She pulled out a strip and pointed to the middle box.

"Kuro-kun's sure the baby will be a boy." He continued to smile as he looked at the piece Tomoyo held.

"Both are nice colors."

"The only issue is how to make them go together. Placing mango on lilac is atrocious...maybe stripes?" The girl replied, moving the fabric aside easily. Edameonus walked over to Toriho and started a conversation about the house process.

"Maybe one in just a solid color then?" Fay said as he looked over each color, he had no idea that choosing colors could be so hard.

"Hmmm... there are windows in that room right? Let's check out the lighting of the colors on the wall." She replied as she gathered up half of the materials and then stood. Fay smiled and stood picking up what was left on the table and followed Tomoyo into the soon to be nursery. Toriho and Edameonus were still talking about the shorter Ginryan's home as they walked into the room. Tomoyo smiled and set down the materials in the middle of the floor and looked about.

"This room will do nicely for a baby. Kurogane-kun takes good care of everything!" She sang out joyfully.

"Kuro-min did a good job of cleaning out the room yesterday." Fay smiled setting down his own armful of samples with Tomoyo's. He looked around the empty room seeing that it was well-lit with the large window.

"Ah. He did all that yesterday?" She asked curiously, a small frown on her lips.

"I remember this room having quite a bit of furniture." She added, picking up a darker shade of maroon.

"Hien helped." Fay felt guilty about not having helped more than he had, knowing Kurogane had been especially tired afterwards. Which in turn had probably been the reason the taller man had woken up late.

"Well that's good." Tomoyo replied, placing the paper against the wall. Frowning again she replaced it with a lighter shade and sighed.

"The baby is going to be a boy?"

"Kuro-rinta said boys run in your family, so he suspects it will be." A faint smile spread across Fay's lips as he stood off to the side not wanting to get in the girl's way. Tomoyo smiled back.

"I see." She turned to look at the wall.

"There's still a slight chance it will be a girl, so we can go with a unisex color. One that's not to masculine for a girl and one not to feminine for a boy." She held up a delicate green.

"That would be ideal for later." Fay smiled as he remembered his and Kurogane's conversation before about expanding their family even more. Tomoyo paused.

"What do you mean?" She asked cutely, going over to hold up a red. She paused and moved over slightly into the sun's rays.

"Kuro-chan and I have talked about more children." He couldn't help the smile that stretched across his lips as his cheeks reddened. Tomoyo dropped her pamphlet and shot around to stare at Fay with wide eyes.

"Hah?!" She exclaimed, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Already?!"

"Yes, it's been awhile since we first said anything." He could feel his cheeks darken as he thought back to their time in the garage on the day they had left. It seemed like it had been such a long time ago for the blonde.

"...So... _do_ you plan on having more children?" She asked timidly, thinking of her cousin having multiple mini-kuro's hanging off his arms. She couldn't help but give a giggle for the imagery.

"Yes, at least one more for certain." Fay smiled at Tomoyo's excitement at the news. He chuckled at the thought of Kurogane's wish for a daughter. Tomoyo clapped her hands together and gave an enthusiastic laugh.

"I'm so happy!" She replied.

"Kurogane-kun and Fay-san will be wonderful parents! No matter how many children they have!"

"Thank you Tomoyo." Thinking back to Kurogane, the blonde couldn't help but smile. He wondered briefly what it would be like to have a few children running around.

"So the walls will be green?" His smile never left as he asked the enthusiastic girl. Tomoyo smiled.

"I've narrowed it down to an apple green or a geisha red. Would you prefer the green overall?" She asked with a sly grin.

"I've never been good at picking things, which do you recommend?" Fay smiled sheepishly, knowing Tomoyo was more of an expert on the matter than he was.

"Surely you would like the green?" Tomoyo added, holding up the green in the sunlight. Once held there, Fay could clearly imagine the rest of the walls being that color, along with furniture to match. When she held up the red, it looked more like an adult bedroom in his imagination.

"Green it is then." Fay smiled wondering briefly what Kurogane's reaction would be if he suggested painting their bedroom in the red.

"Once we get everything it will be perfect, even Kuro-san won't be able to complain."

Tomoyo nodded.

"Yes! He'll be pleased!" She replied, setting down the red color. She then picked up a spicy looking yellow color.

"Now which fabric would look best with Apple Green?"

"Maybe a pale yellow?" Fay suggested trying to choose from the large assortment Tomoyo had brought with her, not wanting to make a quick decision. The girl looked back to the pile and blinked.

"Yellow? You mean like Banana Yellow? Or maybe... Maybe a Sunset Orange?" She offered, holding up a different color.

"There's so many to choose from, it's hard to decide." Fay said confused as he ran a hand through his hair. The dark haired teenager saw the other's frustration and smiled in understanding.

"It's alright, Fay-san, we have all day to figure this out."

"Tomoyo's the expert, I've never had to pick colors for anything before." He still wasn't sure on what to choose as he looked over samples and held them up with the green.

"Maybe I should have asked Kuro-pon?"

"Kurogane-kun never gives his opinion on the colors of a house. Unless he thinks they're ugly." Tomoyo said with a giggle, remembering asking the dark haired man his opinion on a deep brown.

"Fay-san, I'm sure you'll find one you like the most."

"Maybe a shade of white?" Fay tried to smile as he mulled over his choices.

"Kuro-myu does have his moments." Fay clearly remembered the onetime Kurogane had taken him to buy clothes. Tomoyo leaned over and pulled a gray-white out of the batch. She placed it on the green and then looked at the walls.

"Do you want there to be a banner around the ceiling?"

"Would it suit the room?" Blue eyes scanned the top of the empty room trying to imagine it as Tomoyo stood in front of him.

"I think it would." She replied as she stretched her arms out and closed one eye.

"I think a lighter... maybe milky white would be cute." She commented with a grin.

"Like a vanilla."

"That would suit the green." Fay returned Tomoyo smile with his own.

"See, Fay-san? You're getting the hang of it already!" She giggled happily, picking up the chosen color and placed it where the previous gray was.

"Fay-san, what types of furniture would you like?"

"Type?" Fay tilted his head to the side in confusion. There were still so many things to choose that he hadn't even thought about.

"Why yes. Like walkers and play things and bedding and a crib and we're certainly going to need a changing table and a waste bin and bottles and... Hello, Uncle, you need anything?" Tomoyo rambled on, but interrupted herself when she saw Toriho lean in through the door. Fay's smile faltered as Tomoyo listed everything they would need. His mind reeled as he thought about it all.

"Just coming to check on all of you." Toriho smiled as he checked out the empty room that would soon belong to his grandchild. Tomoyo smiled back and nodded.

"Uncle, Fay-san and I will be leaving for town soon. Is Hien-san coming with us?" she questioned politely, thinking of her supposed cousin.

"I'm not sure." The older grinned, he stood straight looking towards the living room.

"Oi, Hien, are you going with Fay-chan and Tomoyo-chan?" Edameonus pulled on his polo shirt, leaving the collar up and unbuttoned.

"Yes. That is if they need me. Otherwise I can lend a hand with the construction."

"Of course we want Hien-san to come, he's only been out of this house once since he arrived." Tomoyo said as she smiled at her uncle. Fay nodded in reply while Toriho smirked. Edameonus blushed a little at the girl's thoughtfulness and smiled brightly. He yanked his shirt down and straightened it.

"Since we've picked out the colors should we go now?" Fay asked, knowing they still had a lot to do today. Tomoyo folded the sheets of paper together and slipped it into her dress pocket.

"Yes, let's go!" She announced, walking to the door. Edameonus folded his arms.

"Who will be driving us? Uncle Toriho will be working here."

"Don't worry, I'll have a car called for us." Tomoyo smiled as she got out her cell phone. Fay smiled to Edameonus, knowing the man wouldn't expect Tomoyo having bodyguards. The taller man blinked and nodded before looking to Toriho.

"Is me going with them alright? You won't need anyone else to watch over your sorry ass?" He asked with a playful grin.

"I seem to recall a certain someone wanting to sleep more than anything whenever there was work to be done." Toriho smirked defiantly at his old friend. Edameonus clicked his tongue and turned on his heel.

"I'm lazy, that's different than being clumsy." He said as he offered his companion a grin over his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah just make sure they don't buy too much. Don't want Youou having another fit." Toriho waved as Tomoyo and Fay said their goodbyes and walked outside as the other two talked.

~Somewhere else in Parallel time~

"Haa... It's unfair... I shouldn't have to come here directly after work..." The bi-colored eyed teenager complained to himself, stomping in the puddles as it rained. He was on his way to his work, a shop, after school. It wasn't an ordinary shop; it was one that granted wishes. He pushed on the gate lightly and shook his umbrella unnecessarily. It was then he heard a timid and gentle voice behind him.

"A...Ah... Excuse me..." Watanuki jumped at the voice before he turned to find its owner.

"Y-yes?" He stuttered relieved it was just a regular person and not the spirits that seemed to plague him. This person was a little older than he, with surprisingly white cropped hair that bounced in waves atop his head. His navy blue eyes were shy and looking to the ground. A faint frown graced his pale lips.

"I... I heard this was a shop... for wishes..." He said, hiding his face a little under the white umbrella. Something about this person made Watanuki feel like... everything bad was gone. But the sad expression on the person's face...

"...." Watanuki remained silent for a moment as he stared at the other boy before he realized what he was doing.

"Yes, this is Yuuko's shop!" Flustered Watanuki yelled out at the strange teen. The boy's expression faltered and he looked up in hopefulness.

"Y...Yuuko..." He replied, taking a step forward.

"May I... come in?"

"Of course." Watanuki said as he stepped through the gate. The lanky teen walked forward up to the shop, closing his umbrella as he stepped onto the covered porch. It seemed Yuuko had another customer. The boy followed, his frail body moving extremely smoothly. He moved his umbrella from his shoulder to the ground, shaking it lightly before setting it on the porch. He seemed to be looking for something, his eyes glancing from side to side.

"Right this way, she should be in the parlor." Watanuki moved about quickly, nervous for an unknown reason as he opened the door for their guest.

"Yuuko-san, you have a customer!" The woman lounged at her seat, letting out a long breath of smoke from her pipe. She smiled knowingly at the boy once he appeared in her vision. "Welcome..." She said with a silky voice, making the young one look down. Watanuki stepped off to the side, not sure what to do.

"Your wish?" Yuuko smiled, her long fingers holding the slender pipe, smoke coiling up into the air and dispersing as her eyes remained on the youth before her. The boy blinked twice before bowing his head again and closing his eyes.

"You must understand... I... I have no wish..." He said meekly, tightening his fists in front of him.

"I... I came here... on a whisper of a rumor... I'm confused and don't know why I'm here..." Watanuki watched as Yuuko lips curled into her usual smile.

"I will grant the wish you know not of, but my price would be heavy." She paused as she lounged on her fainting couch.

"Do you accept?" The other person looked up and gave her a surprised grimace.

"A wish I know not of? What wish is that?" Yuuko sat up slightly, eyes never leaving the boy.

"So... you wish for two things..." The boy flinched and remained silent, signaling the woman to continue.

"You wish for knowledge of what you wish for, and you also wish to grant a request." The boy's lips were marred with a frown as he thought over the witch's words. Near the room's entrance Watanuki kept silent as he watched the exchange.

"W...What would I have to pay?" The teenager finally squeaked, making Yuuko's smile grow.

"The price.... that to grant your first wish would be to forget..." The boy blinked again.

"I don't understand." The dark haired woman closed her eyes.

"The price for granting your first wish would be to forget what you were searching for once your second wish came to be." Watanuki frowned as well, not knowing what Yuuko had planned making such as price for the other boy.

"You can always decline, but only you can make that choice." Yuuko said, her eyes expressionless. The boy frowned to himself before looking up.

"Will I ever remember? Or will I forget forever?"

"That rests with you." Yuuko crossed her long legs, the long kimono she wore, exposing pale skin. The boy's hand gripped in front of him again and he nodded. He looked up, and surprisingly he had a somewhat determined look on his face.

"I will remember eventually... So grant my wishes... please..." Red eyes closed before Yuuko stood. Gracefully she moved to stand in front of the strange boy. She brought her hand up to his face.

"Your first wish..." She locked her eyes with his own.

"...shall be granted." An intricate arcane circle appeared on the floor at the woman's feet, glowing brightly as a wind whipped through the room. The boy's eyes widened and he moved away slightly, staring at the scene before him. Watanuki blinked and frowned, wondering what the witch was up to.

"You will remember what you treasured most." She smiled sadly as curls of magic rose from the circle. The witch's kimono and long hair thrashed about harshly as the sourceless wind picked up. The boy froze in his spot, eyes going vacant as the memory of the person he treasured most came rushing into his head. His mouth opened slightly, images of the man flashing through his mind.

"...H...He... is..."

"Your most precious person." Yuuko watched as the boy slowly remembered what he had lost. The magic power dispersed as quickly as it had come, and the boy slumped to the floor. His eyes remained widened and he brought his hands up to hide his face.

"Th-that man is sensei!" He sobbed, his body racketing with a powerful shake.

"Sensei... How is he my most important person!?"

"It is not him you are remembering, only another piece of his soul." Yuuko smiled sadly as she watched the teen cry. She moved her hand to his cheek to try and comfort him as best she could. He looked up, a distraught look on his face.

"A-another piece...? But... Sensei... Sensei died... two years ago..." He bent his head down and let the tears flow.

"I... I never felt anything for sensei but... respect... why do the memories... why do they make me feel like I'm in love?!"

"They don't make you, your heart is just remembering what your body knows." Yuuko kept her gaze onto the boy. His hands moved to hold his shoulders.

"...My body..." He looked up to Yuuko again with a frown.

"My body... was once in love with Sensei?"

"Only another version of him." Yuuko remained passive as the boy stopped crying.

"You remember what you lost from another time."

"... This... It's all so confusing... Why would I wish for that?" The child asked himself, looking to the floor.

"I don't understand..."

"Do you wish to understand?" Yuuko looked down at the teen, her lips a thin line as she stared into his eyes. He stared back, unable to bring himself to look away.

"Y...Yuuko-sama... would grant that wish too? ...Wh...what would be the price of that?"

"This world will be forever closed to you. You will give up everything to understand. That is your price." Yuuko's arms feel to her sides as she watched for the teen's reply. Watanuki's eyes widened; why such a heavy price for knowledge?! He thought to himself. The boy's body quivered under the witches gaze and he slumped forward, eyes covered by bangs.

"...To... To understand... why I love someone..." His hand clenched on the ground as a tear fell from shadow.

"...that would be... the most important thing..."

"That is what you wish?" Her voice seemed to echo throughout the room, her body tense as the boy looked for an answer. The teenager wavered for a moment before moving to stand. He looked like he was about to fall, but he moved his vision onto the witch.

"I want to know why. That is my answer." He said, clasping his hands on his chest.

"I have nothing here close enough to feel any regret.. if I know whom it is I love... then my friends will understand my absence... what little friends I have..."

"Then it is settled...Archellevon..." Again Yuuko's magic encased the room, its strength weighed down on Watanuki's shoulders. Swirls thick with magic wrapped around the boy, engulfing him.

"This world is closed to you, but do not fear; another has opened to take you." The boy smiled weakly.

"Yuuko-sama..." He replied faintly, not questioning her knowledge on his name. Watanuki brought up his hand to block the wind as he watched with wide eyes transparent wings sprout from the boy's back. But as soon as they had come, the wings vanished, and as soon as they had, the boy was gone as well. Yuuko watched as the last of her magic swirled and dispersed. She knew that their parting wouldn't be the last she would see of the boy. Watanuki entered the room, looking to where the boy had been.

"What... where those wings?" He asked, a drop of nervous sweat running down his cheek.

"Something from a previous life." Yuuko stepped forward and smiled at Watanuki.

"Now, how about some sake?"

~In a Dimension Far Away~

Edameonus sighed and placed the box on the porch.

"I think that's the last box." He said to Fay with a smile. The three of them had just come home, and all the bought items were now sitting on the porch or on the couch in side.

"Do you think Kuro-san will be angry?" Fay smiled remembering his lover's reaction the last time new furniture had been brought back.

"Especially when he finds out he'll half to help assemble everything?" Tomoyo laughed happily.

"I'm sure he'll put up with it if it's for his baby!" She said in a singsong voice. She looked out to the road, hearing a faint humming noise.

"Why, here he comes now!" The girl announced, making Edameonus look over.

"School lasts a long time, huh?"

"Yes." Fay smiled brightly as he walked off the porch to greet Kurogane. Tomoyo laughed as she watched the blonde leave. Edameonus smiled at Tomoyo for a moment.

"I'm going to make sure everything's going correctly with Uncle." He commented before following Fay off the porch. Kurogane approached quickly, seeing his lover coming out to greet him. He couldn't help but smirk under the helmet. He blinked then, noticing clouds starting to quickly form above the half built house.

"What... the fuck?" Fay slowed to a halt in front of Kurogane before he turned and scanned the sky.

"A transportation?" It didn't sit well with the blonde as he saw the space above them distort. Kurogane turned off his bike at the front of the porch, jumping off quickly. He took off his helmet and moved to stand next to Fay as they both stared at the sky.

"What the hell is that?" He asked curtly, noticing Edameonus and his father were standing right below it.

"Someone's coming." He tore his gaze away from the sky to Tomoyo who was still standing outside wondering if she would be okay. Kurogane growled and realized he couldn't move. If he went to get his father and Edameonus out of the way of whatever was going to appear, then that would leave Fay behind unguarded. Doing so in the opposite direction would leave his family member in the open. It was a lose-lose situation. By then the clouds had darkened quickly, lightning flashing out at their collisions. Fay kept his eyes trained on the sky, his fingertips glowing, ready to defend them from whatever was coming. The power radiating above them was strange to him, which only caused his fear to escalate.

In the field next to the house stood Toriho and Edameonus, both at the ready. The workers had left a while ago, but they remained behind to decide on the lighting of the home. Both demons' eyes widened when they saw a purple circle faintly ghost through the clouds.

"Kuro-san..." It was nearly a whisper as Fay watched. He could feel his hands shaking lightly not knowing what was happening, he was afraid for their child's safety. Especially when they didn't know who was coming. Kurogane looked to his lover finally, his eyes narrowing. He could see the blonde's fear and instantly he wrapped a protective arm around him. Thunder suddenly cracked as the cloud darkened, the circle becoming clearer. Fay said a small spell as Kurogane pulled him close and put up a light barrier in front of Tomoyo who gasped in surprise. Knowing if anything decided to attack them, the girl would at least be safe long enough for someone to reach her.

The two demons under the cloud both growled, their eyes glowing lightly as their hands ignited.

"This is from a different dimension!" Toriho shouted above the wind. Edameonus looked at him and nodded.

"Prepare for the worst!" He shouted back, and they both raised their hands in a fighting stance. Kurogane watched, having never seen his father use Ginryan power before.

"Tomoyo, go inside and hide!" Fay shouted, knowing his own spell would only be so strong. He could feel the heavy power of whoever the spell came from and knew they were stronger than the court's members. Tomoyo nodded in a panic, wondering why her uncle and 'cousin's' hands were on fire, and frightened because of it. She went inside, leaving Kurogane and Fay to stand on the porch alone. It was then the clouds seem to stop churning, the lightning rumbling within them in glowing spots.

"We should leave." His brow furrowed as he tried to think. He could feel the binding on his back burning as he tried to call on his energy to summon another barrier. Kurogane narrowed his eyes.

"It's too late... something's coming through..." He said deeply. Edameonus's eyes widened slightly as he saw tips of feathers start to appear, ghostly white and almost nonexistent.

"Souhi! What is that?!"

"...I don't know." Red eyes scanned the portal that had opened and the wings that had appeared. He was startled when he saw a person finally emerge. The frail body didn't look conscious.

"Edameonus!"

"I'm on it!" The demon shouted, jumping from the ground to the tallest support beam. Kurogane's eyes widened when he saw Edameonus jump from the beam up into the sky as the body's wings dissipated and began to fall quickly. As soon as the ring of purple disappeared, rain began to drip down onto the scenery. Fay blinked and quickly looking down as rain poured from the sky. He watched through the downpour as Edameonus landed with whoever it was secure in his arms. Toriho ran quickly to the Ginryan's side. The demon smiled at his successful catch and pulled the body away from his. His eyes widened and his breath ceased, feeling as if his heart had exploded.

In his arms was a younger version of Archellevon.

The boy was unconscious and he was in a school uniform. Edameonus just stared, unable to comprehend it.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Toriho wiped the water from his eyes as he ran over to his friend.

"Something's wrong." Fay frowned deeply and moved to bury his face against Kurogane as rain pelted them and soaked through their clothes. Kurogane narrowed his eyes, unable to make out the others in the downpour. Edameonus's muscles twitched as he breathed again, though his red eyes never once left the white haired teenager.

"I...It's... him..." Toriho stood dumbstruck at the face that greeted him.

"Bring him inside." He spoke softly as he put a hand on Edameonus's shoulder, ignoring the rain that had drenched them already. The demon found himself once more, holding the body close to him to avoid it getting any wetter. As they approached, Kurogane and Fay could see Edameonus cradling the person as if they were his own being.

"Who...?" Kurogane began, seeing his father leading.

"Not now Youou." Toriho said resolutely as he passed, opening the door for his friend. Edameonus passed both of the quickly, his hair dripping down his face. Kurogane and Fay watched him as he passed, unable to make out neither the boy's face nor the man's expression. Tomoyo, who had been sitting on the couch, gasped as she saw the wet demon enter.

"..." Fay fisted Kurogane wet shirt tightly as he watched them go. He could still feel residue energy from whatever the person Edameonus carried had used to arrive here. Kurogane noticed Fay's quivering and held him tighter.

"Come on... let's get inside." He said attentively, not wanting either of them to get sick. Fay nodded silently, keeping Kurogane close as they moved forward inside the house and out of the rain. Kurogane only removed his hand to close the door, watching as Edameonus knelt by the sleeping form laid out on the couch. He could only assume Toriho had gone to get towels and maybe a change of clothing. Tomoyo watched in silence, hardly comprehending what was going on.

Fay's fingers glowed briefly once more, taking down the shield covering Tomoyo. Still he held onto Kurogane, feeling uneasy now that everything had passed. He could barely see the person lying on the couch, Edameonus blocked his view. Toriho entered the room quickly, but stopped in the silence of the living room. Edameonus hovered over the frail form, his face turned to the body, though his eyes could not be seen. Slowly his hand lifted from the side of the couch and gently touched the pale face.

"He needs to be dried off." Toriho's face was solemn, not knowing what to really say. He looked over to the two standing across the room.

"Fay-chan, we need a change of clothes for him." His voice was gentle as he saw the blonde. Knowing Fay's body was responding to whatever had brought the pale teen here, leaving the slender man uneasy and nervous. Edameonus reached out his hand, though he did not look away from the face. Kurogane frowned, knowing good and well that the person on the couch was the reincarnation of a past lover. He tightened his grip on Fay before taking the blonde's hand and leading him to the hallway.

"Come on, Blondie." Fay nodded as he walked behind Kurogane. His eyes tried to get a good look at the person, but he could only make out short, white hair as Edameonus used a towel Toriho had given him to dry the stranger's face. Tomoyo finally managed to stand, having been too in shock to do so before. She walked over to her uncle while staring at Edameonus.

"What... what's going on, Uncle Toriho?" She questioned, watching as his tan hand wiped the sleeping figure's neck.

"We don't know Tomoyo-chan." He smiled as best he could to his niece under the circumstances. Toriho's mind was spinning at the possibilities of why this had happened. Running a hand through his hair the older man sighed. Edameonus's shoulders quivered slightly and the corner of his lips still visible curved.

"Sou...hi..." He said in a broken voice. Toriho blinked.

"Yes, what is it?" Edameonus's hand, the one that had been drying off the teenager, had unbuttoned the shirt. On his chest, right below his sternum, was a star birthmark. It was the place the court member Archellevon had been shot.

"It's.... really.... him..."

"It seems he was right about coming back." Toriho smiled sadly, putting a hand against his friend's back as he tried to comfort him. Tomoyo watched and remained silent, confused by what see was seeing. Edameonus moved forward and moved his hands to pick the person up. Toriho blinked when Edameonus hugged the younger man.

"He's back..." The dark haired man whispered in relief. Kurogane came back in, still wet, with the extra set of clothing.

"Hes staying in the room for now." He muttered to his father, speaking of Fay.

"He's alright, nothing wrong with Fay-chan or the baby?" Toriho turned his head to look at his son. He had been worried about the blonde when he saw him before. Tomoyo still stood in the same spot taking everything in.

"They're both fine. I made him change and go to bed..." Kurogane replied in a lower tone, seeing Edameonus lay the former angel back down on the couch. The demon's smile was faint, but what little there was of it was as clear as day. He placed his hand on the pale cheek once again.

"Seems like he's been through a lot. Though I don't understand how this could happen..." Toriho frowned as things weren't lining up. Archellevon should have been reborn as an infant, not a teenager. There was also the matter of time that bothered the older man.

"He was from a different dimension..." Edameonus replied weakly, the towel moving to dry the very pale chest.

"Time isn't always aligned..." He slowly moved his head to look at Toriho, revealing mercury running down his face.

"His soul was most likely long gone before he died on Edonis..." He informed, voice cracking as he turned to look back at the sleeping teenager.

"How could you know something like that?" Toriho frowned trying to think on Edameonus's words, still confused as to why his friend was laying in front of them in much younger, human body.

"It was a rule..." Edameonus replied, moving a wet strand of hair from the boy's delicate features.

"One that was forgotten...'For time is not always the same, parallel dimensions can create reincarnations of those who suffer, therefore finding these duplicates are somewhat common... do not punish these new beings for something the old being has committed'.... there was more to it, but that's all that matters..."

"Then he doesn't remember anything?" He questioned as he watched Edameonus carefully tend to the sleeping teen. Edameonus gripped the rag tightly, his head bowing.

"...no..." He whispered, making Kurogane look away. He knew what it was like to forget everything that was important... And he was sure Fay knew what it was like to be the one that was forgotten. He was glad they had settled that matter... but Edameonus and Archellevon didn't look as lucky.

"You'll just have to start over again, it won't be so hard this time since you won't be shy about it." Toriho gave his friend the barest of grins as he remembered when they were much younger.

"And besides, if he was sent here or sent himself then there was a reason for it." Edameonus wiped his face and sighed.

"We'll see... I don't want to make it better or worse than it really is..." He stood, turning to the others.

"But right now I need to report this to the court..." He said, his heart giving a sullen beat.

"...The... the galactic law requires it..."

"You do that and there's a chance they'll take him away." Toriho's expression darkened as he grabbed hold of Edameonus's arm. The demon looked to his friend, a set frown on his face.

"...Don't you think I know that?" He replied, placing his hand on Toriho's to pull him away.

"...S...sensei...?" The soft voice made Edameonus freeze. He turned around slowly, seeing blue eyes barely open.

"..." Toriho stared with wide eyes as the teen woke up, his hands grip on his friend slackened as his words caught in his throat. The teenager struggled to sit up, but didn't try too hard, for Edameonus was instantly by his side in aiding him. The frail looking one shivered and looked to the dark haired man with a curious frown.

"...Sensei... Edam..." He said gently, making Edameonus's expression break.

"S-sensei?... A...Archellevon... Who do you know me as?" The red eyed man asked, making the teen blink.

"You... you were my teacher..." Toriho sighed, nervously running his hand through his hair as he listened to Archellevon speak. It was eerie to hear his friend's voice, especially this much younger sound that he hadn't heard in a very long time. Archellevon shivered and closed his eyes.

"Sensei... I don't know why I'm here..." He replied, looking to Edameonus. The demon frowned upon hearing those words.

"T...then... why did you come?" The taller man asked, making Kurogane blink. Thin hands removed themselves from thin shoulders and moved to cup the man's cheeks.

"Because... I wanted to know... if you were still alive..." Tomoyo had since taken a seat, not knowing what to think anymore as she listened intently, she was worried about the young man and her cousin. Beside the shorter Ginryan, Toriho hesitated to say something, not wanting to scare the boy. Edameonus stared at the former angel, confused at what the other meant.

"I... I died?" Archellevon nodded.

"You... you rescued a child named 'Kurogane' from a burning building... but... you never came out..." The white haired person said, making the halfbreed flinch.

"W-what?!" Archellevon quivered under the sharp voice, proving he wasn't used to being talked to in such a harsh tone.

"Youou." Toriho snapped at his son. They didn't need to go scaring the teen. All of them had to be careful. Archellevon looked at the other men in the room with a confused face, looking like he was scared out of his mind.

"I..." He moved to stand, the demon helping him do so.

"I... I'm wet... Ma....May I change?" He asked, his head bowed. The formal way he talked made Edameonus look at Toriho, something glinting in his eyes that set off alarms in the elder Ginryan's head.

"We have clothes for you, but they might be a little long." Toriho smiled as best he could, trying to calm the teen. The student nodded, reaching for the clothes on the edge of the couch. Kurogane nodded for him to follow and led the wobbly teenager to the bathroom. The half breed closed the door and glared down the hall, not knowing what else to do. Edameonus slumped lower, his forehead resting against the couch.

"Edameonus..." Toriho put a hand atop his friend's shoulder. Back in the bedroom Fay had rolled onto his side facing the door, having been woken from a fitful sleep by Kurogane's shout. He was still unsure of what was happening. The energy he had felt earlier had scared him, not being used to facing a power signature that strong and with the tattoo restraining his own powers the blonde had panicked, fearing the worst. Kurogane opened the door, having had enough of the other people's business.

"Oi... you still awake?" He called in, closing the door. He removed his wet shirt and flung it onto the pile of dirty clothing before grabbing a towel he had laid out earlier.

"I can't sleep..." Fay sat up slowly, leaning forward the blonde arms laid in his lap as he watched Kurogane. The other grunted and continued to change, not liking the wet clothing.

"That's understandable..." He replied, drying himself off completely.

"Fucker comes outta no where..." He muttered to himself, looking back to the door.

"They knew who it was?" Fay asked as he looked up to his lover. He was worried about Kurogane getting sick. On top of everything else as he saw how wet his lover's clothes actually were.

"It was that angel guy from the court. He was a reincarnation." Kurogane pulled on a dry pair of sweatpants, sighing as he thought of how complicated things were now becoming.

"A-Archellevon...?" Fay bit his lip as he felt tears well at the corners of his eyes. He could still remember the man's death clearly. Thinking of the angel Fay gripped the sheets tightly as memories of how the man had helped them swam through his mind. To think he had come back was wonderful news, but the blonde was concerned about what it could mean for both this new Archellevon and Edameonus.

"He doesn't remember his past life at all though." Kurogane informed darkly, slipping on a shirt.

"That guy was still so serious even afterwards too."

"They can't just return his memories, he's been reborn in another body..." The blonde wiped at his eyes, not wanting to cry no matter how happy he was for his friends.

"..." Kurogane walked over and sat on the bed next to his lover. He stared at the lithe man for a moment before looking at nothing in particular.

"We were lucky then..."

"...Yes..." Fay leaned forward moving to rest his forehead against Kurogane's shoulder. Despite everything bad that had happened to them, they had come out of the ordeal together. The same couldn't be said for the two in the living room. Archellevon sat down in the smaller chair, Fay's clothes fitting nicely, though his pants and sleeves hid his hands and feet. He blushed when he realized all attention was on him.

"A-ah... I'm... I'm sorry... M-my name is Archellevon... I like to be called Archy... though you don't have to..." The white haired teenager said in a trailing off voice.

"I'm Toriho, the one who left earlier was my son Youou, and the young lady here is Tomoyo. There is also Fay, but he's resting right now." The older man smiled as he introduced them, glad to see the teen was as scared as he had been. He looked to Edameonus trying to get the other to say something. Archellevon also looked at the dark haired man.

"...Sensei..." He said softly, making Edameonus look at him. His eyes, which Toriho thought would've been bright once seeing the angel again, were dull.

"...Yes?" He replied, making the blue eyed one look to the ground.

"...I have a feeling... I was sent here... for you..." The demon blinked, a spark appearing in the blackness of his pupil.

"You were sent here? By who, Archy?" Toriho spoke softly worried about both the teen's and his fellow Ginryan's mental state at the moment.

"A woman named Yuuko-sama... She... she was a witch who could cast spells... and grant wishes..." He looked in a sidelong glance to the still wet man.

"Though... I don't know what my wish was... I ended up here..."

"Can you tell us where you came from?" Toriho had been surprised by the name, but the description didn't really fit the Valerian. Seeing as how this Archellevon was human and didn't know better assumed the court member was a witch?

"...I was from a place called 'Tokyo'..." He squeaked.

"My.... my family..." He looked down and fiddled with his hands.

"Mother and father were killed... I have no siblings..." He looked up to Edameonus again.

"Sensei... gave me a home... when no one else wanted me..." He touched his chest.

"You... you see... I have a birth mark... it... it was said to be caused by demons..."

"You're welcome to stay here, that is if you want. We won't force you." Toriho tried to smile at the younger male. It seemed that Edameonus had been right about how the light haired boy had arrived. By the sound of it the boy had nothing back on his own home where ever or whenever that was. Archellevon looked up timidly.

"I...That is to say.. I have nowhere else to go... You see... I can recall... Yuuko-sama saying... I could never go back... I don't remember why..." He fidgeted more. He blushed when a darker hand was placed on his. Following it up to his arm, he saw Edameonus's calm expression.

"You must be tired... sleep on the couch... We'll leave you be..."

"As far as all of us are concerned, this can be your home." Toriho smiled and stood, knowing he and Tomoyo should leave. He just hoped Edameonus would be alright. The former angel looked about to the others and then to the ground.

"...Thank you..." He said weakly. Edameonus stood and looked to the couch Tomoyo had removed herself from. He yanked on the bottom, pulling out the futon. He then looked to Toriho.

"...I'll finish talking to you later..." He said, looking away.

"If you need anything, Youou will be able to get a hold of me." Toriho smiled sympathetically to his friend. He turned his head towards his niece.

"Tomoyo-chan, it's late we should get going, perhaps we can come by tomorrow, after all the nursery still needs to be painted." Tomoyo nodded, still staring at the teenager. She had witnessed some unusually things today, and she was unsure of how to approach them.

"Uncle..." She began, looking to Toriho. "You don't have to tell me now... but... I would like you to know I'm curious..." She gave him a solid expression.

"Hien-san isn't really my cousin, is he?"

"No, he's not...come; your aunt and I can help explain things." Toriho looked apologetic at the girl as he moved towards the door. Tomoyo nodded before looking to Edameonus.

"Please... Even though I'm not related to you..." She gave him a smile.

"I'm glad to have met you, Hien-san!" The man gave her a fragile smile and shook his head.

"No, my name is Edameonus."

"Edameonus." Tomoyo smiled hoping things would be better for her family tomorrow. Toriho grinned as he held the door open for her. As the false relatives left, Edameonus looked at the teenager. Archellevon had moved to sit on the sofa, but was staring at him.

"Sensei..." The man shook his head.

"You were right; your sensei is dead." Archellevon closed his mouth and looked down.

"But... I am him... from a different world..." They created eye contact for a brief moment and Edameonus turned.

"Just call me Ed..." The white haired person looked up at the retreating man.

"...'Ed'..." He mimicked before settling in the blankets. Edameonus touched the kitchen door handle, staring at his companion for a moment. He entered and closed it, leaning against the door.

"...Soel..."

"Mokona felt something strange and stayed hidden." Mokona hopped closer to the Ginryan knowing he was upset. Edameonus stared at the floor, clenching his teeth tightly.

"...Soel..." He clasped his hand over his eyes.

"It's not him... It's him.. But it's not him..." He slid down the door, hitting the floor with his fist.

"...I... I have to tell the court..."

"Edameonus should wait," Soel knew it was against what she had been made to do, but as she saw the sadness in the other's eyes she knew it would be painful for him to give a report.

"Things will be better tomorrow."

"Things will be better and worse in the future no matter what." The demon closed his eyes and let his hands falls to the ground.

"It's against the law to keep it a secret too... I'll be punished either way..." He looked to Mokona.

"...I have to make my weekly report anyway..."

"But, it won't be bad to wait!" Soel shook her head as tears threatened to spill.

"Mokona!" Edameonus spat sharply, his hands becoming fists on the ground.

"Sometimes things don't go as we want to." He said, not caring about how he would look to Yuuko.

"I can't change the way things are because of my own selfishness! Now do what you were created for!" He barked, his heart churning as he hated himself more for talking to the creature in such a harsh tone.

"Soel won't, just this once Mokona will not listen." The small creature grabbed her long ears in worry. A few tears escaped and ran down her round face. Edameonus's face contorted with anger as he lashed out and picked her up.

"Child!"

"Mokona won't!" Soel kicked and struggled as Edameonus held her. The person's grip tightened, but his expression melted into something unreadable.

"Soel... Do you think it will be easier on me this way?" He asked, setting the white thing in his lap.

"Mokona knows it will be a mistake...Mokona can feel it..." She sniffled and rubbed at her large eyes. The other frowned and closed his eyes.

"I have to call Yuuko either way... whether... I decide on to tell about... about Archy... or not, is my decision alone..."

"M-Mokona doesn't want to..." She spoke softly knowing it would be best to wait. She could tell the Ginryan wouldn't be okay if he told.

"Soel, I'm overdue for my report. They'll contact me if I don't contact them." He said as he looked to her. Sighing, he placed a hand on her head.

"You give me no choice... forgive me when you wake again..." He placed a finger on her gem.

"Mokona Modoki Soel #3, I demand you give me access to Edonis, Model Mokona Modoki Larg #2, owner Court Member Yuuko." He said, eyes flashing maroon with power. Mokona couldn't react as she fell asleep, the gem on her forehead glowing as a projection of Yuuko appeared. She looked at Edameonus with a raised eyebrow.

"My, my, you look a mess... something happen?" Edameonus frowned, bowing his head.

"The house is a fourth of the way complete already, Earth technology is steadier than we assumed..." He said in a monotone voice.

"Such advancements...have you adjusted to the planet yet?" Yuuko remained impassive as she looked at her fellow court member.

"Yes... I've received hostility toward the townsfolk though..." He brought his vision to Yuuko's level.

"You see, I had forgotten the level of affection for 'cousins' was different on each planet. I hadn't realized holding hands was considered sexual on Earth. The townsfolk saw Sir Fay with Sir Youou, so naturally they do not except me."

"Such strange beings. Aside from studying their technology, you should look into their behavior as well. It wouldn't do if we are unable to bridge gaps between cultures." The woman spoke almost dully her eyes never leaving Edameonus.

"Hnn..." He looked curiously at her.

"Wait... what do you mean 'bridge gaps between culture'? We've only planned on making the planet lose its title of 'Abandon'... What has the Court decided on without me?"

"We have not come to anything yet, it has been suggested that if the planet's restrictions are removed that the planet should be...connected to the rest of the planets." Yuuko smiled faintly her answer vague. Edameonus's eyes narrowed.

"Yuuko... Your plans, however they might turn out, always involve something either dangerous or complicated..." He sighed and rubbed his temple.

"Do what you like, but make sure you get my opinion on it too. I'm still part of the Court."

"Of course, shall we talk again next week then? I'll be able to tell you more then." She smiled deviously at the man's words. Edameonus paused for a moment as he lowered his head in thought. He opened his mouth.

"There's... something more..." He began, closing his eyes tightly.

"Something... happened..."

"Oh?" She crossed her arms, waiting for whatever Edameonus had to tell her. The demon left his mouth hanging open. He had formulated the sentence 'Archellevon has been reincarnated' in his mind, but they never left his mouth. Instead:

"The close relatives of Sir Youou have found out I'm not from this world... They've also met Mokona..." He bent his head lower.

"Things continuously go smoothly despite that... this is all..."

"You must make sure Mokona is not seen by anyone else...I suspect Toriho will help make sure of that. Otherwise everything will go to waste if she is discovered to be a living creature." Yuuko's face was expressionless as she spoke.

"Yes..." Edameonus replied, bringing his eyes to meet Yuuko's.

"I will make sure I do not falter again." He announced, wondering how many of the other court members were watching him off screen.

"Until next time Edameonus." Yuuko bowed her head before the transmission was cut off and Edameonus was left with the still sleeping Soel. The demon slumped against the door, his hand going to cover his face.

"Damn me to hell then..." He whispered with a bitter smile, mercury once again slipping down his cheek.

"Any punishment... for a day with him..."


	21. But it seemed you had other ideas

**Mirika-rin:** YES YOU ARE NOT MISTAKEN. THIS **IS** ANOTHER CHAPTER. Since I was a retard and uploaded 19 twice before a kind reviewer pleasantly told me that I did that (-headdesk-) and since I'm going to be busy with uni along with whatever shiz I plan to take on, as well as being bored LOL I'm uploading another chapter XD a little bit of fluff for Kurofay to balance the abundance of awkward angst of EdArchy right now, read and enjoy ^-^

**Ashine-chan:** *looks away* So we're getting into another story arc and more angst~ XD There's also more development for other characters.

* * *

Fay awoke again before Kurogane, drowsy still the blonde sat up as he remembered everything that had happened yesterday. He still hadn't really seen Archellevon and hoped for the best. Leaning over he gave his sleeping lover a soft kiss, glad to see the man finally resting. Glancing up at the clock Fay noticed the time and knew he would have to wake the other man for school.

"Kuro-san?" He called warmly as he bent down once more to kiss a tan cheek smiling as he did. Kurogane grunted, turning somewhat to face Fay.

"Wha...?" He groaned, bringing a hand up to block the light from his eyes.

"Good morning to you too, but Kuro-chan needs to wake up to get to school on time." Fay chuckled thinking of how the taller man reminded him of a child stirring.

"...Nnn... Fuck school..." The taller man replied, turning back over stubbornly. Fay shook his head as he leaned down and wrapped his arm around Kurogane.

"But Kuro-min was the one who decided to go back." He nuzzled the side of his lover's head, his nose brushing against dark hair as the other man tried to go back to sleep. Kurogane didn't move for a second before looking to Fay groggily.

"...Keep that up and I'm _definitely_ not going to school." He warned, reaching his fake hand up to grip the thin elbow softly.

"I'm treating Kuro-san the same I do every day." Fay bent his arm so his hand could rest atop Kurogane's shoulder. The blonde knew that his lover needed sleep, but he also knew Kurogane wouldn't want to miss too much school after having been absent for such a long stretch already.

"Tch..." The dark haired man moved to face the blonde. He brought his hand up to move a strand from Fay's face.

"Every day is something new with you." He said affectionately.

"I suppose." Fay smiled warmly, he felt much better having slept well last night and the happiness that welled inside him from his friend's return only helped his mood. Kurogane smirked and gave the blonde a kiss briefly.

"Hnn.." He pulled away and sat up in bed, running a hand through his hair.

"Wonder how they're acting..." He said to himself, standing out of bed.

"As normal as can be hopefully, given the circumstances." Fay smiled following suit and getting out of bed. Kurogane got dressed for the day and sighed; it was going to be another long day. He opened the bedroom door and blinked, seeing the kitchen door closed.

"The hell? I leave that open..." He said to himself, going forward. He pulled it open and jumped back slightly, watching Edameonus's sleeping form tumble to the ground.

"Kuro-san?" Fay said as he walked out, hearing a soft thump the blonde looked just in time to see Edameonus fall back onto the floor asleep.

"That bastard fell asleep here!" Kurogane snapped, placing his hands on his hips.

"Looks like he didn't have the brains to change out of his damp clothes either. Bastard's probably sick now." He grumbled, annoyance radiating off him. Fay side stepped his lover and crouched down to get a better look at his friend. Lightly he patted the Ginryan's cheek to wake him up.

"Edameonus?" The man twitched and stirred, not really being a heavy sleeper.

"Hunhn? Fay-chan?" He asked sleepily, a small smile coming to his lips.

"A...ah... good morning..." Kurogane growled.

"Idiot! How can you be so light hearted when waking up there?!"

"Good morning. Are you alright?" Fay stood up, making room for Edameonus. The other man sighed and pushed himself off the ground.

"Yeah. Didn't mean to fall asleep there." He replied calmly, Mokona in his hands.

"She stayed with me though."

"I'm sure the two of you would like something to eat. And you need to change." He wondered briefly if Edameonus even knew he was still in his damp clothes from yesterday, but he guessed after everything that had happened it wouldn't have mattered to him anyway.

"U...uhm..." The small voice make Edameonus turn sharply to the owner, a frown on his face. Archellevon held his arm with the other, blushing a little.

"G-good morning... E...Ed... and Youou..." He said timidly, making Kurogane's anger spike a little.

"Youou?!"

"Kuro-san." Fay poked his lover's side a bit too hard as he gazed at the light haired teen.

"Don't mind him, he stays grumpy. You must be Archellevon, I'm Fay...I wasn't able to meet you yesterday." He smiled as he spoke carefully not wanting to say anything that would bother the younger boy. The teenager smiled faintly, nodding.

"H-hello... please... call me Archy." He replied, bowing slightly. Edameonus looked away in disgust, seeing the face of his lover so shyly smiling made him sick.

"I'll go change now." He said, moving passed the little group to go to the laundry room. Fay watched worried before returning his gaze to the teen.

"I'm glad that the clothes fit, I'll give you some more later, but right now would you like breakfast?" The blonde smiled wishing that the boy wasn't so timid around them.

"Y-yes..." Archellevon said with a wider smile, though his eyes watched the turned back of the demon.

"I'm not sure... what's cooked here... but... things look similar... to where I live... so maybe..."

"I'm sure we can find something, though Kuro-rinta needs to get more groceries." Glad that Archellevon was warming up to him the blonde gestured for the teen to follow him into the kitchen. Kurogane let out an unbelieving squawk.

"ME?! I'm not the only goddamn one living here anymore! Get groceries yourself!" He barked after the blonde, making Archellevon giggle a little.

"Kuro-rinta's the only one who can drive." The blonde chuckled glad to hear the other's laughter.

"Which reminds me Tomoyo and I spent the day getting furniture for the nursery. There were a few other things I wanted to ask, but I'm not sure if she left her samples behind."

"Hn? Like what?" The taller man asked, sitting down in his chair with a huff. Archellevon looked down the hallway after the dark haired man before entering the kitchen.

"First the boxes need to be moved inside, the rain probably didn't help, but while Tomoyo and I were going over colors she more or less suggested a color for our room." Fay smiled as he went about looking for something he could cook.

"Archy, do you have any preferences?" The nickname was strange on his tongue but the blonde knew he could get used to it. The former angel shook his head, having no clue what was edible in this new world. Kurogane looked at his lover skeptically.

"What?! Just what the hell did you two buy!?" He rubbed his temple and let out a shallow growl.

"And why the hell would she suggest a color for our room? Wasn't she supposed to only help with the baby?" The teenager looked at Kurogane.

"Ba....baby?"

"Whatever Tomoyo said was needed and we did pick colors for it, but she showed me a nice red..." Fay looked over his shoulder to Archellevon.

"Kuro-pyon and I are expecting." A smile broke out onto the blonde's face at the mention of their unborn child. Kurogane's face lit up slightly and he rubbed the back of his head. Archellevon blinked and looked between the two adults with a naïve grin.

"So Fay-san is a girl?" Kurogane snorted, covering his mouth with his hand.

"No...but you're not the first to think so." Fay glared halfheartedly at the back of his lover's head.

"Kuro-chan obviously doesn't think I'm a girl does he?" Fay smiled deviously waiting for the other man's answer as he took out a few pans and ingredients. Kurogane smirked, seeing the game trying to be played.

"After all I've seen? Hell no." He said leaning back in his chair.

"But that doesn't stop me, does it?" Archellevon blushed deeply and looked to his hands in his lap.

"No, Kuro-wankoro is a beast." Fay sighed dramatically as he turned on the stove and started mixing things.

"Honestly, do you two have to talk about your sex life in front of a person you just met?" Asked Edameonus, having just entered the room. Archellevon stared at the man, having never seen him in such formal street clothing.

"Kuro-brute was the one who was laughing." Fay said, his back to everyone as he poured what he was mixing into a hot pan. Edameonus rolled his eyes and sat at the table as well, staring at the table. Archellevon stared at him, making Kurogane's brow raise.

"...Oi." The light haired boy looked to him in question.

"That method you used to get here... you said a witch did that?" Archellevon swallowed before nodding, intimidated by the other man.

"Kuro-puppy should stop acting so scary." Fay said as he cooked. He could nearly feel Archellevon's apprehension as the teen looked to Kurogane. The half-Ginryan looked to his lover briefly and scoffed.

"He'll get used to it..." He narrowed his eyes, staring as Archellevon fiddled some more. He frowned; something was off. The other Ginryan's eyes looked to Kurogane, seeing him staring at the white haired man.

"... It's not polite to stare..." He chided lightly, making the other man growl. Fay hurried as quickly as he could, not liking the tension that was forming between the two dark haired men at the table. Gathering plates Fay laid them on the counter plating what food was done before pouring more into the pan and repeating the process. Edameonus noticed the lithe man was just about finished and he stood, walking over to take the plates from the counter.

"Thank you, Fay-chan." He said with a small smile, making Kurogane's expression darken. Just because he had agreed that he was a little touchy didn't stop him from being such. Returning his friend's expression Fay took what was left to set on the table before he moved to retrieve drinks for them.

"It's not much, Kuro-tan needs to go shopping soon." The blonde grinned as he took a seat beside his lover. Kurogane glared daggers back.

"Didn't I already say I was busy?!" He hissed, making Archellevon smile at the antics. He looked down at the table, unaware of Edameonus staring at him.

"But if I remember correctly you said you weren't going to school. Besides we need to start putting together the furniture." Fay smiled as he began to eat. Kurogane grumbled to himself and began to eat as well. Edameonus lifted his fork, but didn't bring it to his mouth. His mind wandered back to what Yuuko had said, wondering what she had in store. Fay sighed as he felt his unborn child make itself known while he ate. He was always much more active when the blonde was eating or sleeping and now was no exception. Kurogane's eyes moved to Fay's stomach, assuming Toshihiko was being a pest again. He thought for a moment, wondering how long it would be until the child needed more DNA.

"I'm not sure what you would like, I'm not really familiar with the food here either, but I hope it's at least edible for you." The blonde said smiling at Archellevon as he moved a hand to his stomach to try and settle the baby. The white haired boy nodded with a small smile, taking his fork delicately in his fingers for a moment before placing it in his mouth.

"Hmm! It's good, Fay-san!" He said happily. Edameonus set down his fork gently, bowing his head a little.

"...Ar...Archy... Why do you speak so formally?" He asked, making the teenager look at him.

Fay paused as Edameonus spoke up, wondering why the man would bring something like that up. He winced a bit knowing the baby was taking more energy from him than normal because he had tried to use his own energy yesterday to generate barriers. Archellevon smiled timidly.

"Why... Mother... and Father... they always said to use proper titles with people I've just met... E...Ed..." He blushed a little, speaking so informally was unused to him. The demon frowned deeply and looked away.

"He never was formal..." He said to himself, so low only Fay could manage to make it out.

"Then we'll just have to be around long enough to where you don't have to be so formal around us, after all once you spend enough time here you'll realize not many of the men have manners." Fay smiled reassuringly to both Archellevon and Edameonus. Kurogane frowned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He questioned curtly, making Archellevon giggle.

"It seems... I'm not the only stranger here..." He looked to Fay.

"I... I don't know much... but... I'll do my best." He placed a hand over his heart.

"Because I want to know..." Edameonus's eyes widened under his bangs. It was truly the same as the former angel...

"Kuro-ruu's rough around the edges." Fay pointed his fork at Kurogane as he grinned, glad to hear the teen enjoying himself.

"Technically I've only been here for about a month, but you'll fit in...I'm sure of it." Archellevon nodded with a grin.

"Yes... I'm sure..." He replied. The demon at the table stood sharply, a frown on his face.

"I'm finished." He exclaimed. The teenager looked at his plate.

"B...But you didn't touch your meal..." He said. Edameonus shook his head.

"I'll eat it later." He replied, setting it in the fridge. Fay had been startled at the Ginryan's quick exit. Knowing it was hard for the man to be so close to his lover, but it didn't mean he couldn't try to get to know the teen better to start again.

"Don't worry, he'll eat when he's hungry." He said not wanting Archellevon to think he was the cause of the dark haired man's retreat. The white haired boy nodded slowly, wondering why his 'teacher' had been so desperate to get away.

"...Fay-san.. tell me about you?" He asked meekly, wanting to change the subject. He blushed, not expecting the question.

"What would you like to know?"

"Where were you from? Where did you grow up? When did you meet Youou-san?" The curious teenager began. Kurogane blinked; the boy had literally done a 180 in two seconds, from timid to burbling with chatter.

"I grew up far away from here in a place called Valeria. I meet You-...Kuro-pon a short time ago." Fay was flustered by all of Archellevon's questions, almost saying Kurogane first name in the process, thinking it sounded strange in such a formal tone.

"Eh? 'Kuro-pon'?" He looked to Kurogane.

"Why doesn't he call you Youou, Youou-san?" Kurogane sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Because I dropped that name when I was younger. My name is Kurogane now." He glared at Fay.

"And this bastard's deemed it worthy to call me anything he damn pleases."

"Kuro-myu said he didn't want me to say his full name." Fay mock pouted up at his lover, hoping it would cheer up the boy to see Kurogane wasn't as intimidating as he wanted others to believe. Kurogane blushed slightly and looked away.

"Tch! You could at least spare me and let up on such girly nicknames." He said in defeat, making Archellevon smile.

"Kuro-chan likes the names." Fay smiled triumphantly.

"He just doesn't like admitting to it."

"Like hell I like them!" Kurogane barked, facing his partner once more. The teenager giggled behind his hand, thinking it cute how the taller man acted.

"Then what would Kuro-chan like me to call him?." Smiling Fay leaned forward against his upturned palm. He was glad to hear the other teen was at least enjoying himself

"Kurogane! That's my name!" The stubborn one snapped. Archellevon yawned then, blushing when his mouth closed again.

"A-ah.... g-gomen..."

"If you're tired, you can go back to sleep. I'll try to keep Kuro-rin from yelling too much." Fay offered, knowing that traveling must have put a drain on the boy. The white haired one shook his head fervently.

"O-oh no! I must stay awake! I w-want... to be of some assistance... after all... y-you all took me in..." Kurogane stared at the younger one with a disbelieving look, wondering if the former angel acted this way.

"It's not a problem at all, besides since Kuro-san didn't go to school today he can help me pack everything inside." The blonde had hoped the rain hadn't damaged anything they had left outside.

"But I..." Archellevon said as he stood, looking at the other two men in worry. Kurogane twitched; that was the same look the girl Sakura gave him. He weakened and sighed. That look always got him.

"Fine. You wanna help? Come with me." he said as he stood.

"Going to bring the furniture in?" Fay asked questioningly as he watched the kitchen's other two occupants stand.

"Yeah. You gonna continue with the room?" The tallest man there asked, looking at his lover.

"It's possible Tomoyo will come over again to actually paint." The white boy walked over to Kurogane, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground as to not anger the half breed.

"I need something to cover the floor if I'm going to paint." Standing, Fay pushed his chair in as he thought over how he was going to go about painting the room.

"There's no carpet in there, you don't need to cover the floor. We'll just put carpet down on top of your hack job." Kurogane teased, noticing Archellevon was avoiding his gaze. The two adults stared at the boy, who merely fidgeted under their gazes. Kurogane cocked a brow and growled slightly.

"What's your deal, kid?" He said, making Archellevon raise his eyes slowly.

"He's only just woken up, it's hard to travel the way he has and being glared at isn't helping Kuro-wan." Fay stepped closer to the other two. Kurogane stared at the younger boy before narrowing his eyes.

"That's not it, is it, kid?" He asked suspiciously. Archellevon lowered his head once more before looking up, a blush on his face.

"D-Does... Kurogane-sama know... Does... he know about... E..Ed?" Kurogane blinked before looking at Fay in complete confusion.

"What about him?" Fay asked as, just as confused as Kurogane at the question.

"I-I... I believe him... when he said he wasn't my sensei... but... I... I'm so confused..." Archellevon looked down again. Kurogane sighed, a frown on his face.

"Blondie... this is about his lost memories..." The former angel looked up in question.

"He is in a way the same person, but your world's version of Edameonus died, while this one is still alive." Fay spoke slowly, trying to figure out what exactly to say to ease the teen's worries.

"You've not really lost your memories...more like forgotten a past life." Archellevon looked to Fay with a frown.

"But... I don't understand... Why do I remember him from a past life if he's still living with those memories? Didn't ...E...Ed also die? Shouldn't he forget?" Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"I doubt all versions of a person die at the same time."

"He didn't...but you did." Fay frowned not wanting to complicate things or confuse Archellevon.

"I... I died? But... Ed... he died in my world..." The white haired one blinked.

"It was reversed... I.. I wonder... what type of p-person... was I?"

"We've not known you for long, but you were the same." Fay smiled as best as he could. He didn't think it would be right for Archellevon to know about everything he had once been and all that had happened. The other cracked a small smile, his lanky arms wrapping around his body.

"I... I'm glad then..." The smile vanished as quickly as it had come.

"...I... Is that why... Ed avoids.. me?" Kurogane placed a hand on his hip.

"It's not easy having a lover who doesn't remember you." He said, looking over to Fay.

"It will take some time for him to come to terms with things, but don't think he isn't happy you're here." Turning his head slightly Fay gave Kurogane a weary smile, sharing the same thoughts. Archellevon looked down and nodded.

"I... I want... to make E...Ed happy..." Archellevon replied. Kurogane sighed.

"Come on, kid. You can think of what to do when you're helping me." He informed, starting his way to the front do. Archellevon blushed a little and followed quickly.

"A-Ah! H-Hai!" Glad that Archellevon wasn't too upset over everything, Fay smiled.

"Kuro-rinta has a lot to do today. He should get going." He smirked as he crossed his arms. Kurogane nodded and exited afterward, the skinny one following behind him closely.

~A few days later~

Fay stood in the doorway the fumes from the room making him a bit light headed. The green Tomoyo had suggested had turned out just as the two of them had hoped for. Currently Kurogane was lounging on the couch, having finished the last piece of furniture. He looked up and saw Fay standing outside the door.

"Too sensitive for the fumes?"

"Yes." The blonde turned and walked over to take a seat beside Kurogane. Blue eyes scanned his lover's handiwork, glad that it was now finished and soon they'd be moving all the furniture inside.

"...That guy's house hasn't taken long to get finished. The busy work for that will come once it's actually built." Kurogane said, staring out the window at the now roofed and insulated house.

"Everything seems to be getting done within the month." Edameonus said as he walked into the living room from the laundry room.

"It's all going a lot faster than I thought it would." Fay curled his legs under himself on the couch as the slight headache he had gotten went away. Edameonus nodded.

"Yes. Maybe the reports I've done have given the Court more information on Earth's trading potential." He said as he folded his arms. Just then Archellevon came in, holding a large armful of blankets.

"I-I have the blankets, E-Ed... for your futon..." Fay watched as he leaned against Kurogane, resting. He had hoped that Archellevon wouldn't stutter so much around Edameonus, but he supposed the teen was still getting used to everything going on around him. The demon looked to the other and glossed on a smile.

"Thank you, Archy." He replied, taking the blankets from the younger one. He had started to say the white haired teenager's nickname easier now, but his smile never seemed real around the boy, and all four in the room knew it.

"Is Toriho still outside?" Fay asked, taking his attention away from the Ginryan and to not let the teen linger on the other man's smile.

"No, I'm done working outside for today." Toriho smiled as he closed the front door and walked towards the others in the living room. Archellevon smiled brightly to the person who just entered, having become friends with him.

"Hello, Toriho-san. Have you worked hard today?" He asked, bowing a little. Edameonus's eyebrow twitched, but he merely turned and walked to the couch he was using as a bed.

"Yes, but everyone else has been working hard too." Toriho looked sheepish at the enthusiastic greeting as he stood in front of everyone.

"But Youou and I should get started on finishing up painting soon." Kurogane looked to his father with a deeper frown.

"I thought you said you'd do that alone, old man." Kurogane reminded in a gruff, not wanting to get up. Archellevon took a seat in a smaller chair in the corner, a small smile on his face as he watched the family talk.

"You're the father, you should be the one doing most of the work." Toriho put a hand to his hip as he looked at his son. Kurogane groaned and rubbed his temples, not wanting to deal with the other man.

"I _have_ been doing most of the work dammit." He grumbled before moving Fay off of him gently. He then stood and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Fine! Fine! What the hell are we painting?" Archellevon giggled; his gruff demeanor always melted when he heard about his child.

"We're doing the ceiling and doing the trim work. The tape and everything's already waiting for us." The older man said as he watched his son. Fay shifted his legs out from under him and crossed them as he was moved. Kurogane frowned.

"Goddamn. I hate trim." He said bluntly, remembering he had to do all the trimming for Tomoyo's house. He shook his head and stomped into the once tv room.

"Let's get this over with."

"It won't be as big a job as the first one was." Toriho smirked as he followed. Once inside the room he saw his own handiwork from the day before. Blue painter's tape outlined where they were suppose to start, Two paint cans sat on the floor with brushes atop them. Kurogane growled to himself before taking a paintbrush and popping the lid off the can.

"Goddamn it! If that Blondie didn't get ill from the smell of this I'd make him do it." He grumbled to himself, examining the tape for a place to start.

"Stop being a brat. You'd do it even if Fay-chan was able to." Toriho smirked knowingly as he followed Kurogane's lead and dipped his own brush into the can. Kurogane shot a glare to his father before stepping onto the step stool. He set the can down on the top rung and brought the now wet utensil to the wall.

"It's good that everything's nearly done. The two of you won't have to worry about scrambling to get everything together." Toriho said as he got down on his knees to start at the bottom of the wall, careful not to paint above the tape he had used to mark the walls. Kurogane looked down to his father and blinked.

"I guess you're right. It would be a pain in the ass to do it all at the last minute." He commented, stroking the brush smoothly against the untainted cement.

"You should be glad you have so many people helping." Dipping his brush, Toriho wiped off excess paint on the edge of the can before bringing it to the wall again.

"Soon it'll be three months and Fay-chan will start to show more. If he goes out the two of you will have to think of something." The Ginryan smirked as he painted thinking about how everything had turned out. Kurogane almost fell backwards; he hadn't thought of that. He looked slowly to his father with a frown.

"...So many people in town know him... even if we thought of something that would fool a stranger he'd still be noticed."

"I could ask your mother for some kimono to dress him in." He chuckled at seeing his son's expression.

"Maybe some bagger clothes would do for now, but around the fifth and final months he might not be able to go anywhere."

"Tch. Knowing him that's when he'll want to go out the most." Kurogane murmured, moving his hand along the tape to even it out again.

"I'll see if I can't get anything for him. He'll be too tired to do much." Toriho wasn't too well versed on Valerian culture, but he knew enough about it from dealings with others over his years working for the court.

"Fine. Do what you want." Kurogane replied, hopping off the stool only to move it down more so he could continue. Edameonus peered in the doorway, glancing at the two family members working diligently. He turned back and smiled at Fay.

"Are you feeling better, Fay-chan?"

"Yes." The blonde smiled, knowing he hadn't been much help with the nursery after he had gotten sick. Archellevon had busied himself with sewing square patches to a blanket. He had told Fay that it was tradition in his family to make a baby a baby blanket, so he had been working on it for the past couple of days.

"Does Fay-san want twins?" He asked with a grin.

"Twins for Fay-san would be adorable."

"I don't know, I've never really thought about it." Pale cheeks were dusted light pink at the idea.

"Twins would be nice, but I'm only having the one now." He watched as the teen's fingers worked nimbly on the patchwork, flattered that he was making something for the baby.

"Just one? How do you know?" Archellevon said with a curious expression. Edameonus blushed a little and looked away, remembering the method he used on Fay for getting DNA on Edonis.

"...It's a feeling." Fay smiled as Archellevon continued to work. He looked to Edameonus, remembering how the Ginryan had thought he was with twins. The teenager smiled brightly before nodding.

"Fay-san, what will the child's initials be? I want to embroider them into the blanket." Archellevon asked as he put his focus on the blanket again.

"I've never really thought about it, Kuro-min and I have only thought of a first name." He smiled sheepishly not knowing how to answer.

"That's alright, it doesn't have to be all of them." The white haired teen replied, giggling sweetly. Edameonus looked over and frowned, wondering to himself briefly if the other Archellevon would've done something like that.

"A 'T' then is the only letter for you to use." Leaning back against the couch, Fay smiled enjoying the others company.

"T... a 'T' it is then." The youngest replied, picking up a deep green thread. Edameonus closed his eyes and sighed.

"...Oh... Have either of you seen Soel?" He asked, remembering that he hadn't seen her since he went to the living room.

"I think she went into the kitchen." Fay said hoping Mokona wasn't getting into too much trouble. Edameonus moved from the wall and to the hallway, unaware that the teenager was watching him with a slight blush.

"Archellevon?" Fay spoke softly as Edameonus went searching for Mokona. He had noticed the teen blushing and thought it was a good sign. The white haired one blinked and looked over to Fay, his blush growing slightly.

"A-Ah! Yes?"

"You should try talking to him more." Fay smiled, glad to see Archellevon show interest in the Ginryan. The other looked down and shook his head.

"H-He'll give me a fake smile... I'd rather h-him not show me that... I... I don't think I like it..."

"I'm sure that it will change." The blonde continued to smile softly as the boy blushed.

"...when he smiles at you it's because he's trying."

"I... I wish I didn't have to remind him of someone he lost..." Archellevon frowned and stopped sewing.

"I know... I miss my sensei very much... bu...but... I see E..Ed as Ed and Sensei as Sensei... E...Ed seems to see me as whoever I used to be..."

"Even though you share the same soul as the other you that he lost, you're your own person with your own memories and experiences...it will just take some time for him to see that." He said reassuringly. Fay knew it was difficult for both of them and hoped that it wouldn't be so awkward for them in the future. Archellevon looked up and smiled, glad that Fay saw it from his point of view. He turned his gaze to the kitchen, sighing as he thought of the way he and Edameonus reacted with one another.

"Don't worry so much, things will work out. You see how Kuro-min acts around me." He chuckled as he thought how Kurogane had acted around him when they had first met compared to what they were like now. The other smiled wider and giggled.

"Fay-san always seems to be right!" He said enthusiastically.

"Kuro-san has taught me a lot." He smiled widely at the teen, wondering how Kurogane and Toriho were doing. The two men of his thoughts were mostly done by then, Kurogane having laid down a layer of the white paint evenly.

"Tch. This is so troublesome."

"You complain too much Youou." Toriho smirked as he painted his second coat.

"You know what? You can get out of my house if you have a problem with the way I am." Kurogane snapped, glaring over his shoulder to his father.

"You should know better. Maybe a child of your own will keep you from being so childish. Poor Fay-chan has to put up with your attitude twenty-four seven." Toriho laughed loudly as he dipped his brush back into the paint can. Kurogane felt a vein pulse in this temple.

"Screw you." He muttered angrily under his breath, taking his anger out on the wall with his brush.

"Just hope that that attitude doesn't rub off on Toshi, I can't imagine Fay-chan would like your first child's words to be 'screw you'." He snorted in amusement as Kurogane painted furiously. Setting his paintbrush aside, the older man began peeling off the tape from the trim he had finished earlier that was now dried. Kurogane pulled himself away from the wall to examine his work. He had been once all the way around, but he had done it thickly. Snorting with approval, he followed his dad's demonstration.

"Looks like it'll be a little while longer before the rest is ready." Toriho stood to look over his own work, trying to check for anything wrong with it. Kurogane looked over his shoulder to see his father's job.

"Hn. We need to wait until this crap dries."

"Always grumpy." He shook his head and smirked at his son. Kurogane crumbled the tape up in his hands, frowning to himself.

"Why does everyone say that? That's a lame ass name for an emotion."

"Because it's the only thing appropriate enough for your attitude." Toriho looked over to his son and grinned. The other sighed and tossed the tape to the trash bin, not wanting to talk about that topic anymore.

"How much longer until that guy's house is done? Will you be lazy again and recruit us?"

"I'm not the lazy one, and the house itself should be done soon." Toriho moved to scoop up the tape he had peeled off the wall and threw it away before he moved to grab the still open paint can to seal it again. Kurogane followed his father's actions and set the can to the side with a huff.

"How soon? It's a pain in the ass to do all this plus school."

"You don't have to help, you have enough to do as it is even with all of us helping." Toriho crossed his arms as he thought.

"A week I suppose should be enough. Then there's fixing the interior."

"So about three weeks all together, is what it sounds like." Kurogane replied, a frown set on his face.

"Yes." Toriho ran his hand through his hair thinking of everything he still had to do. Kurogane sighed and wiped his cheek with his wrist. He blinked and growled when he realized paint was on his wrist.

"Dammit to hell!" He shouted, tossing the paintbrush onto the stool.

"Such a kid." Toriho chuckled as he watched his son.

"I'm not a kid, dad!" Kurogane barked, wiping his cheek off harshly with his other hand.

"Fuck it. I'm done here." he announced, storming out of the room. Edameonus moved out of the way of the half breed's stride, not wanting to be rampaged on when the other stormed through.

"Kuro-chu?" Fay asked as he turned his head towards Kurogane at the sound of hearing his lover yell. Archellevon giggled behind his hand when he saw the dark haired man wiping at the white paint smeared across his cheek. Edameonus raised an eyebrow.

"All that over spilled paint?"

"It's not that much." The blonde said as he sat on the couch looking at Kurogane, noticing the paint smeared on the taller man's face and hands. Kurogane walked passed them all and went into the bathroom to wipe it off with water. Archellevon smiled and looked back to his work.

"He must be stressed... because of all the things going on..."

"Yes, there's been a lot..." Frowning Fay listened as the door shut to the bathroom. The former angel looked up again and saw the other man's expression. He reached over and placed a hand on Fay's.

"Don't worry... I... I think things will turn out ok..." The blonde smiled at the teen, thankful for his reassurance, even though he knew it was partially his fault Kurogane had been working so much. Edameonus looked at the clock on the wall.

"Eh. I better get Soel. The others will want a report." He muttered, making Archellevon look at him curiously. Fay watched as Edameonus stood. He looked over to Archellevon.

"Once the paints dry we should start moving furniture in." Archellevon's eyes never left the taller man as he walked into the kitchen to find Mokona again.

"Yes... I'll... help with that." He said slowly, his hands coming to a halt on the embroidery.

"I don't see how you can put up with him Fay-chan." Toriho said as he walked into the living room.

"When Toshi's born it'll be like raising two kids instead of one." Chuckling, he moved to sit in one of the chairs across from the two on the couch.

"H-He's not that bad, Toriho-san..." Archellevon argued weakly, his eyes going to the Ginryan in the room.

"You've not been around him long enough Archy." The older man smiled to the teen.

"Kuro-rin is childish at times." A laugh escaped the blonde as he looked over to Toriho.

"We all are... at times..." Archellevon replied, looking down to his patchwork.

"I mean... aren't we?"

"I suppose so." Torhio smiled.

"You're almost done with the blanket?" He noticed the patchwork in the teen's thin hands. Archellevon smiled wider and stood, unfolding the blanket.

"Y-yes! Please tell me what you think!" He said lightly, showing them the work done.

"You're very talented, I've never been able to sew anything." Fay said as he took in Archellevon's work. Toriho nodded in agreement.

"I'm sure my grandchild will like it." Archellevon's face instantly went red and he hid behind his work.

"A-ah... I don't th-think talented is the right w-word..."

"You shouldn't be modest." The older man said as he watched the teen blush. It reminded him of the past when he had been a teenager himself.

"He's right." Fay agreed with a smile. Archellevon peered out from behind the blanket, the blush still very visible.

"B-but..." He tried to disagree, but seeing it was two against one, he merely trailed off. Edameonus watched from the corner of the kitchen door, a small smile on his face as he watched the former angel.

"Now, what should we do before we start finishing up the nursery?" Toriho asked as he sat back against his chair.

"It's getting late...do you have any ideas Archy?" The blonde asked, not wanting the teen to feel left out. The youngest in the room returned to sitting in his seat, a small smile on his face as he willed the blush away.

"U-Uhm... I-I don't know... maybe..." He looked down to his hands.

"W-What would Fay-san like to do?"

"All of us have been busy, I could cook for us and then we could relax?" The blonde suggested as he thought about what they could do.

"Fay-san cooks for us all the time..." Archellevon replied, moving to stand.

"I...I'm not that great at cooking... but I'd like to make the meal for tonight..."

"You're sure? I don't care to." Fay said as he rested his hands atop his lap, concerned about having Archellevon do so much after only living with them for such a short time.

"I could order out for us if you don't want to, there's no need to cook for all of us." Toriho added not wanting to trouble the teen. Archellevon waved his hands and smiled.

"O-Oh, no, don't trouble yourself with that... I'd feel honored if you allowed me to... I can only do so much... since I'm young... it's the least I can do..." Toriho grinned, reminded of the previous Archellevon.

"Alright then, would you like some help?" Fay moved to get up as he asked.

"Ah... If... If Fay-san wants to supervise... I wouldn't mind..." Archellevon replied, a slight grin on his face. Nodding, Fay stood and walked towards the kitchen.

"I'm sure I won't have to help much." He said trying to encourage the teen. Before either of them entered, they could hear Edameonus's deep and very formal speech leaking out into the hallway.

"Alright, Yuuko, I'll make sure to tell them after the baby's born.... That's all I have to report." Archellevon's curiosity spiked, though he didn't turn the handle just yet. Fay put a hand on Archellevon's shoulder as he listened to Edameonus on the other side of the door. They heard a feminine voice speak, and they both knew it was Yuuko.

"If that is all, Edameonus, until next time." There was a pause.

"Yuuko... wait..." The demon didn't sound too pleased with himself.

"There's... something else... it's... it's about... Archel...Archellevon..." Fay's eyes widened and wondered if he should interrupt the two for Archellevon, wondering why Edameonus would tell the court about the boy.

"Oh? What about him?" They could practically hear Yuuko's smile.

"You do recall he's been only substituted, don't you?" Edameonus didn't reply for a second.

"...Yes... I recall that... Yuuko..." Another pause.

"...I have come to find... Ar... his... I have found something that belonged to him. A feather..." Fay moved both his hands to the teen's shoulder and gently pushed him back towards the living room.

"We might have to put dinner off for a bit." The blonde was relieved that Edameonus hadn't revealed anything. Archellevon's eyes were widened at what he had heard. For once he did something against his nature and shoved Fay off. The Valerian staggered backwards, surprised at the teen pushing him back. Said teenager then turned on his heel and grabbed the door handle. Just then the door opened and Archellevon ran right into the chest of the demon. He lost his balance and almost fell over, had Edameonus not caught him.

Archellevon looked up with wide eyes at the other, his mouth slightly open in shock. Edameonus stared back, his heart sinking into his stomach as he assumed the two were listening to him. Kurogane came out into the hallway, stopping dead in his tracks at the scene before him.

"...What the hell are you three doing?"

"N-nothing Kuro-rin." Fay tried to smiled at his lover as he wrapped an arm around his stomach and straightened himself. Edameonus moved to stand Archellevon and him straight, his arms retreating from the younger's body. The white haired one stared up, too many questions forming in his mind all at once. Edameonus brushed passed him, not wanting to find out if they had been listening or not. Kurogane walked over to Fay and placed a hand on his hip.

"What's his problem?"

"...We can talk about it later." Fay said trying not to seem too worried.

"Now, we should get started." Looking to Archellevon, Fay tried to smile wanting to distract the boy. Kurogane sighed and looked after Edameonus, and knowing what it was about, he walked into the living room. The other turned to look at Fay, his face expressionless for a moment. A small smile molded into place.

"Yes... L-Let's..."

~Later~

Fay smiled and sat down on the couch after he finished setting out drinks for everyone. Archellevon had made them all a quick meal and the rest of them were in the living room sitting around and relaxing. Mokona was hopping around on Edameonus's lap, enjoying the pictures in the book he was reading. Kurogane seemed to be aggravated by her, for he was glaring at the little creature like she had committed a crime. Archellevon removed his apron and smiled.

"I hope you all enjoy!"

"It looks great Archy." Toriho said as he looked over their meal. Edameonus caught the creature in mid jump and sat her on the table.

"Hey, you, calm down. It's time to eat." He said with a small smile. Mokona laughed and grabbed a fork in her tiny paws and began eating. Beside Kurogane Fay noticed the look the taller man was giving Mokona and grinned.

"Kuro-rinta shouldn't look so grumpy." Kurogane looked up to Fay and frowned deeper.

"Be quiet."

"Such a sour face." Fay's smiled widened and brought his hands up to Kurogane's face to push the corner's of his mouth into a smile. The dark haired man twitched before snatching at his lover's hand.

"I DARE you to do that again, asshole!" He barked, making Toriho laugh. Archellevon blinked at looked over to the others, his mouth curved around the fork.

"Kuro-min frowns too much." He laughed seemingly oblivious to Kurogane's anger. He moved his other hand to pinch his lover's cheek. Kurogane growled loudly and grabbed Fay's wrists.

"I told you to stop!" He shouted, yanking the blonde one down to sit in his lap. Edameonus looked over to the couch and raised an eyebrow, wondering why the two were so childish. Surprised at being moved, Fay grinned at Kurogane as his wrists were held.

"Kuro-myu's always such a brute."

"You've told me that before." The dark haired one grumbled, his grip loosening on Fay's wrists.

"Hey you two. Stop acting up and eat." Toriho chided, making Kurogane growl at him next.

"Kuro-run's the one who started it." Fay offered as he sat on top of Kurogane.

"Yeah, go ahead and prove him right, idiot." The other snapped, lifting Fay off his lap so the blonde could sit next to him instead of on him. Archellevon giggled at the couple, though Edameonus's void of speaking caught his attention.

"So mean." Fay sighed dramatically before he began to eat along with the others. Mokona ate happily, waving its fork around cheerfully as Toriho laughed. Edameonus noticed the other staring and he frowned, looking back to Mokona.

"Soel, don't stick that in your mouth." He leaned forward and pulled the remote from the white thing's jaws.

"It's not for you." He said with a teasing smirk. Fay smiled as Archellevon laughed as the teen watched Soel and the Ginryan.

"You did a good job Archy." Toriho said as he ate. The former angel blushed darkly and looked down.

"O-oh no, Toriho-san, it's... it's just something..." The blue eyed teenager replied, making Edameonus smile again.

"You shouldn't be so modest." Fay smiled as he sat his finished plate down. Soel spun on one leg towards the teen happily.

"Mokona thinks Archellevon's a great cook!" The teenager turned redder.

"E-even Mokona-chan thinks so..." He looked up timidly to Edameonus, who gave him a smile.

"Yes, we all think so." The teenager looked down again, the thin lips curved up.

"If...I-if Ed thinks so...too... I'm happy." Fay smiled glad to see the two men interacting with each other. He sighed at feeling the ever present aura of his unborn child letting itself be known after he had finished his meal. He wondered briefly if the room would be ready by tomorrow to finish setting it up. Kurogane set his plate on Fay's, sitting back on the couch to observe the inhabitants of the room he was in. Edameonus kept the remote out of Mokona's reach whilst he finished his meal, moving every time she tried to grab it.

"Soel eat your food." He commanded, making Archellevon smile to himself. Toriho looked at the clock and yawned.

"Ah, it's almost time to go." He announced, standing with his plate.

"Thank you Toriho for coming to help." Fay said as he watched the older man stand from his chair. Mokona leapt once more for the remote but missed it when Edameonus lifted it out of the creature's reach. Toriho nodded, reaching over the table to grab the other disposed plates.

"Yes, I'll be back tomorrow. It's going to rain a little later in the day, but if we work fast we'll have the roof on by Friday." Archellevon looked up to the standing man.

"Friday? What is today?"

"It's...Wednesday I think." Fay spoke, thinking of how much work they had gotten done in such a short time. Kurogane moved his arm around the back of the couch behind Fay's head.

"Yeah, it's Wednesday. We'll have been working on this damned house for two weeks tomorrow." Edameonus looked at the ground.

"Two weeks huh? Means that we've all been back a little more than that."

"Almost a month." The blonde smiled as he leaned back against the couch. Things had been moving quickly for all of them it seemed every since he and Edameonus had arrived.

"I guess time goes quickly when you're with those you care about." Toriho commented, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Well, then, I'll be off." Mokona waved goodbye, briefly ignoring her quest for the remote.

"We'll see you tomorrow then." Grinning, the blonde sat as Toriho waved and let himself out after saying goodbye. The door closed and soon his car could be heard driving off. Archellevon stood and collected the plates Toriho had placed on the side of the table.

"I'll take care of the dishes." He said gently, moving swiftly to the kitchen before anyone could protest. Kurogane looked out the window to watch his father vanish out of sight.

"Everyone worked hard today." The blonde leaned against Kurogane smiling. Soel turned and walked over to Edameonus after Archellevon had taken the dishes away.

"We work hard every day." Kurogane replied, looking to his lover. Edameonus watched the white creature come up to him, making sure she wouldn't suddenly go after the remote.

"At least everything's almost done." Fay grinned as he rested.

"Things will get a lot more hectic after this." Edameonus murmured gently as Mokona hopped onto his knee. Kurogane looked over to him and raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you say that?" Thinking back to earlier today, Fay wondered if his friend was referring to the last piece of Edameonus's conversation with Yuuko he had overheard. The demon looked over with a frown, gears grinding in his head. He then smiled and shook his head.

"It's nothing. Simply wondering about how Fay-chan won't be able to help us move the heavy furniture in my home." The Valerian kept his thoughts to himself, not truly believing the other man's explanation. However, he did know that they would be told eventually, he just hoped it wasn't anything bad. Ignoring it, Fay gave the Ginryan a cheerful smile.

"That's what Kuro-kun's for."

"Don't volunteer people!" Kurogane barked to his lover, a solid frown on his face. Edameonus laughed a little, picking Mokona up in his hands.

"I'm sure I'd be able to move it... that is if I were to use magic."

"But Kuro-san would have helped anyway." Fay said as he brought a hand up to rest against Kurogane's chest.

"Says you." Kurogane snorted, letting his arm go around Fay's shoulders. The other Ginryan smiled at their affection, setting Mokona back in his lap.

"You would, you just don't like to admit it." Fay smiled as he felt his lover's around move around him, enjoying the comforting presence.

"There's nothing to admit!" The taller man argued, gritting his teeth. Edameonus stood then, setting Mokona on the table.

"I'm going to take a shower."

"Kuro-myu's getting angry." Fay smiled cheerfully as Edameonus rolled his eyes at the couple and left. Mokona laughed and began rolling around on the table enjoying herself.

"Pork bun! You didn't help at all today! You ran as soon as you heard we were doing work!" Kurogane barked, not wanting to take his anger out on Fay.

"Mokona isn't supposed to be seen by other people!" Mokona grabbed her tiny feet and rolled around giggling happily.

"That doesn't mean you couldn't help out in the kid's room!" Kurogane scowled, reaching for the laughing creature.

"Mokona can't lift the brushes!" Mokona pouted as she stopped rolling around the table. Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"Then you _are_ completely useless."

"Mokona has 108 secret techniques!" Soel stood up and pointed an accusing paw at Kurogane.

"Fay, Kurogane's being mean!"

"What, 108 'secret techniques' of being annoying and useless? Don't make me laugh." The half breed snorted, lounging on the couch once again.

"Mokona helps as best she can." Fay said trying to keep Kurogane from arguing with Mokona any further. The white creature huffed and hopped off the coffee table.

"Mokona will go and help Archellevon."

"How can you help? Thought you said you couldn't lift the brushes and those things are lighter than plates." Kurogane teased, slightly enjoying making fun of the little thing.

"Kuro-puppy's just grumpy!" Mokona stuck out its tongue childishly before leaping off. Fay moved his hand to cover his mouth to keep his laughter in check.

"Call me grumpy one more time, asshole!!!" Kurogane shouted as he pointed a finger at the creature, angered instantly when he heard the word.

"Grumpy!" Mokona shouted as she vanished into the kitchen. Fay moved his arm to rest around Kurogane's shoulder in an attempt to calm the other man.

"Kuro-rinta shouldn't start fights." Kurogane growled deeply as he watched Mokona disappear, but relaxed against the couch in order to not be too violent against Fay's stomach.

"I didn't start it!" He snapped, looking away.

"Kuro-puu was the one who argued with Mokona first." Fay sighed as he watched his lover.

"I didn't argue, I just stated a fact." The dark haired man scoffed, listening to the soft sounds of Archellevon's and Mokona's voices in the kitchen.

"Kuro-min's impossible sometimes." Fay laughed as he relaxed against his lover.

"Tch. Don't think I'm the only one." Kurogane mocked, leaning his cheek against the blonde locks. Suddenly a crash came from the kitchen and Fay felt the dark haired man's body tense next to him.

"Archellevon? Mokona?" Fay yelled waiting to see if one of them were hurt or it had been an accident. He lifted his head a bit his eyes looking in the direction of the kitchen, ready to get up and check things out. When neither of them answered, Kurogane growled and moved away from Fay quickly, heading toward the kitchen. Fay stood almost as quickly as Kurogane had and followed worried about what they would find. The half breed flung open the door and saw Archellevon's shaking hands trying to swiftly collect the shattered plate. He looked up in horror to Kurogane, obviously not wanting to get caught. When the shorter didn't see blood he sighed in relief and moved past his lover to help the teen.

"Are you alright?" Archellevon nodded, but gently pushed Fay's hands away.

"I-I-I can do i-it..." He said, voice shaking from fear. Mokona watched in worry from the counter.

"Archy-chan dropped a plate on accident! He said he didn't feel well and continued working anyway!" Kurogane walked over and knelt down next to the two pale ones, placing a hand on Archellevon's shoulder.

"Let me do it." He said sternly.

"If you're tired go and rest, it's been a long day and you've helped us very much." Fay said as he smiled reassuringly to the teen, worried about his reaction and Mokona's words. Archellevon allowed Kurogane to gather the glass instead, knowing if he continued he'd most likely get cut because his hands were shaking.

"I-I've... just tried to help... n-now I've gone and... b-bothered you..." Kurogane looked up to him.

"You're being a bother by continuing that attitude of yours. This is your house as much as ours right now, so stop worrying so goddamn much."

"He's right, we were worried more than anything. You couldn't bother us if you wanted to." Fay said in a soft voice. It saddened him to think of Archellevon feeling like this around them, even if he had only been here for such a short time. The shaking hand lifted up and wiped his eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, I d...didn't mean t-to worry or trouble y-you both... Y-you've been so nice..." He looked to Mokona and frowned.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't listen... Mokona-chan..."

"Nothing bad happened, so there's nothing to be upset about. You and Mokona should go lie down; it's late and I'm sure you're tired." The blonde offered as he smiled faintly towards the boy. The white haired one nodded, though he still frowned.

"I-I'm sorry... I'll try n-not to be a bother in the future..." He then stood and scurried off soundlessly. Kurogane sighed and watched him go.

"Tch... he's more troublesome when he's worrying about being troublesome..." Fay shook his head as Archellevon left with Soel.

"He's trying to fit in, everything must be strange for him after all."

"You didn't even act like this." Kurogane picked up the bigger pieces and carried them to the trash can.

"He's trying too hard."

"That's because I only had you. Archellevon has to get accustomed to a lot more people on top of everything else." Fay stood, his arms wrapped around himself loosely as he watched. Kurogane walked back to the pile and repeated the actions.

"Still..." He paused and looked up to Fay. "...he was shaking." The dark haired man looked forward.

"Keep him from the construction site tomorrow; he'll end up hurting himself if he tries to help."

"Alright, he can help me finish the nursery." Fay wondered if the teen's shaking was just because he was getting used to his new home or if it was an after effect of his arrival here from where ever it was he came from. It was then Edameonus came out, hair dripping onto the towel around his shoulders.

"I heard a crash, what happened?" he asked, not even bothering to put on the shirt that was still in his hand.

"Just a broken plate." Fay smiled as he looked over to the other man. Edameonus's expression relaxed and he sighed.

"Well that's a relief. No one was hurt?" He questioned as he rubbed the side of his head with the towel.

"No, everyone's fine. Mokona and Archellevon went to sleep though." Fay said as he stood in front of Edameonus.

"I think I might go to sleep as well, all of us still have work to do tomorrow." Kurogane went to the sink after disposing all of the visible shattered plate.

"Yeah. It's getting late. We should all turn in." He instructed. Edameonus nodded, turning away as the other Ginryan wetted down a rag.

"Goodnight Edameonus." Fay grinned towards his friend as the other man nodded again before leaving. The blonde turned on his heel, walking behind Kurogane, he leaned up and wrapped his arms around the taller man's shoulders.

"Kuro-pyoonnn carry me? I'm tired." Fay whined as he smiled. Kurogane's eyebrow twitched.

"You can walk your goddamned self!" He barked, pulling Fay off so he could crouch over where the glass had shattered. He then wiped the floor with the damp rag, leaving a slight trail of water there.

"I'm tired and sleepy though." Fay stepped aside as Kurogane finished cleaning.

"You sure have plenty of energy to whine." The taller man snapped, making quick work of mopping up the area. Seeing it as finished, he stood and rinsed off the rag, getting the shards too small to see off and down into the pipes of the drain.

"Kuro-san's always so stubborn. I guess I'll just go then." Fake tears welled in the corners of blue eyes as Fay turned his back to the taller man. The tanned man rolled his eyes at Fay's antics, but he sighed and threw the rag away.

"Fine, you spoiled brat. Come here."

"Kuro-chan's the brat, but I won't complain." Fay turned and walked over to Kurogane, wrapping his arms around the other's neck, smiling as he did.

"If I were the brat, I would've let you go on your jolly way." Kurogane argued, bending slightly to hook his hands under Fay's knees to carry him bridal style.

"Or I would've just slung you over my shoulder instead of carrying you like this."

"That might've been uncomfortable." Fay kissed a tan cheek as he grinned. "but I appreciate Kuro-pipi being a gentleman for once."

"For once?" The one on his feet replied as he walked to the kitchen door.

"I could always drop you here and now, if you think this is the only time I've been a gentleman to you."

"Oh, when else has Kuro-kun been?" He smirked as he leaned his head against the side of Kurogane's jaw. He knew the taller man wouldn't drop him regardless.

"Like hell I know when! I can't remember specifics like that, you moron." Kurogane snapped, going sideways so they could both fit through the door.

"You make it sound like you are all the time when you say that." The blonde bent his legs so they wouldn't hit the doorway on their way out.

"Maybe I am." Kurogane replied, a slight smirk on his face.

"I just have a real strict way of showing it." He then kicked open their bedroom door, not having a free hand to undo the handle.

"Kuro-wan's always the one yelling and calling names, I don't see how that's being nice all the time." He wondered briefly if Kurogane had treated previous lovers like this but tossed the idea aside, knowing it wasn't really important.

"Hn. You just don't see passed any of that." The other replied, setting Fay on the bed.

"Hang on, I left one of my school books in the living room." He stood straight and began toward the door.

"Kuro-sama is sweet, but he's doesn't have a lot of manners." Fay smiled, amused as he sat atop the bed and crossed his legs.

"Whatever." Kurogane replied, waving his hand at the other's nonsense before exiting the bedroom. He placed his hands in his pockets as he entered the living room quietly. Looking over to the couches, He saw Archellevon sleeping on the couch. Edameonus was unfolding a blanket to lie overtop him whilst Mokona sat on the coffee table watching.

"I thought you were going to bed?" Edameonus said, not looking at Kurogane as he tucked the cover around his former lover.

"I was." He watched Archellevon instinctively wiggle in the warmth.

"How is he?" Kurogane asked in regards to the dimension traveling.

"Can't be too healthy for a human, going through something like that."

"Tired, he should have been resting." Edameonus straightened before he turned and picked up Mokona.

"Was he always so deliberate to disobey?" Kurogane went over and picked up a thick textbook on the other couch, looking at it in disinterest.

"For the most part...at least when we were younger." The Ginryan frowned as he absently petted Mokona, who leaned into the touch.

"Hn. Who'da guessed that nature from an angel?" Kurogane said to himself, glancing at the sleeping teenager. He then exited the living room, not knowing what kind of strings he had pulled for the slightly shorter.

"..." Edameonus, with Mokona still in hand, moved to the other couch prepared to go to sleep, a small frown forming on his lips. Kurogane closed the bedroom door, tossing his book to the pile in the corner of the room.

"That boy's asleep finally."

"That's good." Lying across the bed with his knees bent and arms pillowed underneath his head, Fay grinned up at his lover as the other man reentered the bedroom. Kurogane turned off the light and walked to the bed, sitting on the side.

"...I don't know what it is with those two, but their beating around the bush pisses me off..."

"Not everyone can move as fast as Kuro-min." Fay smirked as he rested. A faint blush covered Kurogane's cheeks.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked as he moved the blankets aside.

"It's not every day when people end up in a relationship after knowing each other after only days, not to mention expect a baby soon after that." He teased while still smiling up at Kurogane.

"You're the one who said you liked me first, idiot. I wanted nothing to do with you the first couple of days." Kurogane barked, the blush growing slightly deeper.

"You make it sound like you regret it." Fay quickly sat up, his upper body supported by his forearm as he lifted his other hand up and swiftly punched his lover on the top of the head.

"Don't say something stupid like that." He gave Kurogane a harsh look. "I did say it first and I'm sure I felt the same thing for you sooner too, but like you said you wanted nothing to do with me; at first anyways." Kurogane jerked at the punch, his hand going quickly to the place where Fay had hit him.

"Bastard!" He rubbed it slightly. "I didn't say I feel that way now, asshole! Dammit! You didn't have to punch me!"

"You deserved it for even thinking I regretted it." Fay lay back down his arms crossed across his chest as he stared up at the ceiling.

"I didn't say that either! I just said you sounded like it." Kurogane snapped, rubbing the spikes for a few more moments. He lowered his hand and looked to the ground.

"Tch. You're more of a child than I am sometimes."

"Stupid." Fay kicked his lover's leg halfheartedly for good measure.

"Stop it, brat!" Kurogane demanded, grabbing Fay's leg in order to not get kicked a second time. "Toshihiko better not take after you!"

"So he should be ill tempered like you?" Fay turned his eyes to Kurogane, not moving his leg as the taller man held it in a firm grip.

"Rather than act like a 5 year old for the rest of his life, yes." The taller man retorted.

"You're the one who started it." Fay argued back. "And you're just as bad." He sighed trying to not get too upset over everything.

"Tch. Whatever." Kurogane rubbed a hand through his hair, hoping he wouldn't have a bump the next day.

"Scoot over. I'm tired too." Fay rolled over to let Kurogane join him before he buried his face into his pillow. The dark haired man lied down next to him staring at the ceiling for a moment. He then turned to look at the blonde.

"Oi, don't suffocate yourself, it's not healthy."

"..." Fay turned his head slightly, still not looking at Kurogane as he frowned. The other watched him before rolling his eyes.

"Oi. Look at me." He commanded, knowing once again the blonde was being moody.

"...What?" Blue eyes looked up to meet Kurogane as Fay continued to frown. Kurogane leaned over and kissed the blonde briefly.

"I know you don't regret it. You know I don't regret it. So stop pouting, or I'll have to prove to you I don't regret it." Fay grinned faintly, still not entirely over their argument.

"You shouldn't have said that then, even if you didn't mean it." Kurogane frowned slightly.

"Fine, Blondie, I won't say shit like that from now on, ok?"

"Alright..." He stared at Kurogane his eyes half lidded. Kurogane's lips twitched into a smirk before he bent down to kiss Fay again.

"Good. Now go to sleep."

"I'm not tired now." Fay turned to his side and sighed.

"Are you serious? Why not?" Kurogane questioned, a little annoyed at the fickle attitude he was receiving.

"I was before we argued, but being mad tends to wake me up." The blonde's lips faintly curved downwards, feeling another argument looming over them if things continued. Kurogane stared at the blonde for a moment and then rubbed his temple.

"Ok then, what do you want to do about that?" He asked, just going along with a question that wouldn't spike his own temper.

"It doesn't matter to me as long as we don't argue." Sighing deeply Fay shifted under the blanket, getting comfortable as he looked at Kurogane. The tanned one relaxed next to his lover.

"You know what makes you fall asleep more than I do." Kurogane grumbled, slightly more tired than the one next to him.

"I don't know." Fay frowned seeing Kurogane tired, knowing it would have been better for the man to just sleep instead of staying awake with him. The half breed sighed and wrapped his arm around the other man.

"You're difficult."

"You're the same." Fay rested his forehead against Kurogane's chest as he was brought closer.

"See? Arguing with no reason to." Kurogane said with a grin, looking down to the golden locks.

"I wasn't, just saying the truth." He smiled as he wrapped an arm around the other's waist.

"You are, even now." Kurogane replied, a small chuckle escaping his throat.

"Kuro-san..." He tightened his arm around Kurogane as he grinned. The taller man maneuvered his way around to look at Fay, eyes staring into blue as thoughts of their relationship ran through his head.

"What is it?" Grinning Fay looked at Kurogane questioningly, wondering what the other man was thinking about.

"Nothing..." Kurogane replied, lifting his hand from Fay's side to touch the pale cheek.

"Just thinking of stupid romantic shit that's not worth talking about."

"Kuro-wakoro is thinking something romantic and won't share?" He tilted his face up, enjoying the feel of Kurogane's hand against his skin.

"Like hell I will, I don't need to go through saying sappy crap to let you know how I feel." The taller man replied, not moving his hand.

"But I say things to you all the time." Fay smiled warmly as he brought his hand to cover over top of Kurogane's.

"You should be used to the way I talk to you now." The dark haired man replied, intertwining their fingers smoothly.

"True, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice to hear things once in awhile." The Valerian laughed lightly as he relaxed against the bed.

"You really want me to tell you don't you?" Kurogane replied, raising an eyebrow at the other man's giggling.

"Only if Kuro-san wants to." Fay smiled softly, his eyes half lidded as he enjoyed being alone with Kurogane.

"Don't play those games, Blondie." The taller man replied, rolling his eyes at his lover's antics.

"Then tell me." He continued to smile as he noticed Kurogane unwilling to play along. Kurogane sighed and closed his eyes, hating it when in stories and stuff the characters said sappy stuff. Instead he moved to pull Fay closer, staring at blue eyes.

"You'll laugh, I know you will." He said with a teasing grin as he stalled.

"I promise, and if I do Kuro-rin can do whatever he wants." Fay grinned, now even more curious as to what Kurogane had been thinking. The other man raised an eyebrow at the blonde's offer before chuckling.

"Fine... I was thinking..." He was going to kick himself for even thinking of this later.

"I was thinking about how much I... I love you..."

"Kuro-san thought I would laugh?" Smiling brightly Fay moved forward to kiss the other man. He could feel his heart beat picking up as the words had left Kurogane's lips. Said man watched as the other pulled away.

"Yeah, you laugh at the dumbest things sometimes."

"I do not." Fay pouted halfheartedly as he met Kurogane's eyes.

"Yes you do." Kurogane said with a slight scowl.

"Don't even say you don't; that's a lie."

"An example then, because I don't believe Kuro-puu." His fingers squeezed Kurogane's own digits gently as he grinned at his lover.

"Again with the proof! I told you I don't remember specifics!" Kurogane said a little loudly, pulling away slightly.

"Then if you can't remember you shouldn't say I do." Fay smirked teasingly as Kurogane moved away from him.

"Tch, troublesome blonde." Kurogane murmured as he moved his arm to set the alarm clock.

"You're going to school tomorrow?" Fay asked as he watched Kurogane set his clock.

"Yeah, tomorrow's only Thursday. I don't get off until Saturday." The taller man replied, moving back to his lover.

"Kuro-kun won't decide to skip again then?" A cheerful smile broke out onto the blonde's face as he settled once more against Kurogane.

"I can't afford to miss any more days, the teachers will flunk me." The grumbled, angry with the fact he still had to go to school.

"I'm almost out, so failing so close to the end would be dumb."

"When do you go back then?" Fay said, when he had been enrolled at the academy the students had never had long breaks before classes resumed.

"Go back? I'm in class right now." Kurogane replied, confused for a moment. He thought a second then blinked.

"I have this semester and then next semester, so May is when I'll finish."

"Kuro-san will be in school when Toshi's born then?" The blonde asked, not really knowing the dates Kurogane was talking about. The half breed thought about it for a moment.

"Yeah. Most likely." He replied, growling to himself.

"Dammit. School always get's in the way. Never fails."

"I'm sure if I go into labor, someone will tell you." It was something to worry about, Fay thought as he rested his forehead against Kurogane's collarbone. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of possibly being alone when their child decided to be born.

"Hn. I'll schedule it so I don't have that many classes." Kurogane wrapped his arms around his lover, also not liking the idea of being somewhere else when the blonde would need him.

"There's still a chance you'll be away." The slender arm draped over Kurogane's waist moved up to pull Kurogane closer to him. The dark haired man looked at Fay and frowned.

"Don't think I won't be here. I _will_ be here for the both of you, and that's a promise." Fay kissed his lover's throat softly, thankful for the reassurance.

"There isn't a way for me to...reach you if it suddenly happens?"

"There is. Remind me tomorrow and I'll make sure you have a way to contact me." Kurogane replied, closing his eyes as the piece of affection was given to him.

"Kuro-sama knows how to fix everything." He laughed lightly as he cuddled up to Kurogane.

"Heh, not always." The student replied, enjoying the other's snuggling.

"Now get to sleep, idiot. Otherwise I won't be able to."

"If you're sleepy then go to sleep." Fay smiled knowing Kurogane must have been tired after all he had done today.

"You keep talking and I keep listening." The other replied, not opening his eyes as he spoke.

"So stop talking and I'll stop listening. If I stop listening then I can go to sleep."

"Alright, I won't talk anymore." He said against Kurogane's shoulder. Hopefully, Fay thought, the other man would be able to sleep and finally rest.

"Tch. Night then." The darker skinned one muttered, not moving in his languid state of mind.

Fay smiled, and keeping to his promise didn't reply. Instead the blonde gave the taller man another kiss before closing his eyes to try and sleep.


	22. We moved on seperately yet together

**Mirika-rin:** this would've been up sooner if wasn't such an asshole. the next chapter might be up earlier, they're all edited, I just need to find time to do them since I'm busy with college and work _

**Ashine-chan:** Some angst in this chapter, but we get some fluff as well. We're also a few chapters into the new arc~ o3o Another thing we have facebook pages now for Kurogane and Fai.

**Mirika-rin:** oh yeah XD they're Kurogane Suwa and Fai Flowright. (we're only friending those who're readers here, so please let us know if you read TCoW)

* * *

~The next day~

"Dammit dad! You said you got the top workers in the state! These are the laziest asses I've ever seen!" Kurogane snapped, moving a piece of shingle from the pile to be nailed to the roof.

"They're never here to do their jobs and I'm always filling in!" Edameonus looked up from his spot on the other side of the roof.

"Oi! I'm here too you know!"

"Stop complaining, you could have helped Fay-chan and Archy." Toriho said around a couple of nails between his lips as he finished nailing down another shingle. Kurogane felt himself shudder as he thought of the baby things, his teenager way of thinking about children coming back. The student stood and stretched, having been hunched over for around 30 minutes.

"Well I'm taking a break. This is tedious work!" He barked, making Edameonus watch him.

"You've done a fair share of work, might as well take it sooner than later."

"Don't take too long." Toriho said as he watched his son. He smirked as he put down another shingle.

"Yeah whatever." Kurogane replied, sliding down the ladder with ease. Tomoyo gasped a little as she watched from the baby's window.

"Oh dear, he worries me every time he does something like that." She said lightly, making Archellevon look over.

"What did he do?"

"Moving down the ladder like that, one of these days he'll hurt himself." She frowned before turning back to the two men in the room with her. Looking over their work she smiled, glad to see things finally coming together.

"He looks like he's about to come in, Fay-san." Archellevon said lightly with a smile, looking to the blonde in the room.

"You might want to offer him a drink? It is pretty muggy outside today." Fay stood, moving his hair out of his face as he smiled at the teen.

"Yes, wouldn't want Kuro-san complaining anymore than usual." He walked out of the nursery and towards the living room. From the living room he could see Kurogane start to walk toward the house, hands in his pockets. Kurogane looked up to the workers in the machine as they moved unneeded timbers to the truck that would carry it back to the house building industry. His eyes narrowed when he saw the chain quiver, a frown curving his face.

"They're idiots too. Lazy ass idiots." Fay grinned as he saw his lover's annoyance. He walked closer to the door so he could greet Kurogane, a fond smile gracing his lips. Kurogane continued to walk, ignoring the construction workers fumbling to get the machine to work. Edameonus watched, suddenly getting a bad feeling in his stomach.

"Oi, Kurogane! Get out of the way, idiot!" He said casually. Kurogane stopped and turned around, sending a glare over his shoulder.

"What'd you call me, asshole?!" Fay opened the door at hearing Kurogane and Edameonus's shouting, not wanting both men to argue again. Stepping outside he turned to see Kurogane glaring at the Ginryan still atop the other house.

Suddenly the men outside heard the men on the machines cussing violently and Kurogane looked up to see the chain snapping. He blinked, noticing the long piece of wood was flailing about dangerously. Edameonus stood up, watching it with wide eyes.

"Kurogane! Move!" He snapped before looking to Toriho. The nails slipped out of the older man's mouth as he watched as the building material slipped from its harness and plummeted towards his son. Without thinking the Ginryan scrambled to move off the house and towards Kurogane, but not before his mind registered Fay's scream. Said blonde jumped off the porch, eyes wide as he watched.

No actions were quick enough, so Kurogane growled and pushed up his hands to block the wood aiming for him. Being heavier than he could handle, and on top of that going fast, it slid Kurogane across the ground, leaving a trail of his shirt behind him. He let out a strangled scream as his arms popped from the sudden weight on them. He struggled to get out from underneath the wood quickly, but his arms shot pain throughout his body whenever he moved.

"Kuro-san..." Fay rushed as quickly as he could to the other man's side, his fingers digging into the wood as he tried to push it away. Tears welled in his eyes as he tried to help, knowing he wasn't able to use a spell because of the workers around them. Toriho was quick to join Fay, he gritted his teeth as he helped the blonde. Edameonus jumped off the building, racing over to help them out. Kurogane grunted as his now raw back was slowly smeared against the dirt again, his eyes snapping shut as he resisted the urge to cry out once more. Edameonus's eyes glowed subtly and his fingers crunched the sides of the wood.

"All together now!" Toriho shouted, and the men simultaneously moved the log. As soon as Kurogane was freed, Fay let go and moved his hands to trace over Kurogane, trying to feel if anything was broken as he kneeled on the ground next to him, his finger tip glowed a faint blue as he mended what he could in front of everyone. Kurogane grunted and curled to the side, facing Fay. As soon as he did, the fair haired man could see the scrapes on his back starting to bleed. Edameonus growled and knelt down, his hand touching the mechanical arm. As soon as he did the damaged one yelped in pain, his right arm grabbing his shoulder with all his might.

"He needs to be carried inside so I can help him." Fay wiped his eyes as he brushed back Kurogane's bangs, before he continued to check for any internal damage. Edameonus nodded and looked to Toriho.

"You go talk to the mechanics." He commanded, moving Kurogane so he could grab his right arm. Doing so Edameonus wrapped Kurogane's seemingly fine right arm around his shoulder.

"God dammit, idiot, I told you to move." He muttered as he helped the other man walk inside. Fay followed Edameonus and Kurogane quickly as they moved inside the house.

"Lay him on our bed." The blonde wanted to help lift his lover, but knew it would only cause him pain to touch his left arm. Archellevon blinked.

"Ah... T-Tomoyo-chan... something's happened!" He whimpered, watching as Kurogane was helped back to the house quickly.

"I think K-Kurogane-san is hurt..." Tomoyo rushed to the doorway only to see her cousin being helped into his bedroom. She frowned, worried at the look on Fay's face. Kurogane was laid on his stomach, for his back was now bleeding profusely. Edameonus sighed and ripped off the rest of the shirt quickly, knowing it would only get in the way of the healing treatment. Kurogane grunted when that happened, not liking the harsh treatment.

"Edameonus, could you get some towels or whatever else you can find?" Fay kneeled atop the bed looking over his lover's back. Now that they were out of the other's sight he could finally start to try and help. He whispered faintly and his hands glowed. He could feel Toshihiko's aura complaining at the decrease of energy as Fay's hands touched Kurogane's torn skin, his fingers smeared by blood as he worked. The half breed grunted as he felt his back start to mend back together, his right fist clenching the bed sheet.

"Nngh..." He tried once again to move the left arm, but only succeeded to cause himself more pain.

"D..dammit..."

"Don't move Kuro-rin." He tried to smile as Edameonus came back into the room and handed the blonde a dampened towel. Thanking his friend, Fay gently wiped away blood and dirt. Tossing the dirtied towel aside Fay once again moved to heal Kurogane's back as quickly as he could, the marking on his back burning as he overextended himself. Kurogane's muscles twitched under the care given to them, his eyes squeezing shut as the healing progressed. Edameonus watched, a stern frown on his face.

"Is it bad?"

"His back won't scar too badly, but I don't know what to do about his arm except stop the bleeding where it's connected." Frowning Fay kept his eyes trained on his lover as the cuts on his back were slowly patched up leaving behind angry red marks.

"Toriho knows more about biomechanics than I do, he'll be able to help out when he gets back in." Edameonus informed, folding his arms. Kurogane's back was slowly healed, and soon enough all of the skin was back in place.

"..." Fay didn't reply as his hands moved to Kurogane's shoulder, seeing the blood had run down under his arm to stain the bed sheets. He stopped the blood flow, but knew it wasn't enough; the nerve endings that were connected to the arm had been damaged. They could hear Toriho enter the house soon, instantly walking through the living room to Kurogane's room. Edameonus moved out of his way so the father could inspect his son.

"Toriho..." Fay tore his gaze away from Kurogane to look at the older man. He moved away from his lover's injured shoulder, hoping Toriho could do something. The Ginryan frowned and knelt next to Fay.

"Alright, I can see his wires poking out of place... we're going to have to remove its skin." He said solemnly, making Kurogane moved his head to look at his parent.

"You're... joking, right?" Biting his lip Fay looked between both men concerned.

"It's the only way?" He didn't like the idea of Kurogane in pain and knew that the arm had to be fixed as soon as they were able to.

"Yes. We'll have to get him a whole new arm if we don't." Toriho sighed and looked to Edameonus.

"Go to the kitchen and get a steak knife." Edameonus nodded and hurried out of the room. Fay kept his gaze towards Kurogane hoping he had eased the others pain. Toriho turned his attention to his son once more.

"Now, the fake skin is attached to your real skin at your shoulder and the wires seem to be damaged lower than that. We can cut the fake skin lower than your shoulder so your real skin won't be hurt." Kurogane watched his father intently and nodded, his right hand still holding the blankets tightly. Fay got up from his seat on the bed to move around to Kurogane's other side, to both give Toriho more room and to help when Kurogane's arm would start to bleed.

"...Dad..." Kurogane said faintly, his eyes closing.

"I think... it popped out of place..." He said feebly, knowing the cure for that would be painful. Toriho nodded, his face grim. Fay moved to try and comfort Kurogane but saw his fingers were stained with his lover's blood, quickly he wiped them on his shirt. It frightened him to think of what could have happened to the taller man. Kurogane moved to looked to Fay, his right hand removing itself from the blanket so he could offer it to the blonde. Toriho watched as Edameonus walked back in, but before the Ginryan gave the knife to him, Toriho moved to grip Kurogane's shoulder delicately.

"Fay-chan, take his hand." The blonde nodded, happy to do as Toriho asked. He laced his fingers with Kurogane's as he tried to smile for him. The older continued to frown as he squeezed the blonde's hand and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and listened to his father speak again.

"Alright, Youou, on the count of 5. 1... 2..." Suddenly Toriho jerked Kurogane's shoulder sideways, the man on the bed instantly writhing in choked pain. The blonde's hand that wasn't occupied immediately went to his lover's shoulder to try and relieve some of Kurogane's pain. The student grasped Fay's hand tighter, his mind swarming with the pain that shot through his body from his left arm. Toriho pulled his hands away, feeling that the socket and joint now coincided again. He then turned to Edameonus and took the knife.

"Why can't we have something good happen to us, for once?"

"..." Fay kept silent brushing his fingers through Kurogane's hair as he grasped the larger hand tighter with his own. They were right, it was always something happening to them even now that they had been through so much, it seemed that fate still had obstacles in store for them. Edameonus hid his eyes behind his bangs, knowing of something that would happen for the better, he just couldn't tell them right now. Toriho placed his hand on Kurogane's fake bicep.

"Ok, son, I don't think this will hurt, but be prepared if it does." Kurogane growled.

"Just get it the fuck over with!" Fay moved his lover's arm to lay across his lap as he tried to soothe his partner while Toriho started.

"Kuro-myu's strong." His smile was barely there as he tried to ease his lover's pain if even a little.

"Tch, not strong enough to keep... a flying piece of wood from destroying my arm..." Kurogane said as his voice weakened, thinking about what his father was about to do. Toriho inhaled and nodded, touching the blade to the fake skin. Archellevon dropped the holder of water he was carrying in the doorway, eyes wide as he saw the skin give way to the knife to reveal mechanics. Fay's fingertips still glowed as he soothed the taller man's body still. His head snapped upwards at the sound of the bowl hitting the floor.

"Archellevon?" The teenager's lips quivered, but no sound exited them. Edameonus looked over and his eyes widened.

"Archy..." He growled and walked forward, taking the younger one in his arms so he could pull him out. The former angel continued to watch as the fake skin was pulled down slightly, showing a robotic muscle. Kurogane grunted lightly, but he showed no other signs that he was in pain.

"Kuro-wan...you have to say something if it hurts so I can try to help or else I won't know where to focus on." He knew they would have to explain some things to the teen after they had fixed Kurogane's arm, but at the moment the blonde couldn't seem to be bothered by it, at least not when his lover was lying injured in their bed.

"I'm fine, Blondie." Kurogane spat, obviously lying as he clutched the hand slightly tighter. Toriho made sure to be quick about it, examining the damage done.

"Doesn't look like anything's broken, just a lot of things came undone." He slipped his fingers around some wires, clicking and screwing things back into place.

"Knowing this we won't have to get a replacement arm."

"That's good then..." Fay couldn't imagine Kurogane having to have the arm replaced after he had seen the pain the taller man had went through when he had first gotten the fake limb. His fingers continued to roam over the injured man's skin fixing any damage he could find. Kurogane's shoulder muscle spasmed as the arm was continuously messed with. He could feel the nerves being reconnected, and that sent prickling bouts of hot searing pain through his shoulders.

"Ngh! Dad! Be careful!" He barked, feeling something not connect right.

"Dammit." Toriho frowned as he moved circuits around, careful not to pull anything.

"Try and move your hand." Fay looked on anxious as he poured more of his own energy into trying to ease the pain the other man was feeling. Kurogane turned his head away from his lover to look down at his hand, disgusted with the sight of his fake arm. He did as he was told, watching the wires move slightly as his index and thumb twitched.

"If something doesn't feel right speak up." The Ginryan frowned both at seeing his child with such an injury and knowing Fay was overexerting himself with trying to help heal Kurogane's injuries.

"I can't... I can't feel the rest of my fingers." The dark haired man answered with a scowl, moving his middle finger next, though his ringer finger and pinky didn't twitch into the fist he then made.

"I'll have to change around the wires, seems I didn't set them back in the right connectors." Toriho scowled before reworking the circuits in his son's arm. Frowning, Fay kept his fingers laced with Kurogane's offering his support as Toriho worked. Kurogane sighed and closed his eyes; all this bad luck was a pain in the ass.

"How will the fake skin act once you're done? Will it heal like normal skin?" He asked his father, gasping lightly at the pinprick in his mechanical pinky.

"It should mend on its own once it's put back." Toriho said as he concentrated on rewiring everything, hoping he was getting it right. Kurogane opened his eyes and stared at his father, slightly aggravated that both he and Fay were doing so much for him, knowing he wouldn't have any opportunity to pay them back. He moved his left arm experimentally, not feeling any pain coming from the joint anymore.

"Better?" Toriho asked as he noticed there wasn't a pained expression on the younger man's face. The blonde on Kurogane's other side bowed his head worried about his lover. The man lying down lifted his mechanical arm slowly, flexing the muscle in the hand. He stared at it for a moment before making a fist.

"....It's working fine again..." He looked to the flap of skin still undone.

"Are all the wires back in place?"

"Yes." Toriho said as he moved the fake skin back to how it was originally.

"We'll need some bandages to wrap this together until it forms together again." Fay smiled relieved that Kurogane wasn't in anymore pain from his arm. The half breed sighed and moved to lay on his side, staring up at nothing in particular.

"Dammit. I'm not helping with that damned house anymore." He snapped, his real hand grasping the slit.

"I'll go and get bandages then." Toriho smiled and stood glad to see Kurogane was well enough to start arguing again.

"Kuro-min's not working on the house anymore." Fay nodded in agreement. The taller man looked to Fay and gave a slight smirk.

"You still wanna compete in our bet? You're pregnant and I'm broken." He looked to his arm again.

"I don't know if I can lift heavy objects with it so soon, during the skin's healing process."

"We'll wait; after all when I beat Kuro-san I don't want it to be because he was hurt." The blonde smiled warmly he moved his hand to cup the other man's cheek. The dark haired man cocked an eyebrow as he smiled smugly.

"I'd like to see you try to beat me." He replied, leaning into the pale hand somewhat.

"Don't worry, you will." Fay leaned forward kissing Kurogane, glad that he was alright and nothing too damaging had happened to his arm. Kurogane growled deeply but kissed back, not liking the idea of the lithe man beating him in a strength battle.

"Kuro-rin won't be working outside anymore will you?" Fay broke their kiss to look at Kurogane, his hair falling around his face and brushing against the other man's skin. Kurogane scoffed.

"That's a dumb question. I don't plan on working on that fucking house until the outside is finished." The taller man replied, moving his right hand up to touch his left shoulder subconsciously.

"Good." Fay used both of his hands to cup the sides of Kurogane's face. The idea of the dark haired man being injured again sent a cold chill down his spine.

"Kuro-san's not allowed to do anything dangerous." The other cocked a brow before attempting to sit up, grunting lightly at his recently healed but still sore muscles in his back.

"What are you, my mom?" He shook his head before hugging Kurogane.

"No, but I've seen you hurt too much already." He frowned and buried his face against his lover. Kurogane looked down to his boyfriend, a slight frown on his face. He sighed and moved his real arm to encircle the skinnier one.

"Not like I had much of a choice half the time."

"Are you still in pain?" Fay relaxed as best he could in Kurogane's embrace. A dull pulse of pain had settled over his own backside from healing the other's injuries, but he pushed the feeling aside, knowing it wasn't as bad as Kurogane's own wounds had been.

"Tch, I'm fine now." He narrowed his eyes.

"You shouldn't have used your magic, idiot. I felt you use your powers, don't think I didn't notice."

"You wouldn't be able to sit up if I hadn't." Kurogane would've needed to see an actual doctor had the blonde not acted.

"Yeah, but I'd rather have just me in pain than both of us." The dark haired man grumbled, his hand moving to his lover's lower back. He frowned when he felt a small amount of heat radiating from the effected spell. Fay shook his head and smiled.

"It's fine, my body heals faster than yours." The other sighed again and rolled his eyes at Fay's stubbornness.

"Whatever..." He looked to the door and scowled deeper.

"That kid... something must've happened when he saw my mechanical arm."

"It's not every day you see something like that, it must have startled him." Fay sighed against Kurogane, glad the man was safe.

"Hn..." Kurogane was silent for a moment before he moved to stand, testing his muscles to make sure they all worked alright and that they had healed everything.

"That timber fell on my chest... the rest of my body is ok." He muttered as he stabled himself on his legs.

"You shouldn't move around." Fay grabbed hold of Kurogane's arm as he sat up on the bed. The taller man looked down and blinked.

"I told you I'm fine. Not like I'm going to die from doing a little walking."

"I could force Kuro-san to lie back down." Fay said determined. Seeing Kurogane up after being seriously injured, regardless of being nearly healed from his injuries, only caused the blonde to worry more. Kurogane frowned, looking at the door. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"If I fail from not doing my homework, I'll kick your ass." He finally admitted, sitting back down on the bed.

"Daddy's smart, you won't fail." Fay grinned as he sat back on their bed, happy that Kurogane was listening to him. The dark haired man was about to reply, but a slight strangled whimper cut him off. Kurogane blinked and looked to the door, the noise had come from the living room.

"...The hell?" The blonde stood, as he looked towards the door.

"Kuro-san should rest...I'll see what's wrong." Deftly tucking a few strands behind his ear, Fay walked outside the bedroom to find the source of the noise. Kurogane watched him leave in hesitation, but cussing, he decided it was best to obey. Fay exited and saw Edameonus standing in the living room, hovering over what the blonde could see was Archellevon. Edameonus's figure blocked most of the teenager though.

"Archellevon?" Fay said softly as he stood to the side, not wanting to startle the teen.

Edameonus turned sharply, a twisted frown on his face.

"Something's happened, Fay-chan." He said quickly as he turned his attention back to the younger one. When Fay could see the white haired one, Archellevon's expression startled him. He was curled up on the couch while sitting upright, his hands clasped against his ears with his eyes wide and teeth clenched, taking harsh breaths as he stared into nothingness. Fay moved to stand before the boy before he knelt down to look at him closer.

"Archy, what's wrong?" A hand reached out to the ex-angel, but hesitated.

"He's not responding to anything." The demon said sullenly, sitting next to the boy.

"He's been like this since I brought him in from watching Kurogane's... incident." Archellevon blinked once, but continued to pant, eyes watering from being open so long.

"Try to talk to him, you could have better luck than me." Fay smiled as he rested a hand against Archellevon's cheek. The boy didn't even flinch, seeming to be lost in his own world. Edameonus grimaced, looking away.

"I've tried to talk to him..." The boy's hands gripped the sides of his head harsher, another whimper exiting his lips.

"He might hurt himself if we can't get a response from him." Frowning the blonde moved his hands to the smaller shaking ones of the teen, trying to pull them away from the pale haired boy's head. Archellevon's hands relaxed when Fay touched them, but his expression didn't change. Edameonus growled lightly and touched the boy's face with his hands, holding them. Blue eyes slowly moved to look at red as the demon stared in determination.

"Archy, stop this." The teen didn't move for a moment before blinking. He shivered slightly before going limp, eyes closed as he passed out.

"Seems he passed out from the shock." A pale hand was placed against Archellevon's forehead to check for a fever. Sighing Fay stood finding nothing wrong, he turned to face Edameonus.

"We'll let him rest and when he wakes up you should be the one he sees first." Edameonus made sure the boy was lying down comfortably, a set frown on his face.

"Yes... Fay-chan... how's Kurogane? ..." He asked, seeming to be thinking of something else whilst asking so.

"Good I suppose, but he keeps thinking he's able to get up and walk around." He patted his friend's shoulder to try and comfort him.

"He'll be fine, just stay close in case he wakes up."

"Yes... Fay-chan, I..." Edameonus began, but he shook his head and looked back to Archellevon.

"No... Nevermind it..." He stood and placed his hands on his hips.

"It's a couple of hours until we'll actually have to turn in. Want to work on the baby room for a while?" He offered with a small strained smile.

"I...there's really not much left to do." He grinned trying to help his friend, but knew the other man could use a distraction.

"But I'm sure there's something we could find to do." Edameonus's smile widened and he nodded.

"Let's get to it then."

~The next day~

Archellevon awoke with a blistering headache, groaning lightly as he turned. Doing so made him realize he had been blanketed up. He blinked and noticed someone was sitting next to him. Turning slightly, he saw Edameonus leaning to the side somewhat with his arms crossed, having fallen asleep next to him.

"You're awake." Fay said softly. He had woken up earlier because of the baby and hadn't been able to sleep again, so instead the blonde had gotten an early start on breakfast before he would have to wake the others for the day. Archellevon moving on the couch had caught the blonde's attention as he had exited the kitchen. The white haired teenager blinked, remembering things about the blonde he hadn't even dreamed of before. He offered a kind smile, though his headache raged on.

"Good morning Fay." He said, losing the formality and stutter in his voice. Startled at the greeting, Fay quickly replaced his surprise with a smile.

"Good morning, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine." He groaned again, sitting up. Clutching his head he gave a soft chuckle.

"Well, maybe not. I have sort of a headache." He smiled wider.

"How's Kurogane? Did... did his arm heal up ok?"

"He'll be sore still, but nothing too bad." Fay watched, happy that the teen was talking too at least.

"There might be something for your head, I'll have to ask Kuro-min."

"It's fine, I'm sure the pain will pass." Archellevon gave him a cute smile before looking at Edameonus.

"...I don't know who you are, but I'm sure I will someday... now that I've remembered Fay and Kurogane..." He timidly moved closer to the sleeping man.

"Please be patient... Ed..." He whispered before moving to stand. Fay could barely manage to hear Archellevon, unable to make out exactly what the teen had said. He smiled noticing how the boy had moved closer to the sleeping Edameonus.

"If you're sure, I'll go and wake Kuro-pon." He nodded and walked away from the couple and towards his bedroom, leaving them alone. Archellevon smiled with a giggle, placing a hand on the demon's shoulder.

"E...Ed... it's time to get up..." He cooed sweetly, nudging the man softly.

"..." Edameonus mumbled, a scowl on his face as he tried to brush away whatever it was trying to wake him. Archellevon giggled more and nudged the man a little more.

"Come on, you've been sitting there all night." The teenager encouraged, smiling to himself. He grumbled before opening his eyes. He groaned as the sunlight streaming in through the windows blinded him.

"What...?"

"Get up, sleepyhead!" The teenager said joyfully, having retrieved memories that made him less timid and quiet. The bright smile made a faint blush cross Edameonus's cheeks, flabbergasted by the change in personality.

"I'm...awake." The Ginryan stared shocked at the sudden change in the teen. He looked around the living room, noting nothing seemed out of place. Edameonus looked back to Archellevon and wondered if he was dreaming. The teenager blinked and gave him a curious smile.

"What is it?" Kurogane entered the living room slowly, growling to himself as his muscles argued with him.

"... Bout time you woke up." Archellevon stood straight and grinned.

"Sorry, Kurogane, I didn't mean to sleep so long." Again, the white haired teenager was given a blank stare. Fay hugged Kurogane from behind, wanting to distract the other from Archellevon's strange behavior.

"Now that everyone is up, we can eat. I was up early and decided to cook." The blonde looked around noticing Mokona had just woken up, having been curled up in one of the chairs. Kurogane looked to his lover with a frown.

"What time did you get up?" He asked, barely concealing worry for the unborn child in his stoic expression.

"About an hour ago." He smiled sheepishly as he leaned against Kurogane. Fay wouldn't tell his lover it was because the baby had been draining what was left of his energy since yesterday and had forced him awake. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, detecting something hidden behind the smile. Instead of forcing it out of the blonde, he decided it was too early to be in a super foul mood. He scoffed.

"Tch. Liar."

"Kuro-rinta's being mean." He grinned and lightly pinched Kurogane's side. Mokona giggled before she hopped down from the chair and headed to the kitchen, ready to eat. Kurogane growled and turned, grabbing the blonde's arms.

"Try that again and you're hide is mine." He threatened. Archellevon walked passed them, smiling to himself as he remembered their empty threats and teasings.

"Kuro-min won't do anything." Fay said confident as Kurogane held him. The Valerian smiled teasingly as Edameonus rolled his eyes and stood, stretching his arms above his head as he wandered into the kitchen after Soel and Archellevon. Kurogane gave him a good hard glare before letting the lithe man go, not wanting to be grumpy, er, grumpier, so early in the morning.

"Che, you're not worth my time." He replied, admitting that he wasn't going to do anything to harm his lover.

"Kuro-chan wouldn't do anything regardless." Fay smirked as he grabbed Kurogane's hand. The other didn't answer, but instead took the hand possessively and started to the kitchen. Archellevon had set down an extra plate for each of the other men. He smiled when they entered while holding hands.

"Thank you Archy." Fay smiled as he sat down at the table. Mokona smiled as it took a drink from its glass, while Edameonus smiled deviously at the couple. Kurogane glared at the Ginryan, not liking the look he was being given. Archellevon took his seat next to Edameonus and the demon promptly looked away, not understanding why the white haired teenager was now acting strangely.

"Kurogane and Fay were being lovey dovey~" Soel sang as she waved her fork around in the air. Blushing, Fay grinned as he ate and watched her twirl around on top of the table, glad to see at least some things were the same. Kurogane's right hand came over and instantly smushed her against the table, eyes still trained on his food.

"Shut up, meat bun." Soel laughed as she kicked frantically against Kurogane's hand enjoying herself.

"Kuro-san shouldn't be so rough with Mokona." Fay smiled as he continued to eat, feeling a little lightheaded as he felt the baby's aura spike as it gathered his energy.

"Rough with this thing? It's practically made of fur. The only thing that could hurt the meat bun is a vacuum cleaner." He said with a wicked grin, making Edameonus choke on his food.

"Kurogane-puppy's scary~" Mokona giggled as she continued to try escape the human's grasp. Smiling sheepishly Fay wondered what Kurogane would be like around a pet. The taller man finally relinquished his hold on the white bunny like thing and moved his hand to continue eating. Edameonus replaced Kurogane's hand with his own in a more affectionate way.

"Soel don't instigate, even with grumps. And even if it's funny." He said with a smirk, earning another glare from Kurogane. Mokona pouted before nodding and picking her fork back up. Fay chuckled thinking Edameonus was right about Soel's teasing, even if he did find it amusing.

As they ended their meal, Archellevon offered his assistance with cleaning, making Edameonus relax a little. The white haired teenager only seemed to stutter when he talked about Toriho or his past. Kurogane had moved into the living room to finish his homework, lounging on the couch Edameonus had taken up. Fay dried the last dish and put it away. He, along with Mokona and Archellevon, had washed the dishes together.

"You didn't have to help, you're head must still hurt." He said as the teen dried his hands on a dishrag. The former angel stopped humming and smiled wider as he drained the sink.

"Oh it wasn't a trouble. I'm feeling much better. I'm just glad I didn't break another plate." He said with a small giggle. Still getting used to the boy's new attitude, Fay only smiled.

"Now that we're done how about going to the living room?" Mokona jumped up onto the blonde's shoulder. The boy nodded and smiled, drying his hands on the towel before leading the way out. He walked down the hallway and then looked curiously about.

"Eh? Where's Ed?" He asked to the student, who didn't look up from taking notes.

"Went out to the construction site."

"Archy and Mokona should go look!" Soel had yet to see anything of the house except from when she had sneaked looks out the window or when Edameonus had carried her around. Fay smiled, hoping it would push the two together, before he took a seat beside Kurogane.

"A-ah, would that be ok?" Archellevon replied, blinking to himself.

"Isn't Moko-chan not supposed to be seen?"

"Mokona will pretend to be a doll." Soel said as she hopped excitedly up to sit atop the teen's head.

"As long as she doesn't talk or move, it should be fine." The blonde said, amused by the creature's excitement, knowing it must be difficult to stay in the house all day when everyone was busy.

"... I think I have a better idea." Archellevon replied, a soft smile on his face.

"Moko-chan, you've got 108 secret techniques right?" He asked curiously.

"Can one of those help us out here?"

"Mokona can help!" Soel stuck her tongue out at Kurogane as she remembered their argument from before. Jumping off of the teen's head, large wings spread out from the tiny creature's sides and wrapped around her as a soft glow surrounded her. Kurogane sat back slightly, a frown etched onto his face. Archellevon watched with cute curiosity, hands folded in front of his chest. Just then the demon who had adopted the creature walked in, blinking at the white thing.

"Soel...? What are you activating?" He asked, sort of alarmed. The wings seemingly dissolved around Mokona, each feather molted and disappeared as the creature landed.

"Mokona activated secret technique #27 'super shapeshift'!" What appeared before them was a small girl, white hair falling to her shoulder blades as bright purple eyes looked to the others around her. Her red gem remained intact. All jaws dropped in the room as the girl replaced the white creature. Edameonus was the first to recover from the shock, walking forward to conceal her with his jacket.

"What the hell?! You're supposed to warn me before you do stuff like that, Soel!"

"But Mokona wanted to go outside and Archy said I could use a technique!" The small girl pouted up at the Ginryan. Edameonus frowned back, picking the child up with ease.

"Come now, how can you go outside not wearing anything?" The dark haired man looked over to the blonde.

"You wouldn't mind lending her some clothing would you?" Kurogane clicked his tongue, not liking how everyone seemed to be borrowing Fay's clothes all of a sudden.

"A shirt should be long enough for her, I don't have anything else that would fit." Fay smiled, still surprised about Mokona's transformation. Edameonus smiled back thankfully, looking to the girl in his arms.

"Good. We'll have to ask Tomoyo-chan to buy you some clothing if you're going to stay transformed like this." He frowned slightly when he saw her gem.

"Unfortunately, I don't know how safe it would be to go into town yet... your skills at transforming aren't fully developed, and you don't appear as a normal human."

"Mokona will work harder!" She smiled excitedly as she latched onto Edameonus.

"I'm sure we could find something to cover her forehead if we go back to town." Fay suggested as he looked at the new Soel.

"It depends." Edameonus said with a fond smile when the little one hugged him. Archellevon found himself grinning at how fatherly he acted toward the alien. The demon frowned then, pulling away to look at her.

"But until we go back into town, you're grounded."

"But Mokona wants to go out with everyone." She pouted her large eyes looking up to her father figure. Said man shook his head, the frown not leaving his face.

"No, you disobeyed me and you should learn to take the consequences with your actions, Soel." He replied firmly. Kurogane blinked and decided to go back to his bookwork, never liking the father talks.

"..." Mokona closed her eyes as she rested against the Ginryan, she sniffled not liking Edameonus's decision. The demon smiled to himself, knowing Tomoyo would want to take out her 'cousin's daughter' the moment she met her. He turned to Fay.

"The clothing, please." The blonde nodded and stood walking past the two and into his bedroom. Quickly he grabbed a plain shirt from the closet and ventured back into the living room.

"This should be long enough for Mokona." Soel perked up and looked over her shoulder to the blonde smiling. Edameonus nodded, stretching his free arm out to take the shirt. He then carried the girl to the bathroom and set her down.

"Here, change in there." He instructed, standing outside the doorway while giving the little one the offered shirt. Mokona giggled as the door shut in front of her. Holding the shirt up she slipped it on, having seen the others do the same before. She looked at the blue shirt, seeing that it came to below her knees making it an effective dress for her short stature. Edameonus leaned against the other wall, listening as Archellevon giggled with Fay about how cute of a father he made for the girl. He only barely succeeded in hiding his slightly proud grin.

"Kuro-rin would be cute with a little girl too." Fay smiled at Archellevon, happy to see the teen more cheerful around all of them. If Kurogane had been drinking something, he would've spit it out. Instead, he settled for slinking slowly behind his book, hiding his face with the cover while growling to himself. Meanwhile in the bathroom, Mokona opened the door and steeped out to see Edameonus. The demon smiled a little wider, seeing the cute girl wearing the shirt like a nightgown. He knelt in front of her.

"How does it feel? You comfortable?"

"Yes, Mokona likes the new dress." She spun around before stopping and brought her arms up to the Ginryan, silently asking to be lifted since she could no longer hop in her current form. Edameonus chuckled and knelt down and hooked his hands under her arms.

"I'm glad. we'll have to get you more clothing like that, won't we?" He asked as he lifted her up with ease.

"Kuro-min's blushing." Fay said knowingly, having seen Kurogane's attempt to hide his face from them. The other sat up straight with a growl.

"Dammit! I do not blush!" He spat, though his face darkened. Pointing at Kurogane, the blonde smiled wider.

"Is Kuro-myu embarrassed because I'm talking about kids?" Mokona covered her mouth with her hands to stop from laughing to loudly at the couple. Kurogane set his book to the side, ready to get up if needed.

"Who the hell is embarrassed?!" He barked. Edameonus rolled his eyes and sighed, walking to the baby's room.

"You know Kurogane, if you continue to pointlessly bicker you'll be late again."

"Kuro-pon's become such a bad student lately." Fay grinned, seeing Kurogane's temper soar.

"But Edameonus is right, you should be leaving soon." Even if the blonde didn't like the idea of Kurogane leaving, even if he wasn't alone, he knew it was important for the other. Kurogane pointed his pencil at the blonde.

"Shut the fuck up, blondie." He threatened, moving to grab his book. Archellevon sighed through his smile, knowing Fay was only stressing Kurogane out.

"Fay, we should do the laundry today." He offered, wanting to detour any more anger away from the couple.

"Alright." Fay stood as he continued to smile at his lover. Mokona laughed as she was held.

"Mokona wants to help!" She squirmed excitedly. The Ginryan's hand stopped reaching for the doorknob to keep Mokona in his arms.

"Oi, oi, don't wiggle so much, Soel." He said, steadying her in his arms.

"Would you rather help out with Fay-chan and Archy?"

"Mokona wants to help with laundry!" She clapped, looking forward to seeing what both men were going to do. Edameonus chuckled a little and set the girl down.

"Alright, go ahead and help them." He watched as Archellevon reached out his hand for her, and instantly his heart ached. Mokona took the teen's hand happily swinging their entwined hands.

"Now, let's go then, I'm sure there's a lot to do." Fay said as he walked past the two youngest members of the house. Edameonus watched them go down the hallway before he let his smile fall, turning on his heel quickly to exit the home and go back to his half built house. Kurogane watched him closely, noticing the change in his attitude with expert eyes. Archellevon, however, hadn't caught the sadness, smiling brightly to the girl as she sang. As they entered the laundry room, Fay picked up the girl to sit her on the table.

"Now Mokona can help us better." The blonde smiled brightly at her as he thought what it would be like to do this with his own child. Archellevon reached over the washer and clicked the button, opening the top.

"Is Moko-chan helping us fold or iron?"

"Fold." She smiled brightly as she leaned forward to watch the boy. Fay watched as well, still not sure about how to work the machines. The former angel stopped from unloading the first machine to bend over to get into the second, noticing that there was Edameonus's and Kurogane's clothing.

"Oh goody, we get to fold the 'men' of the house's clothing!" He laughed lightly to himself, pulling it out into a basket.

"They're more like ill tempered children than anything." Fay chuckled as he grabbed a shirt, helping Archellevon. Mokona took another shirt and clumsy folded it as she watched how the other two did. The white haired teenager laughed airily and held the shirt out for Mokona to watch.

"Like this; in with the sleeves like so, in half longways, in half like this, and then in half again." He instructed, showing the girl how to fold. Laying his finished shirt on the table next to Soel, Fay started on another amused as the transformed creature mimicked Archellevon. The younger man made sure to fold slowly so the girl could follow along, laughing happily as she laid down her sloppy but cute job.

"Very nice for your first time folding, Moko-chan!"

"Even Kuro-san couldn't argue about how well you did." Soel blushed happy for the encouragement from both men before she took another garment and slowly repeated the steps. Archellevon looked to Fay and giggled, knowing the girl was so happy with such a simple task. He looked back to the shirt he was folding, noticing it was Edameonus's. His mind wandered back to the man, eyes glossing over in thought. Fay smiled fondly as he looked over to see Archellevon pause in his work. It seemed things were going well for both of them if the teen looked like that when thinking of the shirt's owner. He held a finger to his lips for Mokona, trying to keep her quiet. Though instead of a smile, Archellevon's lips curved into a curious frown as his fingers moved deftly across the fabric, like he had never felt wool before.

"Fay... I've known you for a while..." He looked up, eyes searching the blonde's face for something.

"...Did... Did I know Ed? Back... in my other life?" The blonde had been surprised by the other's words. His hands froze as he held one of Kurogane's shirts.

"...Yes, you knew each other." Fay tried to smile at the boy as he answered him. Archellevon blinked and looked down to the shirt.

"Did I?" He repeated, staring at the collar. He sighed and shook his head.

"I don't remember... I don't remember him..." He said, mostly to himself. Mokona set down her half folded shirt and smiled to him.

"Archellevon should smile!" The former angel blinked again and tilted his head.

"What? Smile?"

"It doesn't matter if you remember him or not, you can make new memories. And Mokona's right, it's better for you to smile." Fay folded the shirt quickly and set it aside. Archellevon looked down, his hands slumping to his sides while still holding onto the shirt.

"...I wish I could remember... but..." he looked up and gave a small smile.

"If it will make Ed happy to make new memories, I will do it!" He pulled the shirt close to his chest and closed his eyes.

"I just want to see his real smile too, I guess...."

"You'll just have to be patient, it's strange for him to see you...give him some time." It worried him when he heard the light haired teen talk about his previous life, he only knew small pieces of it, but the blonde couldn't help but think it was best that he didn't remember everything.

"Is.... Is Ed... hurt?" Archellevon replied, staring into nothing.

"Does seeing me make his heart hurt? Is that why his smile isn't always real?"

"You couldn't hurt him." Fay grinned as he folded another shirt absentmindedly.

"I believe he's happy, but he keeps thinking of the past. You just need to show him that you're not the same as he remembered."

"Hopefully that'll do more good than bad." Archellevon muttered before folding the shirt he held. The smile returned momentarily as he tried not to think of depressing thoughts anymore.

"Now, Moko-chan! It's onto folding pants!" Soel nodded, eager to learn. Fay began folding laundry as Archellevon showed Mokona how to do it. Smiling to himself Fay wondered what would happen in the future between the two men.

"Oi, Blondie! I'm leaving!" Came Kurogane's voice down the hall, sounding aggravated. Archellevon looked at the clock on the wall.

"Goodness! He'll be late if he doesn't leave now!" Fay set down the pants and smiled at the room's other occupants.

"I suppose I should say goodbye." The blonde waved and left the room just as Mokona started to laugh. Kurogane zipped up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder just as the Valerian had entered, his frown set in stone on his face.

"Kuro-pyon's angry?" Fay walked up to Kurogane a smile still on his lips. He looked over to the other and his expression softened, if only a little.

"Tch. It's nothing." The other replied, his hand moving to cup Fay's cheek. He then brought their lips together, feeling like they hadn't kissed in decades. Fay grabbed hold of the front of the taller man's shirt, enjoying the kiss. Wondering what was wrong with Kurogane sat in the back of his mind as he leaned into the other's hand. The taller man pulled away after a moment, not really wanting to leave. He let out a small grunt before holding Fay's hand that clutched his shirt.

"I'll be back later."

"Have a good day then." The blonde smiled fondly at the gesture. The other nodded before turning away, his hand making Fay let go of his shirt. He opened the door and walked out, not looking back to his lover. Archellevon watched from the hallway, having just walked out with Mokona. Fay sighed and turned not liking the idea of being separated from Kurogane. His smile returned as he saw the two watching him. Archellevon smiled back.

"You two seem like the classic couple, kissing goodbye before he goes out." He said cheerfully, thinking of the tv dramas he used to watch. The blonde blushed at the comment.

"Thank you." He wondered over to both of them and patted Mokona's head.

"Now, what should we do?" Archellevon looked down to the girl as well with a smile.

"What would Moko-chan like to do? Is there anything fun we can play with?" Archellevon asked them both.

"I don't think Kuro-min keeps anything for children around, but we can look." Fay smiled sheepishly, knowing there wasn't much to keep them occupied.

"Well, didn't Kurogane and Ed mention something about a tv? Or... do you know if Kurogane has a computer? From where I used to live we had devices like that, do they have them here?" Archellevon inquired, having thought of the utensils he used to keep himself from being bored.

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind us using them until we can help out again."

"There is." Fay said as he walked towards the computer room.

"Though now it's a bit crowded." He opened the door seeing all the furniture and computers in the small room. When looking around, he saw Yuui in the turned around chair, having not been turned on for almost a month. Archellevon let out a small breath, smiling to himself as he saw the equipment.

"Did Kurogane buy this stuff?"

"Most of it, but he made a lot of it too." The blonde said proudly as he spoke of his lover.

"Wow! This technology is still being thought of where I used to live!" Archellevon replied, picking up the almost complete doll with large bells in her hair.

"I've never seen these things before I came here, Kuro-min's very smart despite his quick temper." Fay smiled as he thought about how Kurogane had helped them with Yuui.

"Really? I'm glad to know that!" Archellevon replied, toying with the robot a little more. He pressed her left shoulder and she quivered in his hand, though she didn't activate.

"Kuro-rin's creative when he wants to be." Fay watched the small android as Archellevon examined the tiny thing, wondering if it would be the same as Yuui once Kurogane was able to finish it.

"I'd like to see all of what Kurogane has created. He seems to do whatever he pleases when it comes to robotics." Archellevon giggled, setting the doll down because it wouldn't react to him.

"I'm sure Kuro-min wouldn't mind showing you." Fay said as he saw how interested the teen was

"Haha! I'd be happy!" The white haired boy replied, grinning back. He peered behind Fay when he noticed Mokona staring up at the doll in the chair.

"Moko-chan? What are you looking at?"

"Yuui, she's been like that since Kuro-tan came back." He smiled fondly at his lover's work and all that the android had done for them. Archellevon's body froze and his eyes widened slightly when he heard the name.

"...Y...Yuui?"

"Something wrong?" Turning he looked at the shorter male and saw the surprised expression on his face.

"Archellevon?"

"I-I... I've heard that... name... before..." The other replied, his hand trembling as he reached out to turn the chair around. He choked on his own air when he saw the android completely, eyes opening wider with dilated pupils.

"Archy?" Mokona said as she grabbed the hem of the boy's shirt, looking at him worried. Fay watched not knowing what he should do if Archellevon reacted as he had the day before. The boy stopped breathing due to the shock of seeing the android. He took a step back slowly and almost tripped over the table leg. Quickly Fay grabbed hold of the teen's arm to right him.

"Maybe we should do something else?" He suggested not liking to see his friend like this. The former angel didn't respond, and his skin twitched when Fay's hand touched him. Mokona let out a strangled cry when she saw him fall to his knees, his hands going up to the sides of his head. Just like the night before, he let out a muffled cry, eyes closing tightly.

"Mokona go and get Edameonus." Soel nodded and ran out the room near tears while Fay kneeled down to check on the teen. Archellevon's body trembled ever so slightly, repeating the previous day's events. It seemed Yuui had brought back some more memories to the boy.

"Can you hear me?" Fay could feel himself getting nauseous as he worried about seeing Archellevon like this. He wasn't much help and hoped the others would come soon.

The teenager didn't move for a moment, but his eyes cracked open slightly against the entourage of memories.

"...C...Court... Y..Yuu... ko..." He whimpered before letting out another moan. Fay moved to cup the boy's face to try and make the other snap out of whatever was happening to him. Listening to Archellevon Fay was surprised to say the least as he heard Yuuko's name, wondering if the light haired boy was remembering his past life. Edameonus came in suddenly, flinching when he saw Archellevon and Fay on the ground. He had been carrying Mokona in order to moved faster, so he set the girl down and knelt by the former angel. He glanced over to Fay.

"What triggered this?"

"Yuui..." Frowning he met Edameonus's eyes, worried. Edameonus nodded and looked to the boy, touching the pale shoulder exposed from the shirt.

"Archy..." He said with a soft voice, trying not to be weak for the teenager. The white haired boy quivered again and whimpered before suddenly moving to cling to the demon. Edameonus blinked in surprise, not having expected the boy to want his comfort. Fay hesitated, not knowing if he should leave the two alone or stay in case they needed him as he watched Archellevon latched onto the Ginryan.

"We should take him to a place where he can lie down if he needs to." Edameonus informed, arms wrapping around the smaller frame. He looked to his 'daughter'.

"Go set up the couch, Soel." Mokona nodded before dashing off to do as she had been told.

"If it was like last time, he'll be asleep for awhile." Fay spoke as he stood. Edameonus hooked his hand underneath his knees, lifting the boy up easily.

"Yes, and passing out in the computer room isn't going to be comfortable."

"Fainting at all isn't good for him." He looked over to Yuui and turned the chair she was sitting in back to its original position.

"Hn." The other replied, watching Fay before moving out of the room. He walked into the living room, ignoring the tightening grip on his shirt that pinched his skin. Fay followed the couple, shutting the door behind him as Edameonus gently put the slender teen on the couch. Mokona looked on worried. The boy twitched again and gasped, closing his eyes tightly as more memories flooded his mind mercilessly. Edameonus grimaced, not having a clue that gaining back memories was so painful.

"Just make sure he doesn't hurt himself." The Valerian watched the two in front of him. Seeing Archellevon's reaction he wondered if it was because the once angel was now human that his body reacted in such a way. Edameonus nodded, more focused on the boy's hands that moved against his head. The demon reached forward cautiously and plucked a pale hand from the face, clutching it tightly for comfort. He was slightly relieved when his grip was returned strongly.

Fay walked to the bathroom and once inside grabbed a washcloth and wetted it, thinking it best to keep Archellevon from getting sick. The blonde left and returned to the three in the living room, folding the washcloth he wiped sweat from the teen's forehead wanting to help. Edameonus watched the blonde thankfully, looking briefly to Mokona.

"...Come here." He said gently, opening his other arm to the girl. Timidly Soel made her way towards the dark haired man. She wiped at her eyes as Edameonus wrapped an arm around her. He bent his head down and kissed the top of her head soothingly, not wanting her to cry. He looked over to the former angel when he felt his grip fade, the pale body shivering once more before Archellevon's head slowly lulled to the side. Edameonus grimaced.

"...It's over."

"We just need to make him comfortable until he wakes up again." Fay smiled reassuringly as Mokona sniffled and shook her head in agreement. Edameonus removed his hand from the pale one, having become used to distancing himself from his love's doppelganger. He grabbed the edge of the blanket Mokona had set up and covered Archellevon.

"You should be the one he sees when he wakes up, I'm sure he'd like that." Moving out of the way Fay saw how the Ginryan covered the now sleeping teen.

"Just like last time… Hopefully I'll stay awake for him." Edameonus replied, staring at the now sleeping figure. He looked at Mokona with a frown.

"Would you rather wait with me or go with Fay-chan back to the computer room to play?"

"Mokona doesn't want to play anymore." Fay smiled at the creature and placed his hand atop her head.

"How about we cook then, we'll make a big dinner for everyone, I'm sure Archellevon would like that when he wakes up." The blonde smiled as he tried to comfort her. Edameonus tightened his grip on the girl in a one armed hug.

"Go on and help Fay-chan, I'm sure it will cheer you up." He muttered, closing his eyes as he rested his lips against her temple. Soel nodded against him before she left his side. Fay picked the transformed girl up in his arms and smiled.

"Mokona should smile." Edameonus moved to take the seat next to the couch, looking at Mokona.

"Soel is always happy, seeing you frown just makes me frown too." He informed, knowing the girl would be upset either way. Soel nodded before she wrapped her small arms around Fay's neck.

"Alright then we'll leave, if you need anything just ask Edameonus." The blonde said as he held Mokona against his hip, not wanting to add any pressure to his stomach, as he still felt a little light headed over the past two days' events.

"Yeah, you too." Edameonus replied, looking down to the teenager again. He grimaced again, moving his hand to brush the wet bangs from the closed eyes.

~Later~

"Okay now, Mokona just set the plates on the table." The blonde smiled as he gave the still transformed Mokona a plate. She grinned and did as told, happier than she had been a few hours earlier. The sounds of a revving engine entered the kitchen through the windows, revealing the fact that Kurogane was now home. The motorcycle's noises stopped abruptly as the dark haired man turned it off outside.

"Can you set the rest up?" Mokona nodded cheerfully as she grabbed several pieces of silverware in her tiny hands, showing the blonde she could handle things. Fay smiled and carried two plates to the table, setting them down as he walked out of the kitchen to greet his lover. As soon as Fay entered the living room he saw Kurogane appear through the front door. He dropped his backpack at the entrance, massaging his left shoulder underneath the biker's jacket he wore. He looked up and spotted Fay, instantly removing his hand to close the door behind him.

"Your arm is still bothering you." Fay said as he walked up to Kurogane a frown marring his lips. The smaller knew he wouldn't be able to help Kurogane as much as he had yesterday, knowing he hadn't fully recovered either.

"Tch, it's fine." The student replied, removing his jacket to hang on the wall.

"You cooking?" He asked, changing the subject swiftly. Fay's frown deepened, not liking how Kurogane tried to keep him from asking questions about his arm.

"...Yes."

"Hn." The other replied, leaning down to give Fay a kiss.

"I'm home." He said lowly, pressing their lips together. Grinning into their kiss Fay wrapped his arms around Kurogane's waist as he enjoyed the small moment with his lover. The taller man smirked when he felt the arms go around him and pulled his partner closer, ignoring the stare from Edameonus. It was strange how the blonde had missed such a simple gesture, showing exactly how much he had missed the other man during the day. Fay sighed into the kiss, glad Kurogane was back.

"...You two gunna stand there all day or are we going to have to eat without you?" Edameonus said, having stood from the chair. Kurogane growled, not liking interruption. Fay pulled away blushing.

"We're coming." Smiling sheepishly the blonde looked over to his friend. Edameonus raised an eyebrow, chuckling to himself at the lithe man's response. He looked down to the teenager for a moment before leaving his side, knowing the other wouldn't wake before nightfall. Kurogane allowed Fay to pull away from him, the half breed as hungry as any of the others. Wandering into the kitchen Fay saw that Mokona had done a good job at setting the table and thanked her for her work as he sat.

"Mokona worked hard." She smiled brightly at the compliment the slender man had given her as the others walked in. Edameonus sat down at his respected seat and patted his knee for the child to sit on. Kurogane took another chair, eyes staring at the food served onto the table.

"How did we get so much food? I haven't gone shopping yet."

"Mokona and Fay had to look everywhere." She said as she clambered up onto Edameonus's lap.

"There's not much left." Picking up his fork Fay spoke, knowing they would have to get groceries tomorrow if they planned on eating anything. Kurogane stared at the girl, still not used to her appearance before looking down to his plate. Edameonus smiled as the little one became comfortable.

"You did a good job with even less than what I can make a meal out of, that's something to be proud about, Soel."

"She was a very good helper, maybe someday she'll be able to cook for us by herself." Fay smiled encouragingly as Soel began to eat. The girl's adopted father chuckled lightly and moved some white strands of hair out of the young one's face.

"That'd be a nice treat, wouldn't it?" Fay grinned and imagined how Kurogane would act with their child, seeing his lover as being the same.

"Mokona will cook all the time!" She waved her fork in the air as she grinned happily.

"Hey, you're not tiny anymore, don't do that." Edameonus scolded, having to dodge the fork in order to keep his nose unscathed. Kurogane lost interest in the two aliens, eating away the meal he was offered.

All of them ate in relative peace, Mokona still squirmed about on Edameonus's lap as Fay stood to take his plate to the sink, already finished eating. Edameonus sighed and moved his arm to support the girl's back, knowing if she moved too much Mokona would fall.

"You're troublesome, you know that?" He teased, taking the last of his food in a bite.

"Mokona's not!" She whined as she held up her plate to show she had finished. Behind them Fay chuckled as he began washing the dirtied dishes.

"You are, otherwise you wouldn't be complaining right now." Edameonus retorted, a smug smile on his face. He picked the girl up with his arm and took their plates.

"Now then, what shall we do?" He asked her, giving their plates to Fay.

"Mokona wants to play." She giggled as she was carried. Taking the plates Fay dumped them into the sink, grinning at Soel's excitement.

"Ok, what can we play with?" Edameonus asked her before looking at Kurogane.

"Got anything she can occupy herself with?" He asked the student, who looked up with a slight frown.

"There's books and then the tv. I ain't got children crap for kids her age."

"Mokona wants to be read too." The small creature was still wary about watching tv after what had happened earlier in the day when they had gone to.

"I'm sure there will be plenty of toys in the future for Mokona to play with." Fay said as he dried a glass. Edameonus looked over to Fay with a smile.

"Yeah... That's going to be an exciting time." He began to walk out before Kurogane stopped them.

"Will that girl age like a normal person would?"

"Mokona won't age, but Mokona might be able to look older." The girl frowned not sure exactly if she could transform into something that wasn't her original form, seeing as she still hadn't perfected her technique.

"Well, with time you'll have experience, so you might be able to transform older when you actually become older." Edameonus added, thinking how cute it would be to see Mokona playing with a younger Toshihiko.

"I'm sure Toshi would like a playmate." Sharing the Ginryan's thoughts Fay knew Mokona, regardless of what form she took, would be friends with his and Kurogane's son. Mokona smiled brightly.

"Mokona would like that very much!" She cheered, clinging to her father figure. Edameonus chuckled before exiting the kitchen.

"Now then, what books should we read?" Mokona began listing off the types of things she wanted the Ginryan to read to her as they left. Finished with the dishes Fay walked over to the table and sat down beside Kurogane.

"Would you like me to look at your shoulder?" The blonde offered, knowing it must be causing the taller man pain. Kurogane looked up from his drink, frowning deeper.

"I already said it's fine, Blondie." He said lowly, obviously annoyed by the resurfacing of the topic. Fay sighed and looked away, not wanting to start another argument between them. Kurogane stood then, knowing that they both seemed to be a little stressed due to everything that was happened. It annoyed him because they took it out on each other. While Fay sat he could feel just how drained he was from yesterday, having eaten helped somewhat, but the baby was still a drain on his energy. Deciding it best not to sit around and think about arguing with Kurogane, the blonde stood intent on showering, hoping it would keep him from thinking about any impending fight.

Kurogane took him by surprise, for suddenly strong arms wrapped tightly around Fay's body. The taller man buried his face in the crook of the pale neck, closing red eyes as he took in the other's scent. A small smile broke out onto Fay's lips as he brought his hand up to cover Kurogane own hands. Not wanting to ruin the moment the Valerian kept quiet, enjoying the embrace.

"How have you two been?" He felt Kurogane's mouth mumble against his collar bone, talking about both Fay and the unborn child. It was then Fay could tell the other man was just as upset for leaving home as Fay himself was.

"...He's been energetic lately, in another month or so he'll be moving around." Leaning back against Kurogane, Fay relaxed as he spoke.

"Hn. He's growing faster than I thought he would." Kurogane mentioned, a frown on his face. He didn't like the idea of being away whilst his son grew up.

"He'll be born in almost three months Kuro-san." He sighed at the thought, excited about the prospect of being able to see and hold their child.

".... Three months..." The other repeated, opening his eyes to stare at nothing in particular.

"It's exciting to think about." Fay couldn't help the smile that graced his lips while he held Kurogane's hands.

"Hn. He's going to be a noisy kid from what I can tell so far." The dark haired man kissed the pale neck, thinking over how lively their child was.

"From what I've seen of you and Toriho, he will be a handful." He could feel his cheeks heating as Kurogane kissed him.

"Heh, wouldn't surprise me. Dad'll want to wrestle with him." Kurogane warned, smirking as he thought of the first time he tried to take on his father.

"You will too." Amused Fay wondered idly if he'd be able to not get too worried over seeing their son playing as roughly as Kurogane and Toriho did.

"Tch. I take after my dad, so what do you think?" Kurogane replied with a chuckle, moving his hands to Fay's hips.

"I just hope he won't be too hurt." Fay's blush deepened as his lover's hands moved to rest on his hips.

"He won't get hurt at all. I'm not as much of a dumbass as my father when it comes to roughhousing in the garage." Kurogane replied, thinking of the time he hurt his arm.

"I know you'll try to be careful." Smiling at Kurogane's reply, Fay knew there would be accidents and hoped Toshihiko would share his ability to heal quickly. Kurogane pulled away from his lover slowly, looking at the clock. He groaned to himself, knowing it would be getting dark before he'd have time to do anything important.

"What all have you done today?"

"Chores." Already Fay missed the other's embrace as he answered.

"Which reminds me, I should be taking a shower." Knowing that he and the others had been working all day, the blonde was sure he was in need of a bath. Kurogane stood straight, nodding.

"I'll be in the bedroom." He informed his lover before moving to leave the room.

"Alright." Fay said as he tried to will his blush away from before. The taller man smirked to himself at his boyfriend's blush, wondering why he would turn red over his affection. He exited, shoving his hands in his pockets as he went to retrieve his books from the backpack. When he entered the living room, he saw Edameonus reading to the girl on his lap. Fay watched Kurogane leave and exited the kitchen as well, heading towards the bathroom. Mokona listened intently, as she tried to follow along. Her purple eyes were half lidded as she rested against Edameonus's chest. Edameonus smiled to himself, not taking notice of the other man that entered.

"...'But the girl didn't accept the gift, turning away from the prince.' Why do you think she did that, Soel?" He asked, looking to the girl. Kurogane watched out of the corner of his eye, never knowing how gentle the Ginryan could be.

"She didn't like him?" Mokona said as she buried her face against Edameonus's chest.

"No, she liked him, very much." Edameonus replied, removing one hand from the side of the book to place on her head. He didn't look up when he noticed Archellevon looking over to them, having awoken from his slumber.

"She didn't want the gift?" Soel asked as she scanned over the book.

"She wanted his gift as well." Edameonus replied, looking down to his 'daughter's' face.

"You see, sometimes when two people like each other, they get afraid to admit it. That fear keeps the people apart." He looked up to Archellevon briefly.

"For better or for worse."

"Then she should just say something if it makes both of them unhappy." Mokona frowned as she looked up. Edameonus smiled softly back down to her, petting her head.

"It's not always that simple. It should be, but it's not. Don't you remember the witch's curse on the girl? If she tells the prince her feelings, the curse will be activated, remember? Well, for some people, there's a curse on them too, they just don't always have a witch to cast it on them."

"She doesn't have to say anything...the princess can show it instead." Mokona pouted, her dark eyes looking at the Ginryan as she talked.

"Now who said anything about her being a princess? You read ahead didn't you, you little twerp?" Edameonus teased as he rubbed the top of her head roughly but affectionately.

"Kyyahhhh!" Mokona squealed in delight as she moved her hands to try and remove Edameonus's hand from her head. Archellevon giggled a little as he watched, glad to see them both smiling. Edameonus laughed a little before looking back to the book.

"Do you still want me to continue? Or do you already know the ending too?"

"Mokona didn't read too far ahead!" She pouted at having been caught as she tried to pat down her mussed hair.

"Haha! You can hardly read though." Edameonus mentioned as she got settled back into place.

"Can I trust you to not tell me the ending? I might not have read as far as you did, squirt."

"Mokona promises!" Soel shouted as she waved her arms about.

"Alright alright! Calm it, or I'm making you take a bath after Fay-chan." Edameonus warned, moving his hand back to the side of the book. Mokona calmed down, eagerly waiting for Edameonus to continue. Archellevon smiled as he watched the pair, not knowing the Ginryan could be so good with kids, even if Mokona wasn't actually a child. Kurogane had moved to the hallway once more, slightly ticked at the fact Edameonus had overheard his and Fay's conversation even from the living room. It made him wonder what else he had heard.

"Ok, where were we? 'The prince had tried to go after her, but the girl was simply too hard to find. He thought she was gone forever'…"

While Edameonus finished his story, Fay stood under the running water, his head bent downwards, letting the shower spray wash over him. Without being occupied he could feel how low his own aura had gotten and knew that from his shoulders to his back where is tattoo covered him, the skin there would be a light shade of red from having over exerted himself. He smiled, knowing he didn't mind and that it would heal within another day or two. With his acute hearing he could tell that the demon and the tiny girl were having a good time and that Kurogane had moved to the bedroom. The door gently closed to said room, letting the rest of the house's occupants know the student was doing homework.

Feeling the water cooling Fay turned it off and stepped out. Grabbing a towel he dried himself and once finished wrapped it around his waist. Picking up his dirtied clothes the blonde put them away in the hamper before he opened the bathroom door and hurried inside his and Kurogane's room, not wanting the others to see him. Kurogane was lounging on the bed with his back against the wall, books on the nightstand. He looked up briefly to see the other enter before looking back down, expression a little calmer after seeing his lover.

Fay smiled before moving to the closet, wanting to find a shirt and put it on before Kurogane could notice anything wrong. Pulling out a thin top the blonde slipped it over his head. It was too late.

"Your back is still red." He heard the deep voice rumble from behind him, a book softly closing following afterwards. Fay flushed and cursed himself mentally.

"It will be fine." Grabbing a pair of shorts the slender man made quick work of changing before he walked over to the side of the bed. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, a deep frown on his face. He knew he himself was guilty of hiding pain from the blonde, but he didn't like the idea of the other hiding it while being pregnant.

"Don't give me that bullshit. Why the hell are you still doing so much work?"

"Kuro-min was the one who said I was lazy." Fay replied as he crawled into bed and lay down next to Kurogane.

"You _are_ lazy, but you don't have to prove me wrong by trying to push yourself." The other growled, watching his lover move next to him.

"I'm not. I am only doing what I would normally; when I really start to show I won't be able to." Fay looked up at Kurogane as he lay down on his back under the blanket. The other man didn't speak, setting his bookwork on the table next to him. He then grabbed another book and sighed, not opening it.

"You're starting to show now." He looked down.

"Meaning you need to start taking it easy, now."

"I meant when I'm closer to actually giving birth." The blonde grinned at Kurogane's concern, happy that the other was worried over him, even if it wasn't necessary.

"Tch, whatever. Your tattoo's still red on your back, saying you're overexerting yourself." He looked back to his book and opened it to the assigned page.

"The marking only activates when I try to use my full powers, not when I'm doing normal things." Closing his eyes, Fay sighed and tried to relax against the cool sheets as Kurogane studied. Kurogane growled, rubbing his temple with his free hand.

"Then what the hell do you use your powers for?"

"..." Fay didn't speak, not wanting to anger Kurogane anymore than he had. After all he didn't want things to end up with them arguing again.

"Well?" The taller man frowned deeper and looked over to the blonde. He knew good and well what the magic was used for, he just didn't want Fay to keep it from him.

"From...yesterday." Averting his gaze the shorted man didn't like the idea of Kurogane treating him like a child, but ignored the impulse to say something about it as best he could.

"..." Kurogane sighed again and closed the book, knowing he wouldn't get his homework finished.

"...You shouldn't have done as much as you did."

"I told you last night that if I hadn't you wouldn't be up walking right now." Fay sat up, knowing he wouldn't be comfortable enough to sleep at the moment. Images of Kurogane on their bed bleeding came to mind, as did all the injuries the other man had received while they had been taken away.

"I know, but you could've stopped when you knew you reached your limit." Kurogane answered as he set the newer book aside.

"I would've been fine."

"I didn't care." Fay grinned as he looked down at his hands that were atop his lap. He could tell Kurogane wouldn't be happy with him as he answered.

"I did." Kurogane admitted, folding his arms and glaring to the other side of the room.

"I would've been better off taking more of it than you, idiot."

"I'm able to heal a lot faster than you." Biting his lip, Fay kept his eyes fixed downward, refusing to start a fight again.

"That doesn't matter." Kurogane answered sharply, bringing his attention to his lover.

"Trying to be noble by taking on other's pain is not always what's right, no matter what the odds are."

"I wasn't trying to...I don't like the sight of blood, haven't for a long time and seeing you as hurt as you were didn't help." Frowning, the blonde could feel himself getting nauseous at the thought.

"You saw blood when I got my arm cut off, didn't you?" Kurogane narrowed his eyes, thinking back to the operating room where it had happened.

"You saw blood when I got shot in the back didn't you? Why is this time any different?"

"It reminds me of people dying...that's why I don't like it. You could have before, but yesterday I wasn't able to prevent you from getting hurt in the first place." Blonde hair kept Kurogane from seeing his face. When they had been taken Fay had at least tried to prevent anything from happening to Kurogane, but yesterday he had froze in shock and hadn't done anything until after it was too late. The half human stared at his lover before shaking his head. He turned his body and moved one hand to tilt Fay's face toward his.

"You're an idiot." He slicked his hand across the pale bangs before resting his palm on Fay's cheek.

"Accidents happen. That doesn't mean you should try to make up for them by doing more than you're able to afterward."

"I wanted to." Fay looked down as he leaned his face against Kurogane's hand.

"Look at me." The dark haired one commanded, frowning as he saw the other's shame.

"..." Fay knew he was blushing as he did as Kurogane asked and looked up at him.

"Things happen ok? We can't prevent them. It doesn't make it better to try to compensate after the damage is done." Kurogane moved his hand from Fay's cheek to wrap it around the lithe man's shoulders.

"I know you were just trying to help, but it pisses me off that you get hurt trying to help me. I'd rather just stay hurt."

"It doesn't hurt." He spoke softly as he leaned against Kurogane.

"And even if it's an accident, it doesn't make me worry any less."

"I'd get better eventually." The tanned man grunted.

"You should know that more than anyone."

"Kuro-min's too stubborn to stay injured for long." Smiling to himself Fay wrapped his arms around Kurogane's waist.

"Which is why I don't want you to do stupid things like hurting yourself over me." The half breed added, smirking to his lover. Sighing Fay didn't comment, just wanting to enjoy Kurogane holding him instead of causing the other to argue.

The other man knew this conversation wasn't over with, but instead didn't push it. He noticed it was still early, but he assumed the blonde was tired. Fay relaxed against Kurogane, wondering over everything that had happened in the past few days. He realized how rare moments like this had been since they had been reunited and wondered if things would change once Toshihiko was born. Kurogane closed his eyes, thankful for the mutual silence. Ever since he had gotten his memories back he hadn't had a lot of silence like the time he had when he was about to move out. His heart skipped a beat when he thought of the possibilities that would've been lost had he moved out before Fay had found him again.

Fay moved out of Kurogane's embrace, to sit on the other's lap, wanting to find a more comfortable spot. Wrapping his arms around Kurogane's neck the blonde kissed the taller man's cheek before leaning forward to rest against his lover. Kurogane blinked when the transaction was made, but smirked when he felt the other get settled in his lap. He wrapped his arms around the smaller frame, careful not to make any noise of pain as his shoulder barely did what he wanted it to do. Fay kissed Kurogane's shoulder, noticing the other was tense as the taller man moved to wrap his arm around him. The elder man frowned slightly when he felt the pain, slightly hoping Fay would just brush it off. He leaned his head against the bed's backboard, sighing in relief that the day was over.

"It still hurts?" Fay rested his head against Kurogane's collarbone.

"I said it was nothing." The other replied, not opening his eyes to look at the blonde.

"I could help, it won't use a lot of energy." Fay sighed wishing Kurogane wasn't always so stubborn.

"I _said_ it was _nothing_." Kurogane repeated, moving finally to glare.

"The marking only does anything if I use a lot of power...it wouldn't be that much." The blonde tried to not become agitated as Kurogane refused his offer.

"No dammit!" The taller man snapped, his anger slowly boiling.

"Just like you I'll be fine in a couple of days! I might not heal as fast as you but I sure as hell can withstand a lot more! So I'll deal with it!"

"..." He tensed as Kurogane finished yelling at him, his hands clenched into fists angry because of the other man's stubbornness. Kurogane brought his hand up to run it through his hair, sighing. He wondered if he went off on Fay so easily because the stress built up by the past week or from the feeling he got when he thought of the man hurt.

"...Don't worry about it. The muscle's just sore. You healed it plenty yesterday."

"Stupid..." He mumbled against Kurogane's neck. Fay was still annoyed by his lover's outburst but knew there had been a lot for the man to deal with since he had come back.

"Tch." The other grunted, moving his hand back to rest against Fay's lower back. He stared off into nothingness as he remembered watching Fay's back being permanently scarred and how it had been his fault. He closed his eyes; this was similar, even though it wasn't as extreme. Fay wrapped his arms tighter around Kurogane's neck, careful of the injured shoulder. Sighing, the Valerian kissed the side of Kurogane's neck as they sat in relative peace.


	23. I watched you make this place a home

**Mirika-rin**: the only excuse I have for not updating sooner is my work barfing up more work for me to do |D I know right? -shot- A little more angst and fluff to wet your whistle, keeping things moving right along. :3

**Ashine-chan:** Another chapter with some angst still, but not too much. Remember everyone look for Kurogane and Fai on facebook!

**Mirika-rin: **and PLEASE message us with the friend request that you HAVE read this.

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~The next Day~

Kurogane awoke first that morning, moving slowly to hit his alarm clock with a savage fist.

"God dammit..." He mumbled in a drowsy tone. He looked down to realize Fay was curled against his chest, making his lips crack into a small smile. Frowning in his sleep at the sound of both the alarm and Kurogane, Fay shifted against Kurogane before settling back. The taller chuckled to himself, moving the blonde slightly.

"Oi, I gotta get up, idiot. You'll make me late." Sighing, the blonde opened his eyes to look up Kurogane, and Fay frowned but sleepily moved over to allow Kurogane to get up. The dark haired man rose from the bed, covering the blonde up once more. He leaned down and kissed the other before moving out of the room. Fay curled up in the blankets once more as he listened to Kurogane leave. Ready to fall back asleep, the blonde knew he would get up soon to say goodbye to Kurogane, but until then the Valerian rested.

It wasn't until thirty minutes later did he hear the taller man enter the room again, gathering the books on the side table in silence. He slung the pack over his good shoulder before bending over to kiss Fay again.

"I'll be back early today; teacher cancelled a class." Returning the kiss happily the Valerian grinned. Fay laughed sleepily glad about the news.

"Daddy should pick up groceries."

"I planned to." Kurogane replied, smirking slightly as he stroked the side of the blonde's face with his hand.

"I'll be back soon."

"I'll see you then." Placing a hand over Kurogane's, Fay smiled at the loving gesture. The taller man kissed him again before straightening his body. He walked out then, closing the door gently behind him. It wasn't long before Fay heard the motorcycle engine start and take off down the road. Smiling to himself the blonde closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep after he heard Kurogane leave, the baby not keeping him awake by making itself known as he usually did.

After a while, maybe a couple of hours, Fay was awoken again to the sunlight in his eyes and the sounds of Edameonus giving Mokona a bath. The girl was splashing loudly in the tub while the demon whined about her being messy. Sighing, Fay smoothed down his hair as he got out of bed. Still drowsy the blonde moved to the closet and quickly changed before stepping out of the bedroom and heading towards the living room. Archellevon was there, doing what little he could to help out by organizing the books and random articles on the coffee table. He looked up and smiled at Fay when he entered.

"Good morning." Fay smiled as he took a seat on the couch, still trying to wake himself fully as he watched the teen move about.

"Good morning to you too. I hope you don't mind me situating the things discarded here." Archellevon said in a very familiar nonchalant tone, though he paused to grip the side of his head.

"It is fine...your head still bothering you?" Fay asked as he leaned forward concerned whenever the boy showed signs of discomfort after he had fainted twice before.

"Oh dear yes, but I suppose that's to be expected from remembering things of your past life." He smiled weakly, trying to show Fay he was alright.

"I'm sure Yuuko and the others would agree." Fay sat surprised as the teen spoke.

"You...you remember Yuuko?" It was startling to hear Archellevon talk about his previous life and Fay realized just how the other was talking to him. The other looked back down to his work and smiled fondly.

"Yes. I remember Yuuko and Clow and Fei Wang, and of course I remember my partner Hisui... I bet they've replaced me by now." He smiled to himself.

"I have no idea how to contact them, so I can't tell them I've returned yet."

"I think it would be best not to tell them at all." Fay frowned wondering if the court would send Kokuyo and the other officers to take Archellevon away.

"Why's that, Fay?" The white haired teenager looked over to the other and tilted his head in curiosity.

"It's against the rules to keep me in hiding." He paused before giggling.

"I don't remember all the members of the court, but I know if I see one they'll let me know of a way to get back to Edonis..." His smile slowly faded into sorrow.

"Though... I can't help but think... what is it about the court that makes me sad?"

"That's one of the reasons why you shouldn't want to go back." The blonde smiled faintly, wondering what Edameonus would think of the news.

"But I'm curious. How can I find my answer by just staying in silence?" Archellevon asked before smiling.

"It's alright. I couldn't contact them... not without another Court member." Fay continued to smile, not wanting to say anything else that would bother his friend. He looked over to the clock wondering when Kurogane would be back.

"Fay, when you came to the court... I'm sorry." Archellevon frowned, stopping his hands from work.

"Everything worked out for the best." Wrapping his arms loosely around his stomach Fay smiled at Archellevon, knowing how much the boy's past self had helped them. The former angel shook his head and closed his eyes.

"No Fay. I didn't mean that. I made you go through so much... and for a reason I can't remember. Probably a reason not worth remembering. I wanted to die for as long as I can remember, but for what?" He clutched his chest in slight anger. "Nothing."

"There's no reason for you to apologize," Fay paused thinking how much he could tell the boy. He leaned forward and grabbed Archellevon's hand.

"Because of your help I was able to keep Toshihiko, Kuro-san and I are grateful for that." He smiled warmly thinking how lucky they had both been.

"As for wanting to die...no one wishes for that unless there is a good reason." Archellevon smiled feebly at the part of Fay's unborn child, but it slipped away when the death part came up.

"Fay... What could possibly make me want to die so much?" He blinked and looked away, blushing a little.

"Ah, no, it's not my place to ask. Never mind... I'll ponder the reasons over myself..." Fay nodded accepting Archellevon's request not to answer him. Sitting back against the couch the blonde sighed and tried to think of a way to keep the teen from thinking about his past.

"Have all of you been up for long?"

"Ed and Moko-chan have been up for about two hours while I have been up for three and a half. I woke up when Kurogane left." Archellevon said with a smile, folding the blanket he had made.

"He should be home soon, hopefully he remembered to pick up some groceries or else we won't be eating anything later." Fay smiled at the thought, knowing Kurogane would be angry if he had to leave as soon as he came back.

"Haha, yes. It would be a shame to make the man run all over the place while he's still so overworked." Archellevon added, moving to place the blanket in the new child's room.

"It's hard to get him to rest; he's too stubborn for his own good." Fay chuckled as the teen left towards the nursery.

"Yes, but I'm sure you can eventually help him out of that habit." Archellevon smiled before entering the other room. As soon as he vanished from sight, Mokona came running out of the bathroom, halfway dry with the towel slipping down her body. Edameonus was not too far behind, a scowl on his face and also half wet, though he himself was clothed.

"You twerp! Come back here!" Fay laughed and grabbed hold of the small girl as she tried to run past him, lifting Soel up and onto his lap.

"You'll get sick if you're not dried off." Edameonus sighed in relief as the girl was stopped before moving over to Fay, towel ready in his hand. Mokona squealed as the demon dried her hair roughly, flailing her arms in mock pain.

"Oh stop that. You complain too much."

"Mokona doesn't want to be dried!" She pouted as she tried to get away from both men. Fay smiled imaging what it would be like for himself and Kurogane to experience this with their own child.

"Fine, get sick and die!" Edameonus threatened, glaring at the young one as he continued to dry her. "I'm sure you'd rather end up in a box instead of being free to bother Kurogane."

"Mokona won't die will she?" Looking down at the small creature Fay shook his head.

"You can get ill and if that was severe enough you might."

"So listen to me and get dried off." Edameonus commanded, frowning deeper. He then looked over to Fay.

"Do you know if Tomoyo-chan is coming over today? I'd like to get her some clothing."

"I've not been told anything, I'm sure she'll come over whenever Toriho comes to visit." Fay replied as he held Mokona while Edameonus finished towel drying her white hair.

"Hn. Ok.... Until then, Soel, you're going to get to wear my clothing." He said with a slight grin, knowing even his smallest shirt would consume her tiny frame.

"You're sure? I have plenty of shirts for her and besides I won't be able to wear them soon." Fay offered as Mokona squirmed on his lap.

"I'd hate to make you go through the trouble of always lending her clothing. Plus Kurogane would be pissed if I asked you again." He gave a slightly evil grin to the blonde before a chuckle escaped his lips.

"Kuro-kun won't say anything, I can lend them to Mokona if I want." Combing his fingers through Mokona's hair, Fay tried to detangle the still damp locks as he smiled down to the girl.

"Well, which would you prefer, Soel?" The demon asked the child, knowing she'd be blunt with her decision.

"Want to wear my clothing or Fay-chan's?"

"Fay's. His makes prettier dresses." She looked between the two men taking in the dark shirt the Ginryan wore and the lighter one Fay had donned. Edameonus smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Fine then, you'll have Fay-chan's." He said before lifting her up suddenly. "Now then, you're dry."

"Mokona's dry!" She said loudly as she hugged Edameonus to her.

"Mokona can pick out whatever she would like to wear in the closet." The blonde smiled at Soel as she moved about in the other man's arms. Edameonus held his 'daughter' figure with one arm, glad the girl still cared for him as a 'father'.

"Alright, but we don't want to intrude, do we, Soel?"

"It won't be a problem." Waving them off Fay sat back against the couch and crossed his legs.

"Just make sure it's one of mine, Kuro-chan's would be far too big." The dark haired man nodded.

"Ok." He replied before walking off down into the hallway, his adopted daughter gently bouncing in his arm. Fay smiled as he rested, listening to Mokona as she talked excitedly about what she was going to wear. Edameonus aggravated voice echoed through the silent room before the shuffling of fabric. Archellevon opened the former tv room door and looked out.

"Ah, is Moko-chan out of the bath?"

"Yes, Edameonus is finding something for her to wear." The blonde smiled as he looked up at the youth. The blue eyed teenager gave him a sweet smile.

"Then I'd like to take a bath. I'll use the clothes given to me when I arrived."

"There's no need; I have plenty of clothes for you and Mokona to wear." The blonde thought of Kurogane's reaction to the others wearing his clothes and wondered why exactly the man would be so angry since he wouldn't be wearing them for much longer anyways.

"Ah, no, that's alright. I've already washed them. I'll simply buy my own clothing when Moko-chan and Tomoyo-chan go out, that is, if they let me tag along." He grinned wider, going to the couch he had settled himself on beforehand.

"Tomoyo would love to have someone else to dress, but I think with all of us we'll have to ask Edameonus and Kuro-rin to come with us to carry everything." Laughing at the thought Fay looked over to the teen and grinned. The other joined in on the laughter, picking up folded clothing.

"Oh dear, that wouldn't be too much of a hassle, would it? I think maybe if Ed joined his 'daughter' it wouldn't be too bad for him." Archellevon suggested, moving to the corner of the hallway.

"Hmm..I couldn't let Kuro-kun miss out." The blonde leaned against the couch arm as Archellevon moved. The former angel simply sighed.

"We'll see how he'd react when he comes home then."

"Don't worry; he'll only grumble for a bit, but he'll go anyways." Fay smiled reassuringly, knowing that the boy still wasn't used to Kurogane. The white haired one nodded and moved to the restroom, closing the door behind him. It wasn't long before the shower started. Fay grinned as he was left alone to his thoughts. He was quickly interrupted by the sound of Mokona running towards the living room. He was surprised when the small girl moved to sit on his lap smiling brightly now that she was dressed.

"Thank you Fay, for the clothes." Wrapping his arms around her Fay nodded.

"You don't have to thank me, Mokona needed to wear something." Edameonus followed after her, removing his shirt lazily.

"Ugh. You're so needy, twerp." He said as he tossed the wet shirt on the accumulating pile of his clothing by the futon.

"Children just like to show affection." Mokona stuck her tongue out as she looked over her shoulder at the Ginryan before laughing.

"Ugh. Grow up already then." Edameonus teased as he walked over to ruffle her hair again. Mokona whined and moved about at the treatment as Fay laughed. Edameonus smirked to himself before his hand moved to stroke the girl's head.

"Well, you certainly are adorable when it comes to picking out an outfit, there's no doubt about that."

"Mokona will look even cuter once we get her some real dresses." The blonde said as Mokona smiled brightly.

"That's true." He grinned as he straightened up. His ear twitched then behind the long lock of hair, his head turning to look down the hall.

"Who's bathing?"

"Archellevon." Fay grinned as Mokona leaned against him, seeming to calm down now that she had finished bathing and dressing for the day. The demon's body slightly, a faint blush going along his cheeks. He shook his head and looked down.

"I see... Soel, when was the last transmission given to the Court? Do you remember the day?"

"A week." Purple eyes looked up at Edameonus as Soel still rested against Fay. Edameonus grimaced as he thought of once again lying to Yuuko about Archellevon's return. He shook his head and sighed.

"Fine. I'll have to do that tonight once you get back from getting clothing I guess." He then moved his hand to his neck, rubbing it out of shame. Both Mokona and Fay had similar thoughts running through their heads about the taller man speaking with Yuuko, but neither of them said anything. Edameonus turned slightly, looking for his clean clothing. His mind continued to argue with itself, telling him it was wrong to do either; tell the Court he had been hiding Archellevon, or not say anything. Fay sighed as Mokona rested against his chest, his arms wrapped around her small form as he thought about what Edameonus would say to the Valerian woman.

"Where the fuck are my clean clothes?" Edameonus suddenly spat, aggravated both at being half naked and at his indecisiveness. Mokona winced at the other's exclamation. In turn the blonde comforted her, knowing the other must be a little drowsy from her bath.

"Archellevon and I did laundry yesterday; there should be clothes in the laundry room." Edameonus looked over to the blonde and sighed.

"Yeah... my bad..." He glanced at the girl apologetically and turned on his heel. He headed down the hallway, but only made it to the bathroom, for Archellevon ran right into him. Again. Hearing something, Fay stood, with Mokona in tow to look down the hallway only to see that Archellevon and Edameonus had run into each other. Quietly Fay asked Soel not to talk before he moved back to his seat, not wanting to disrupt the two men.

The darker hands moved to grab Archellevon's arms, but they hesitated, seeing the boy wasn't going to fall over this time. He was surprised, however, when he felt the pale finger traced the tattoo on his left breast.

"E...Ed... This... this tattoo..." Edameonus narrowed his eyes.

"Ignore it, Archy." Fay grinned as he and Mokona kept silent hoping this would bring the two others a little closer.

"But I... It seems so familiar." Archellevon spoke softly.

"I said ignore it." Edameonus replied, making the smaller man look up to him.

"Ed... Edameonus... who was I to you?" The demon froze, expression changing from subtle anger to slight shock. He growled and looked away.

"Someone important, that's all you need to know."

"How important?"

"I said that's all you need to know!" Edameonus replied, moving passed the smaller man. Archellevon reached out to grab his wrist.

"But Edameonus! I want to know!"

"Don't force the memories back." The demon said coldly, making the former angel shiver at his tone. Mokona made a soft noise at hearing both men arguing, Fay calmed her by patting her back soothingly. He knew it must be painful for the Ginryan, but there had to have been a way for him to handle Archellevon's questioning better. The demon didn't look over his shoulder, his head bowing slightly. Archellevon let his hand fall to his side, a frown set on his face.

"Why can't you help me remember?" The disguised one clenched his fists.

"Because it will be more painful to remember...for you and for me." He said before walking down the rest of the hallway's length.

"..." Fay smoothed over Mokona's hair as the small child gripped the front of his shirt as she felt the other's sadness. Archellevon bowed his head, similar to the way the Ginryan had. He sighed before turning, looking at Fay with a mixed expression of anger and determination.

"You knew who I was!" He exclaimed walking over briskly to sit next to the blonde and child.

"Please, I beg you, tell me who I was! Who I was... to him..."

"I can't...Edameonus is the only one who has the right to..." Fay frowned as he shifted Mokona to sit beside him so he could try and shield her from seeing how angry Archellevon was. The ex-angel gripped Fay's shoulder gently.

"Please, Fay! I need to know!" He pleaded a sad frown on his face as he tried to piece together the broken puzzle in his head.

"Archellevon..." The blonde looked away from the teen, not liking how he had to keep the other's past from him, but knew it was better for both of them for him not to say anything. The teenager's eyes quivered for a moment, upset that the lithe man wouldn't tell him anything. He sighed though, giving up.

"...Alright... I'm sorry..."

"There's no need to apologize, it's hard not knowing something when others do." He offered Archellevon a smile. The teenager looked up and continued to frown.

"I was always so knowledgeable before I died... this is an unusual feeling to me..."

"You'll only cause yourself pain if you try to regain your past memories back too quickly...and you should try not to lose yourself when you do; after all you're not the previous Archellevon anymore, you're your own person now." Fay couldn't possibly imagine what the other was going through trying to find out what had happened to him. Said other didn't speak, but simply looked to the ground. His expression read that he was lost in thought, staring into the rug as if it were some entertainment show. Fay looked over to Mokona and placed a hand atop her head to reassure her.

"Mokona doesn't want everyone to be sad anymore."

"Sadness is inevitable, little one." Archellevon muttered softly, his blue eyes closing. He then smiled and placed a hand on her back soothingly.

"But then again, so is happiness..."

"Mokona should smile." Fay lifted Soel to sit once more on his lap as he smiled at her.

"Yes, Moko-chan should; I always feel better when you smile." Archellevon encouraged as he became more comfortable in the seat on the couch. Mokona nodded and smiled brightly at both males, not wanting them to be hurt anymore. The teenager smiled back wider, giggling lightly.

"See? It always helps." Fay grinned. Glad that the other two were at last feeling better.

"Yes." Edameonus entered the room then, wearing a button up shirt that he stopped at the middle of his chest. He was scowling, obviously still pissed about earlier. Archellevon didn't look over, not wanting to continue the fight.

"I would suggest we make dinner, but I don't think we have enough to." Mokona laughed at Fay's words, happy that the blonde was trying to help keep the other's tensions from escalating.

"It's not too late in the day." Edameonus commented halfheartedly, looking out the window.

"Souhi hasn't even shown up yet." He brought his attention to Fay.

"...I'm going to check on the work site and make sure there aren't any more accidents waiting to happen." He walked to the door and grabbed the handle.

"Be careful." Archellevon said in a rushed tone, blushing slightly. The demon stopped and didn't look back.

"...Yeah…"

"It won't be long until the house is finished and Mokona will be moving into her new house." Fay said to the girl as she waved goodbye to Edameonus. Archellevon smiled a small smile, thinking to himself.

"I wonder if asking him would be too much of a burden... but... do you think Ed would let me live with him? I feel like I'll overstay my visit no matter where I live though..." Fay laughed at the question, knowing Edameonus wouldn't accept the teen staying here.

"I'm sure Edameonus would like you to stay with him and Mokona and you wouldn't be outstaying your welcome with any of us." Mokona nodded vigorously as she agreed with Fay. The other laughed sheepishly, blushing a little.

"Oh, no, I definitely know at least one person would get tired of me." He folded his hands shyly, reverting to the timid attitude of his new self.

"I couldn't be a burden..."

"You wouldn't be." Fay patted the teen's shoulder reassuringly. Archellevon looked up to the older man and gave a soft smile, hoping the other was right.

"Well, I'll try hard for everyone, just to be safe." Fay smiled knowing it wasn't necessary for the teen to try so hard. Mokona hugged the blonde's neck happy that Archellevon wasn't as sad as he had been. The younger male looked at the other white haired one.

"Moko-chan... if it's my place to ask...where did you come from?"

"Mokona came with Edameonus." The small girl said, her smile diminished as she remembered her promise to the Ginryan.

"...Where did he come from?" Archellevon asked, unknowing of the fact that Edameonus was a demon.

"Far away, Mokona doesn't really know." Soel frowned only knowing the taller man's status within the court.

"Oh, I see." Archellevon smiled.

"That's alright. I came from far away too."

"All of us are the same!" Mokona cheered as Fay laughed at her enjoyment.

"Maybe." The teenager replied, leaning against the back of the couch.

"I'm glad we all have similarities..."

"Everyone used to live far away from each other, but now we're all living together." Mokona giggled childishly as Fay nodded.

"Soon we'll be neighbors to Kurogane and Fay..." The boy suddenly sat up.

"Which reminds me! When we go to town, people are going to be asking about Moko-chan's and my appearance in comparison to yours and the others... what are we going to tell them?"

"We could say you're from out of town, the two of you can be related since you share some of the same features. It's what Kuro-rin used for me and it's worked so far." The blonde said as he looked over both of them. They would have to find something to cover Mokona's gem.

"...What did you say Ed was to the town folk?" The white haired one asked softly, tilting his head to glance out the window into the bright sunlight.

"Kuro-san's cousin." Smiling at the memory of Kurogane's anger at their first idea of the Ginryan being related to him instead, Fay looked over to Archellevon.

"...Well, Moko-chan is practically his daughter... and I share the same features as she..." He paused, looking away.

"We could say I was her older brother..." He offered, not really saying what he had thought of.

"You're too old to say you're Edameonus's son." Fay smiled knowing in truth that the teen was young enough when compared to the Ginryan's true age.

"A-Ah... well..." The pale face lit up slightly, his hands fidgeting in his lap.

"Maybe... His wife or girlfriend's brother?"

"We would have to explain why you were here and they weren't then." Fay knew what a simple solution would be but understood that Edameonus wouldn't be happy with it.

"I-It could be that Moko-chan wanted to see her father and her mother couldn't come... so I took her..." Archellevon shyly offered, looking to the girl.

"That could work." He offered as Mokona nodded excited about the prospect of going to town and pretending with the others. Archellevon relaxed, trying to will away the blush without moving his hands to his cheeks. He smiled, glad to have helped out. Grinning at the other's blush, Fay hoped it was a good sign for both his friend's sakes. Mokona smiled brightly as she wiggled about. The teenager blinked, realizing the two other people were staring at him.

"What?" He thought of what they were staring at and could only manage to blush deeper.

"Nothing~" Mokona said in a sing-song voice. Fay smiled wider as the teen's blush deepened.

"Stop staring at me!" Archellevon whined, covering his cheeks as he turned away with a smile.

"It's embarrassing!"

"Archellevon's blushing!" Mokona cheered as she waved her tiny arms about.

"Don't worry about it, it's not so bad." Fay said, knowing he wasn't one to talk. The former angel looked back, his smile present along with the blush behind his hands.

"Oh stop it! I know I'm blushing terribly!"

"Fay blushes a lot too." Mokona poked the blonde's cheeks causing the blonde to blush faintly. Fay smiled sheepishly, knowing Mokona was right.

"Moko-chan is the only one in the house that doesn't blush a lot." Archellevon announced, his grin growing wider.

"Mokona doesn't get embarrassed like the rest of us do." Fay smiled as he held the girl. Soel nodded in agreement as she smiled.

"That's because Moko-chan doesn't have anything to be embarrassed about... you always carry yourself with such pride, Moko-chan!" Archellevon exclaimed with a giggle.

"Yes, Mokona's very strong." Fay spoke as Mokona didn't speak flattered by the adults' words. It was then that a faint hint of a blush lightened the pale creature's cheeks.

"Aha! Moko-chan does blush!" Archellevon squealed, pointing to the girl's cheeks with triumph. Quickly she turned and buried her face against Fay's chest.

"It's harder to get her to, but Mokona does blush."

"Hehe, it's adorable Moko-chan, just like it is for me or for Fay." The teenager cooed, pulling his knees up against his chest in a cute manner. Fay looked sheepish as he patted the girl's head.

"Mokona is cute when she blushes." The little girl peered out to them and smiled.

"Mokona is always cute!" She declared, making the former angel laugh airily.

"I wouldn't doubt that in the slightest!" Fay smiled at the creature, glad she had lifted Archellevon's mood.

"It's very true." Mokona pulled a little away from Fay to look at him curiously.

"Does Kurogane think Fay's cute when Fay blushes?"

"...I-I don't think so Mokona." Fay could feel his cheeks heating as his blush darkened at the transformed creature's question. Archellevon smiled wryly.

"You've never asked? Why should you be embarrassed by that?" Mokona clapped her hands together.

"Kurogane would think it'd be cute for sure!"

"I don't think Kuro-rin likes to say things are cute." Smiling sheepishly Fay tried to laugh off his embarrassment from the questioning his was getting from the other two sitting with him.

"That doesn't mean he wouldn't tell you, Fay." Archellevon said as his smile grew somewhat, making the girl giggle.

"Kurogane tells Fay anything!"

"I don't know about that." Smiling Fay looked at Mokona who continued to laugh excitedly. He wondered briefly if Kurogane would admit something like that, but could only imagine the man blushing and swearing instead as he denied thinking of Fay that way.

"Well he obviously thinks highly of you if he wants to have a child with you." Archellevon said with a grin, leaning back against the couch.

"I think it'd be sweet for him to tell you how he thought of you physically." Fay nodded at the teen's words while he smiled fondly at Mokona.

"I know he loves me." His blush remained as he thought about what Archellevon was saying. Mokona squealed at the knowledge, squirming in Fay's lap happily.

"It's love! It's love!" She sang, making Archellevon smile wider.

"Moko-chan seems happy by that." Fay smiled brightly at Mokona's cheerfulness and at the thought of Kurogane.

"Yes, she's very enthusiastic." It was then Edameonus entered the home again, closing the door almost soundlessly. Mokona cheered happily and bounced off Fay's lap directly to cling to the demon's thigh. Edameonus looked down and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want, twerp?" He said with a teasing grin.

"Kurogane's in love~" She said impishly as she clung to the taller man's leg, welcoming him back as she talked. Fay blushed and covered his face, glad Kurogane wasn't actually home at the moment.

"Oh? Is that so?" Edameonus replied, swooping down to pick her up playfully.

"How else do you think two people can create a child?" He asked, carrying her to sit in a seat.

"You know, not the way you were created, you little snot."

"Mokona doesn't know..." She pouted, stumped at the Ginryan's question. Mokona looked over to Fay as she was held and thought it over. Fay looked away from her, not wanting to answer anything. Edameonus chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"They'd have to be in love, idiot." He answered, smiling to himself.

"When two people are in love, they want to create something from that." Archellevon watched in silence, his delicate grin still on. Smiling faintly, Fay was glad that Mokona wasn't asking anything else about how babies were made, he didn't think he'd be able to explain it to Soel without embarrassing himself. The girl looked up to her father figure and smiled wider.

"So baby-chan is being made like me?" She asked cutely, but Edameonus shook his head.

"No, you were made with a different type of magic." He looked to the ceiling while leaning back in the chair.

"I'll tell you more about that when you've matured more." She pouted and glared at Edameonus, wanting to know what the man was talking about.

"Edameonus is right, it would be better for you to know later." Fay said as he tried to will his blush away. Archellevon giggled as well, knowing the frustrations of the little girl all too well.

"I'm sure Moko-chan would eventually find out on her own what the type of love is that Kurogane and Fay have." Edameonus looked to the teenager but said nothing. Fay looked to Archellevon wondering what exactly the teen meant. Mokona nodded, still smiling, as she seemingly lost interest in asking about the three men about babies. The white haired teenager stood, looking to the door.

"Ah, it seems my intuition has returned." He announced suddenly, making Edameonus's eyes narrow.

"...What do you mean by that?" Tilting his head in confusion, Fay watched as the teen got up from the couch.

"Archellevon?" The angel looked back to Fay with a grin.

"Can you not hear it? The car coming." He moved to the door slowly while Edameonus continued to stare at his back.

"...Why the fuck would he have intuition back?" He muttered lowly, the boy not being able to hear him.

"Maybe it was awakened by regaining some of his memories?" Fay said as he stood as well, curious as to who it was the teen was hearing. To Fay's and Edameonus's hearing came the faint motor of a car from way down the street. Archellevon began to hum as he opened the door.

"It seems Tomoyo-chan is here."

"Then we should greet her." Fay said as he walked forward towards the front door where Archellevon had already walked through. It was clear that Tomoyo's car was coming down the road toward their house. Archellevon hopped up to sit on the railing of the porch, still humming to himself. Fay looked to Edameonus in brief confusion at the teen's sudden change before walking out onto the porch. Edameonus let out a slight growl, moving back inside to make sure Tomoyo did not meet the newly transformed girl until it was the correct time to. The car came to a stop not far from them and one of Tomoyo's guards walked out to open the back door for the girl. Archellevon smiled brightly to the female coming out of the car.

"Hello, Tomoyo-chan." The girl paused, confused at the warm welcome from the once timid teenager. Tomoyo looked to Fay, who smiled reassuringly to her, before she returned the boy's greeting with her own.

"Uncle said that he and Kurogane-kun finished the nursery?" Nodding Fay leaned against the railing.

"Yes, it's finished." The dark haired one smiled and went up the steps gently.

"That's nice to hear! I would've come earlier, but my business had an emergency I had to attend." She blushed sheepishly before looking to Archellevon.

"How are you feeling now?" She asked curiously, having been taken off guard by his open greeting.

"Much better, thank you Tomoyo-chan." Archellevon grinned at the girl.

"Now we'll just have to get a few things for the baby still and after we'll be fully prepared." Fay straightened as Tomoyo stood beside him. The girl grinned too, nodding.

"I'd like to buy a couple of things in town this week, I was wondering if you would like to come with me, Fay-san. And you too, Archellevon-san." The former angel smiled wider and moved to the door.

"We can talk about this inside if you'd like." Tomoyo nodded and walked inside.

"Thank you Archellevon-san." Fay followed the two youths inside before closing the door behind him.

"Of course, we're always happy to spend time with Tomoyo." The girl froze when he saw Edameonus sitting on the couch, Mokona in his lap. The girl was playing a game with his hands while he simply stared at Tomoyo. Archellevon smiled and giggled, thinking it was cute.

"Ah, Tomoyo remembers Mokona." Fay offered, seeing the girl's surprise at the transformed Soel. Tomoyo nodded, before looking at Fay.

"But...wasn't Mokona-chan a small creature?" Archellevon smiled to himself as he took his previous seat, one that was next to Edameonus.

"Mokona has 108 secret techniques!" She said loudly as Soel held Edameonus's hands.

"...100... and 8..." Tomoyo repeated, staring at the girl. She then looked at Archellevon, and then back to Mokona. Archellevon blinked and laughed nervously, shaking his hands in front of him.

"Oh, don't get the wrong idea, Tomoyo-chan, I'm of no relation to them."

"Mokona's not human, Tomoyo, she only looks it at the moment." Soel nodded as Fay spoke, grinning from ear to ear as she sat atop Edameonus. The blonde could see how the girl would make the mistake though; Mokona did favor Archellevon in her new state. Tomoyo nodded, having become accustomed to aliens due to Fay.

"I see..." She looked at Edameonus then.

"What did Archellevon mean by 'them'? Are you of relation to Mokona-chan?" Edameonus blinked and blushed, having been caught.

"Mokona is Edameonus's family." She smiled brightly as she remembered what the dark haired man had told her weeks ago. Edameonus smiled a faint smile and moved a hand to pat her head.

"Yeah, she's my 'daughter'."

"Mokona is very cute." Tomoyo smiled warmly at the girl in the older man's arms. Fay leaned against the wall as he watched Tomoyo and Mokona interact. The girl giggled and raised her tiny hands to grip her surrogate father's.

"Mokona is going by 'daddy's' daughter while Mokona stays!" She announced, making the man blush a little more.

"She's also going by my sister's daughter." Archellevon informed, his grin becoming a little sad for an unknown reason to even himself. Fay looked over the three hoping it didn't cause Edameonus too much pain as he listened to Archellevon. He had known of the children the two had tried to have and wished it wouldn't cause problems between the two because the Ginryan was remembering the past. Edameonus leaned back into the couch; if he was upset by it, he was concealing it rather well. He roughed the girl's hair up slightly.

"You wouldn't mind sticking with that story while we're out to town, would you Tomoyo-chan? We don't have any clothing for her and we need to buy some."

"Of course we can have her wearing Fay-san's clothing." She smiled as Mokona cheered at the prospect of getting clothes of her own.

"Ah, if it wouldn't trouble you too much, Tomoyo-chan, I would like for your expertise to help me as well." Archellevon added, blushing at the fact he too was wearing Fay's clothes. Tomoyo clasped her hands together as she looked between both Archellevon and Mokona.

"I wouldn't mind at all." Fay smiled at seeing the girl ecstatic over the idea of getting to dress two new people. Archellevon smiled and stood then.

"When should we go shopping?" He asked, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Whenever you would like to, but first I wanted to see how good of a job my dear cousin did with the nursery." She smiled as she walked towards the room, wanting to see if Kurogane painted the room properly. Archellevon giggled to himself.

"Kurogane always does a good job when it's for a good cause." He informed, making Edameonus look over to the angel. It seemed like his old personality was leaking through.

"Kuro-san did work hard." Agreeing, Fay leaned against the wall as Tomoyo came back to the living room.

"The colors really did wonders for that old room. It's good that we picked out gender neutral colors as well." She said, knowing that the room was intended for her cousin's future children as well. Smiling Fay nodded, having an idea as to what she had referred to. Archellevon placed his hands behind his back.

"I'm sure the baby will love the colors too, Tomoyo-chan, you and Fay did a wonderful job." He said with a grin. Edameonus looked to Mokona, occupying his attention with her instead of with the teenager. Blushing Tomoyo waved the teen's compliment off.

"Thank you Archellevon-san." She smiled as she looked to the others.

"Should we leave now then? We could always wait for Kurogane-kun to come back so he could help us." Grinning almost deviously Tomoyo looked at the four others in the room.

"That wouldn't bother me at all." Archellevon replied.

"Mokona wants to see the other daddy before we leave!" The girl in Edameonus's lap sang out, as if she was trying to get Fay to blush more.

"I'm sure he won't protest if Fay-san asks him." Tomoyo said as she sat in one of the room's chairs. Walking forward Fay smiled sheepishly as he sat down as well. Edameonus threw one of his arms over the back of the couch.

"How many people do you plan to fit into your car, Tomoyo-chan?" He asked while he watched Archellevon move to go into the kitchen.

"It's not a problem." Tomoyo smiled as she looked over to the Ginryan. Mokona still sat on the tall man's lap, entertaining herself as everyone talked. Edameonus grunted slightly then and moved the girl to his other knee.

"Alright, Tomoyo-chan, I'll trust you on that fact. Or would Soel rather I stay home?"

"But don't you want to see Mokona's dresses?" She looked up at Edameonus.

"If there's a problem fitting people Kurogane-kun could drive as well, or I could call another car." Tomoyo offered, not wanting the small girl to be upset. Edameonus placed his other hand on his adopted daughter's back.

"I'd love to see you in your new dresses, but I don't know if all six of us plus Tomoyo-chan's bodyguards would be able to fit into one car."

"It's no problem, Edameonus-san." The designer smiled warmly.

"If Mokona-chan wants you to come then you can."

"…Heh, looks like I have no choice then, do I twerp?" The demon asked warmly whilst rubbing the white haired girl's back. Mokona cheered happy at the news while the others watched glad to see Soel wasn't upset anymore at the idea of her father staying behind. Archellevon came back in the room with a small snack in his hand, munching on it lightly. Edameonus looked at him and frowned slightly, remembering when the other man had only eaten honey and milk.

"Mokona wants Kurogane to hurry." She frowned up at Edameonus, eager for her first trip into town. Tomoyo hid her laughter behind her hand as she watched Soel. Edameonus's attention was moved to his child and he chuckled, his hands motioning her to stand on his knees.

"Well then, you'll need to learn how to be patient." Doing as she was told Soel stood looking sadly at the Ginryan. Mokona crossed her arms and pouted, not liking the idea but listened to the man anyways.

"Oh stop that, you throw temper tantrums like no other." The dark haired man informed, moving to pat her cheek.

"Guess you act like me enough to pull it off, huh?" Mokona tried to keep herself from smiling, but failed miserably.

"Mokona's a good actor!" The Ginryan chuckled and looked over to Archellevon.

"Yeah, guess you got that from your mother." He said sarcastically, making the teenager blush. Edameonus blinked, realizing who he was staring at before he looked away sharply.

"Hey uh, when _is_ Kurogane getting home?"

"Kuro-tan said he had a class cancelled, but he didn't say when he would be back." Fay frowned as he looked over to the clock.

"He should be home by now then, if he was coming home straight from class." Tomoyo said as she too glanced toward the clock.

"He stopped to pick up groceries; we used up almost everything last night." The blonde grinned, having forgotten what Kurogane had told him this morning.

"Oh, well then he should be arriving soon." Tomoyo giggled, wondering how much Kurogane would be annoyed by having to stop by the store and then going straight back to help out with the clothing. Fay grinned, happy to know his lover would be coming back soon. Mokona laughed as she played with Edameonus, excited to hear the news of the other man's arrival. As if summoned, Kurogane's motorcycle could be heard coming down the road from the opposite direction of where Tomoyo had come. Edameonus allowed Mokona to hop off his lap though he got up too to make sure she didn't go outside.

"Can we go now?" Mokona looked up at the Ginryan as she stood. Fay chuckled at her excitement, standing as well, knowing Kurogane would probably need help carrying bags in.

"No, we can't leave while he hasn't even entered yet." Edameonus replied, ruffling her hair as she tried to see through the window.

"Mokona's eager to leave." Tomoyo smiled as she observed Soel lean upwards to watch Kurogane outside. Fay shook his head before walking towards the door and outside. Kurogane parked the bike in the usual spot, taking his helmet off with a huff. He looked up and blinked when he saw the girl watching him through the window.

"What's up?" He asked Fay when the blonde exited the home.

"Tomoyo's stopped by and I thought Kuro-rinta could use some help." The blonde smiled as he walked closer to Kurogane. The other man dismounted his ride and set his helmet on the seat.

"Hn. What's she doing here?" Kurogane asked, unlocking his motorcycle's compartment.

"Wanted to see if you did a good job painting." Grinning Fay stood beside Kurogane, happy that the other was finally home. Kurogane looked over to Fay and raised an eyebrow.

"If she was afraid I'd mess up she should've done it herself." He growled, opening the motorcycle's container to reveal the bags.

"Toriho was the one to offer to help after I wasn't able to." Before when he and Tomoyo had tried to paint he had found out the paint fumes were too strong for him to stomach. Toriho instead had offered to do the job. Fay still felt a little guilty over it. Now the blonde leaned over and picked up a bag, smiling at Kurogane as he did. Kurogane picked up a coupled and sighed.

"Tch. Troublesome." He looked over to the window and nodded.

"What's that girl doing?"

"She's excited to see you home." Fay smiled sheepishly, knowing he would have to ask Kurogane sooner or later.

"...Why?" Kurogane asked a slight frown on his face as he picked up the remaining bags and closed the motorcycle.

"Because we couldn't leave without you." He spoke as he followed behind Kurogane. He could see from the window Mokona had looked at them with wide eyes before leaving the window.

"You're going to town today?" Kurogane asked, turning to look at Fay. He wasn't sure if he was ok with letting the blonde go while he was slightly showing.

"Actually all of us are." Stepping onto the porch Fay grinned as Kurogane stared at him. The other man paused before he continued up the stairs to the front door.

"Are you forcing me to come?"

"Not forcing...asking." Smiling, Fay replied as the continued walking.

"I don't remember you asking me." Kurogane said as he moved all the bags to one hand so he could open the door.

"Would Kuro-min come with us to town then?" Fay stepped to the side opening the door before Kurogane could see as how he had only the one bag.

"I was just in town." Kurogane replied, his calm expression becoming angry, if slightly.

"We could spend time together." The blonde offered, knowing that they hadn't been spending a lot of their time together because of everything that had been going on around them. Kurogane sighed and walked past the others in the room, going to set down the groceries in the kitchen.

"This is going to be a pain in the ass."

"Kuro-myu's always so negative." The Valerian smiled brightly, glad that Kurogane hadn't turned down the invitation. Fay walked into the kitchen, following his lover. Setting the bag down onto the table the blonde began sorting things and putting them away. Mokona hopped into the room, cheering that the other 'daddy' was coming with them. Kurogane watched her, then watched as Edameonus promptly came in and swooped her up into his arms before carrying her out. The taller took that opportunity so blatantly given to them to stand behind Fay, placing his hands on the smaller hips.

"I'm home." He muttered in the blonde's ear. Fay smiled, enjoying the feel of Kurogane's hands. He blushed faintly as his lover spoke, while he moved his own hands to hold the taller man's arms. Kurogane let out a long sigh, glad to finally be home for the weekend. He could tell the days would only get shorter from here on out, meaning he'd have less time to do things with his lover.

"I missed Kuro-san." Fay said through a hum as his hands warmly smoothed over the dark haired man's forearms.

"I've only been gone for a couple of hours." The other grumbled, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the other's touch and scent.

"Doesn't make a difference." Fay sighed and closed his eyes. He was glad that Kurogane would be staying with him longer now that he had finished school for the week. Kurogane smirked and grunted, moving his hands to intertwine their fingers.

"If you say so." They heard giggling from the doorway before Mokona ran into the room, bouncing up and down around them.

"It's love! It's love love love!" Fay tilted his head upwards about to reply until he heard Mokona's shouting. Immediately his cheeks flushed as the transformed creature sang. Kurogane growled and pulled one hand away from Fay's side to grab the girl on the head, whom instantly squealed in delight.

"Stop that you brat!" He barked, making the girl squeal again.

"Kyaa! Kurogane is scary!"

"Kuro-wankoro." Fay watched, knowing his lover wasn't actually hurting Soel as she attempted to get away from Kurogane. Edameonus entered the room swiftly while looking around until he spotted Mokona.

"There you are you little snot!" He said, storming into the room like he was really angry. She squirmed about and yelled as Edameonus approached them. Fay watched as Mokona smiled brightly, reminded of thoughts on his own child as she tried to escape both Kurogane and now Edameonus. The Ginryan grabbed the girl and tucked her under his arm before straightening up.

"Thanks for holding her for me..." He said to Kurogane before looking at the way the two were standing. A frown came to his face, though he didn't state why.

"Mokona's just excited." Smiling halfheartedly Fay looked at the Ginryan closely wondering what was wrong with him. Edameonus closed his eyes briefly before a strained smile fell upon his lips.

"I'm glad she's excited, but she _needs_ to calm down or I'm not letting her go." He warned hollowly, tickling the girl on his hip. Mokona tried to bite back her laughter as she clutched Edameonus's side but to no avail. Shrill laughter escaped Soel's lips as she was tickled. As Mokona was held, oblivious at the moment to her father figure, Fay frowned as he saw the other's smile. Edameonus didn't look back to the other couple in the room.

"I'll go see if everyone is ready." He said then, moving Mokona so she was sitting against his hip like a koala. As he exited Kurogane frowned.

"What's his problem?"

"...I don't know." He watched the other's retreating form, having an idea as to what had caused the sudden change in the other man's demeanor, but kept it to himself. Kurogane didn't respond, but merely pulled away completely from the blonde.

"We should put the things away." Fay moved as well, going to each bag and putting things away, he wondered briefly why Edameonus was still so upset at seeing himself and Kurogane together. He could vaguely hear Mokona shouting excitedly for them to hurry so they could leave. After everything had been successfully put away, Kurogane tossed the remaining bags into the trash.

"Stuff's put away, wanna tell the others you're ready to go?" He asked while folding his arms.

"Aren't you coming?" Fay looked over his shoulder at Kurogane as he stopped in front of the doorway.

"Do I have a choice?" Kurogane asked sarcastically before following Fay out of the kitchen.

"Only if you think you do Kuro-min." Fay smiled warmly.

"Fay and Kurogane are finished being lovey dovey now, can we go?" Mokona said as she looked at the others in the room. Kurogane growled at her, though his cheeks went slightly scarlet. Edameonus wouldn't look at them, but instead stared out the window while Tomoyo looked away from her conversation with Archellevon.

"Are the groceries away?"

"Yes, we're ready to leave if everyone else is." The blonde glanced at the Ginryan, worried, but he turned his attention back to Tomoyo. She clapped her hands.

"Splendid! Though I think Edameonus-san is right; we're going to need to take two cars instead of one."

"Kuro-kun's driving?" Fay looked over to Kurogane in question, seeing that the only other person capable of driving was his lover. The other man growled again.

"So I'm a chauffeur now?" He complained as he rubbed his temple. Tomoyo laughed lightly as she waved her hand.

"But Fay-san's never rode with you when you drive a car. I had your car brought down earlier this month when I thought you were moving and never got a chance to bring it to you until today."

"It'll be strange to see Kuro-san drive a car." Grinning, the blonde walked closer towards the door.

"Mokona wants to hurry!" Soel eagerly shouted at the others before following Fay. Edameonus walked over to her.

"The stores will still be there when we arrive." He reminded her, looking at the gem on her forehead.

"Tomoyo-chan, do you have a hat or something to conceal her jewel?"

"I'm sure we can find something for her." Tomoyo said as she followed in step behind the others. Mokona put a tiny hand to the gem embedded in her forehead wondering what Tomoyo would give her. Edameonus held out a hand for her to take.

"I don't think it's common for white hair either, maybe with both you and Archy together as foreigners would give it more of a believable background." He told the girl, watching as Archellevon opened the door for Tomoyo.

"Mokona won't stick out." She smiled as the others left the house. Tomoyo thanked the teen for opening the door for her as Fay stepped out onto the lawn towards the vehicles parked outside.

Kurogane sighed, seeing his old car.

"Tch." He opened the driver's door and looked inside; it had been cleaned up. Edameonus smiled to Mokona.

"You wanna ride with Kurogane or Tomoyo-chan?"

"Mokona wants to ride with Edameonus!" Tomoyo smiled as one of her guards opened the door for them.

"I think I have something for Mokona-chan to try on anyway." Fay walked over to Kurogane's car smiling at his lover as he stopped beside the passenger door.

"Hn. Everyone else is riding with Tomoyo." Kurogane mentioned taking his seat as he watched Edameonus pat Mokona's back in order for her to get into the car first.

"Means everyone will just have to put their things here once we're done." Fay chuckled as he got in the car, watching for a few moments as Mokona scrambled inside Tomoyo's car. Kurogane rolled his eyes and started the car, not looking up as the top rolled back to reveal it was a convertible. He looked over to Tomoyo's car and watched her signal for him to go first. The Valerian's smile faltered as the top of the car retracted. He hadn't expected it a looked over to Kurogane as he straightened in his seat.

"What is it?" Kurogane asked as he pulled it out of park and into drive. He watched as Tomoyo's driver followed him onto the road.

"I didn't expect the roof of your car to move." Fay smiled, thinking this was similar to Kurogane's motorcycle.

"Tch. It was up because it rained last time I drove this thing." The dark haired man replied, pressing down on the gas to go faster.

"I've never seen one do this before." Fay smiled as he took in the familiar sights along their way towards town. The wind blew his hair about, Fay tried to tuck a few loose strands behind his ear, but it was a lost cause with Kurogane driving. The taller man had to smirk at Fay's sorry attempts to remain groomed, not giving him the mercy of slowing down either. He looked behind him and saw Tomoyo's driver was not too far behind him. Sighing in defeat, Fay sat back against his seat. He smiled to himself, glad to spend even this short amount of time with Kurogane. The tan hand removed itself from the wheel, not having to do much controlling on the straight strip of road. He set it on the divider between their seats, a common habit he had when he still drove it often. Fay watched Kurogane move and, smiling at his lover, moved to hold the taller man's hand. He could feel his cheeks heating as Kurogane continued to drive. Red eyes glanced over to Fay before looking to their hands. He grinned gently and curled their fingers together before putting his attention once again on the road. Fay continued to smile as he and Kurogane held hands. It was one of the things he enjoyed the most when he was the other man, he knew he was blushing despite the cool wind and wondered if it was partly due to Mokona and Archellevon's teasing from earlier.

As they entered town, Kurogane was surprised to see that, despite his visit to town several times already, people were still greeting and waving to him enthusiastically. He looked to Fay and then down to the blonde's stomach, wondering if people would be able to tell. Fai scanned the people, confused as to why the town people were waving at them. His previous visits in town with Kurogane had seemed not nearly as cheerful. The dark haired man had to let go of Fay's hand in order to turn into a parking space. He watched as Tomoyo's escort parked into a place nearby and their engine stopped.

"What's with everyone today?" Kurogane muttered as he hopped out of the car.

"Was it like this before when you stopped?" The blonde tried not to look too worried about it as he saw strangers smiling towards them. He unbuckled himself as Kurogane parked his car, still keeping an eye on the people walking down the streets.

"No...are people just now realizing I'm back?" He asked skeptically, walking around to the other side to unlock Fay's door, knowing the alien didn't know how to work it.

"Or are they just happy to see us together?"

"I don't know it's odd." Fai got out of the car, shutting the door behind him, he looked over his shoulder to see the others stepping out of Tomoyo's car as well. A blur caught the corner of his eye and the Valerian turned to see someone running at Kurogane. The taller man grunted when a girl collided into him, making him stumble back a couple of steps.

"What the hell?!" He barked, looking down to see the woman who had attacked him. It wasn't long before that one was followed by an orangette, tackling him with enough force to send him and the other girl to the ground in a heap of human.

"Kurogane's back!" The brunette said as she laughed. Fai stood; surprised to see his lover's friends all but tackle him to the ground. Red eyes looked down as he realized who the ladies were.

"You two?!" He snapped and the one with a pigtail to the side giggled.

"Kurogane-kun's back! We missed you!" She said in a singsong voice. Kurogane feebly moved his arms under them.

"Get off you brats!"

"But we're so happy to see you!" The second girl smiled as she continued to cling to Kurogane. The blonde in turn kept quiet, smiling sheepishly.

"GET OFF!" He barked, making the younger pout.

"But Kurogane-kun, we just got here." The taller man growled and shoved them off, both of them squealing despite the rough treatment.

"Dammit! You two are just as annoying as ever!" He snapped, dusting himself off as he stood next to Fay.

"Kurogane's always so rough." The other pouted as she sat up and looked at Kurogane. Fay looked to the side seeing several people had stopped to watch. Edameonus walked over to the couple and stared down at the ladies.

"...Who are these two?" He asked, seeing the girls look to him next. The girl with curls blushed but smiled, pointing to herself.

"I'm Mirika Girikomoto! Call me Mirika-kun or Mirika-rin!"

"Ashine Hiyobiwara." The brunette stood and grinned as she dusted herself off. Mokona, who was now wearing a small scarf wrapped around her head, looked from behind Tomoyo to see both girls as they made their way towards Kurogane and Fai. The girl named Mirika continued to stare at Edameonus before the girl with white hair caught her eye. She squealed.

"Who is that?!" She asked in delight, making Edameonus smile and motioned for Mokona to come over to him.

"I'm Kurogane's cousin, Hien, and this is my daughter, Soel Mokona. You can call her either or." Timidly Mokona scurried over to Edameonus to look at both girls.

"She's so cute." Ashine said as she smiled down at the small girl.

"So was her mother." Edameonus commented, placing a hand atop the girl's head. Kurogane frowned, noticing Archellevon walking toward them. Mirika did as well and blinked with a Cheshire smile.

"Is that her mother?" She asked, and instantly the demon frowned.

"No... that's... my brother-in-law..." He trailed off, watching the oblivious teenager smile as he came closer. Fai smiled as he listened to the girl's assumption. Mokona peered up at the girls from behind Edameonus as Tomoyo and the rest of their group came towards them. Mirika giggled at her mistake and placed her hands on her hips.

"I see! Hello Brother-In-Law-kun! As I said before, I'm Mirika!" She offered and the former angel blushed somewhat, looking to the side in his new found embarrassment.

"I'm Archellevon... but I prefer to be called Archy..."

"Archy, hello, I'm Ashine." The brunette smiled as she greeted them.

"It's seems like Kurogane's brought a big group to town with him." Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"Shut up you, they dragged me along." He said, glaring daggers at Mokona. Edameonus smiled to himself at the child's eagerness before looking to the girls.

"How do you know my cousin?"

"Kurogane used to date the both of us." The girl smiled as she looked to the Ginryan. Tomoyo giggled behind her hand as Fai smiled. The taller man placed a hand over his face and grumbled behind his hand out of flustered anger. Edameonus raised an eyebrow and barely contained a smile.

"Is that so?" He cooed, making the half breed growl.

"Don't you two have somewhere to be?!" Mirika leaned forward and laughed.

"Is Kurogane-kun tired of us already?"

"YES. LEAVE."

"Maybe we should wait until Kurogane isn't with a group of people waiting on him?" Ashine said as she looked over to her friend. Tomoyo smiled as Mokona continued to look back and forth between both girls. Mirika grinned and grabbed the dark haired girl's hand.

"Good idea. We'll merely spring on him at school." She said with a laugh.

"Come on, Ashine-chan, let's go to Sorata's and grab something to eat!" Edameonus chuckled at their enthusiasm; he could understand why Kurogane had liked them.

"Kuro-rin's very popular it seems." Fai teased as he finally spoke, his eyes watching as both girls walked down the street.

"They've always been energetic." Tomoyo laughed as she stepped forward. Kurogane watched as the shorter of the two turned and waved overdramatically.

"Bye bye Kurogane-kun! Don't stop being sexy now!" She sang out, once again making Kurogane cover his face.

"That little twit..." Archellevon laughed lightly, seeing the two vanish from sight before they could be chased. Fai laughed as well, Mokona looked confused at the word, but giggled anyways seeing how embarrassed it had made Kurogane. The spiky haired man slammed Fay's door shut and crossed his arms.

"Are we here for a reason or what?" He asked angrily, trying to will down some of the blush. Edameonus grasped his daughter's hand with a slight grin.

"Yes, if Tomoyo-chan would be so kind to lead us."

"First we'll get things for Mokona-chan, a few small hats and some dresses." Tomoyo smiled down at the tiny girl. Fai grinned, knowing he wouldn't need any clothes for this trip, only a few things they had forgotten to get for the nursery. Archellevon clasped his arms gently, tilting his hips to the side.

"And then will we buy things for me to wear?" He asked with a cautious smile. The girl nodded in reply, thinking the stance cute. Kurogane shoved his keys in his pocket and walked to the sidewalk, not wanting to stand in the parking lot anymore.

"Kuro-san?" Fai said as he walked with Kurogane. Tomoyo smiled and began walking as well, the others following suit with her. Kurogane looked to Fay but merely grunted, showing he was still pissed about the earlier hello from the two girls. Archellevon looked at their small group with a slight frown.

"Would it be better to go into two different groups? There are quite a lot of us."

"We can go and get Mokona's things first, unless Kurogane-kun and Fai-san would like to go with us?" Tomoyo said as she looked towards her cousin. Kurogane glared to the girl and folded his arms.

"I don't feel like staring at you dress up another victim; I'll pass." He said vehemently.

"Then Kuro-kun and I will go to another store and meet up with everyone once Mokona's shopping is done." Fai smiled as he looked up at Kurogane. Tomoyo laughed and nodded. Edameonus looked around and spotted a store off to the side.

"We'll meet there, then, later." He said before pointing to it. Kurogane looked over to it and he blinked.

"...That's a manga store..."

"Manga?" Fai asked confused. Mokona smiled and held her arms up for Edameonus to pick her up. Kurogane looked to the blonde and shook his head.

"Nevermind." The other dark haired man moved and brought the girl up into his arms, making passersby whisper about how cute it was for a father to be gentle with his daughter. The aliens overheard this and Edameonus blushed a little, a small smile creeping across his face.

"Now then, Tomoyo-chan... the first store..."

"We'll see the two of you later then." Tomoyo waved before she looked down both ends of the street and crossed the road, her bodyguard following just behind her. The small alias of a family followed after her, curious to this new city. Kurogane sighed, watching them go.

"That was hard for him, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Fai watched Edameonus as he followed Tomoyo across to the other sidewalk. Archellevon not far behind him. The taller of the two watching them frowned.

"Wonder how long he'll be able to put up with it." He said to himself, looking down the street to the line of stores offered to them.

"...I don't know." Fai had hoped the Ginryan would try and win over the teen, at least once he finally came to terms with the idea that he had been given a second chance to start over.

"Where would Kuro-min like to go?" The taller man clicked his tongue over the changed subject.

"I don't care, I didn't really plan to be here in the first place." He looked to the blonde.

"What about you?"

"A few things for Toshi, but Tomoyo was going to help with that." Smiling sheepishly, Fai looked up at Kurogane, not knowing where else to really go.

"Kuro-wan knows this place best after all, so you can choose where we go." The half human sighed and turned to walk down one side of the street, his hands going to his pockets.

"Fine." Grinning Fai followed his lover as he wondered where Kurogane was taking them. He noticed a few people watched them as they walked, but didn't pay it much attention as they went down the street.

"What do we still need?" Kurogane muttered, looking over his shoulder to the Valerian. He slowed his pace somewhat, allowing the other to catch up with him to walk side by side.

"Tomoyo only bought furniture." The blonde smiled as he caught up to Kurogane. The human scoffed lightly before stopping in his tracks to glare at his lover.

"I am NOT buying him toys!" Fai looked behind him as he walked forward.

"I didn't say we had to, clothes mostly." The blonde knew he'd probably be able to sneak in a few things, but didn't mention it to Kurogane. The other growled and continued walking, ignoring the stares he received for both the sudden outburst and his proximity with Fay.

"Fine." He nodded his head to a shop in front of them.

"That's the clothing store."

"Kuro-rinta doesn't mind?" Fay asked, knowing that Kurogane was prone to be flustered and didn't know how the taller man would feel about shopping for baby clothes with him. Kurogane folded his arms.

"Why the hell not? Not like I got a choice with you." He frowned and looked away to mutter.

"He's my kid too, you know."

"You won't get embarrassed then?" Fay grinned seeing Kurogane was willing to come with him.

The other man's eyebrow twitched and he growled.

"Who said anything about getting embarrassed?" He snapped, though his posture seemed to sag as they got closer to the store.

"I can always wait Kuro-pon." Fay smiled, knowing his lover wasn't excited about the prospect of buying something like baby clothes.

"Tch, you'd complain if we didn't buy them now…" Kurogane murmured, looking to the blonde. He had honestly bought things more embarrassing and definitely more humiliating than baby clothing, so he supposed this wasn't too horrible. Nodding, Fay opened the door to the store. Walking past the front register and the girl that lounged there, the blonde scanned the building, before he spotted their destination near the back of the store. Kurogane followed after him, not looking to enthusiastic to be there. He watched as Fay was drawn almost magnetically to the brightly colored fabrics.

"…What colors were used for infants on your planet?" He asked nonchalantly, wondering if they had something like blue for boys or whatnot.

"Usually in shades of blue or purple, but any color is fine." The blonde replied as he looked over the racks of clothes, not really knowing what to look for. Kurogane unfolded his arms and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Any color?" He asked indifferently, looking to some of the overly decorated clothing in disgust.

"Something simple would be best." Fay looked over some of the tiny shirts with large pictures on them, thinking they looked strange. Kurogane snorted and walked a little further into the section.

"Simple? With you? Not a chance in hell."

"Then Kuro-myu can help." Fay smiled as he held up a shirt. Seeing that it was too big, the blonde put it back, trying to find something that would fit a newborn instead. Kurogane looked over his shoulder to the Valerian and frowned to himself.

"I'm no good with picking out clothing. That's Tomoyo's line of work, remember?"

"It's not that hard." Fay put his hands on his hips as he tried to pout at the taller man.

"And you should at least pick out something for Toshi." The half-breed raised an eyebrow while staring at the other man's face.

"…What clothing are we here to buy?" He sighed, relenting easily.

"Things for newborns, things to sleep in." Fay tried to think of what the baby would wear, seeing how there was a stark contrast between what baby clothes he had seen on Valeria and the ones he was currently looking at. Kurogane rolled his eyes and pulled his hand out of his pocket to wave aimlessly in the air, showing he didn't care much.

"Fine, whatever. That thing." He chose, a deep red pajamas catching his eye. Fay smiled and held the small garment up with both hands, making sure it looked to be the right size.

"See, that wasn't so hard was it?" Kurogane narrowed his eyes and frowned at his lover.

"You make me sound like I'm an idiot." He grumbled irritably.

"Kuro-kun's not being an idiot at the moment, but you don't seem very happy about doing this though." Fay understood it was odd for Kurogane, but he could tell the other man wasn't comfortable. Draping the small outfit over his arm the blonde moved over to hold up small shirts. Kurogane sputtered angrily.

"What the hell? At the moment! You prick!" He snapped, leaning against the pole in the middle of the area that kept the store standing. Fay smiled, his back to Kurogane as he grabbed a green shirt and held it with the small pajamas Kurogane had picked out. The other man gave a revolted look to the chosen shirt Fay currently held.

"What the hell are you trying to dress him in?" Kurogane asked while looking to the pile of clothing in front of his lover.

"What's wrong with it?" Fay turned to the side to look at Kurogane, confused as to what was wrong with the shirt he had picked out.

"Just pick a different one." The half Ginryan said with a frown, not wanting to admit he had subconsciously picked up Tomoyo's color coordination skills.

"So picky." The blonde sighed, folding the shirt and putting it back on a shelf. Scanning the colors he picked out a light blue and held it up for Kurogane's approval.

"How about this?" The other man snorted and shook his head.

"No." He looked at the shirt for a moment before he stood straight and picked up a pair of pants.

"That would go with this." He instructed, handing Fay the pants.

"Kuro-san's better at picking clothes than I am." Adding them with the other clothes he had, the blonde looked over to another pile of tops, trying to find something. Kurogane folded his arms and looked to the front of the shop.

"Nah, I'm just used to these clothing." He said with a frown, almost having forgotten that Fay was from a different planet.

"Then daddy can help, I don't even know what size to get." He smiled sheepishly, feeling a little useless at not being able to pick out suitable clothing for his own child. The taller man simply watched his companion.

"The sizes you're picking out are fine. We're going to need to get clothing in all these sizes eventually." Fay smiled at the reassurance. Looking to the side his eyes widened as he saw something he knew their child could wear. Picking it up he turned to show it to Kurogane.

"Toshihiko would look cute in this; don't you think so Kuro-min?" The blonde held up a one piece with small ears protruding from the top of a small hood. It was made of thick light blue material, supposedly for colder weather. Fay smiled as he looked up at Kurogane. The other man stared at it in silence at first, as if contemplating a small boy in it, before he looked at Fay with eyes that could kill.

"Fuck. No. Put that down."

"But Kuro-tan..." Fay frowned; looking up at Kurogane as he silently asked his lover to reconsider.

"It would be cute and you can choose everything else if you want." The other man flinched when he received a cute and pitiful look from his lover, though he simply growled.

"There's no way in hell my kid will wear that!"

"Then I'll ask Tomoyo or Toriho to get it." Smiling, the blonde looked up at his lover. The blonde knew he didn't have any money, but he was sure that one of Kurogane's relatives would be happy to buy the small outfit for him.

"No." Kurogane snapped, gritting his teeth.

"That's a stupid thing to make, let alone put on a child! Ask them for it and it's getting burned."

"Fine." Frowning the blonde turned and put the garment back before walking away to look at the other section of clothes he hadn't gotten to look through yet. Kurogane watched him walk over, following him idly. He folded his arms and stood by the other while Fay picked out more shirts and pants that would be fitting for a newborn boy. Sighing Fay chose a dark purple one piece and draped it over his arm with the rest of the clothes. His eyes scanned over other small t-shirts, reading and smiling faintly at some of them. The other man frowned a little deeper, glancing over to the alien every now and then. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fine, idiot. Go get it." He said in exasperation, not being able to withstand the blonde's defeated attitude. Fay looked over to Kurogane confused for a moment before he realized what the other man was saying. Immediately, the blonde turned and picked up the small outfit up and added it to what he was already holding.

"It's not so bad..." Fay looked over to Kurogane and smiled.

"Thank you Kuro-kun." The other man rolled his eyes and glanced over to the front of the store.

"Just don't put bows in his hair too…" Kurogane muttered before looking down.

"…Hey… What are we going to do about taking him out?"

"I haven't thought about it." He contemplated the other's words. It would be hard enough to explain Toshihiko to any curious stranger. Kurogane exhaled heavily, looking to Fay with a frown.

"Explaining things to each passerby would get annoying if we had him with us both…"

"We don't have to bring him to places together then." Fay's expression matched his lover's at the thought, not liking the idea of having to keep their child's parentage a secret. Kurogane watched his boyfriend's expression fall and he found himself somewhat wanting to be on Valeria so Fay could walk around proud to be carrying a child.

"…We won't be able to do that when he gets older…"

"Why's that?" He asked as he looked up to Kurogane confused.

"Toshihiko will know we're both male and he'll know you actually carried him. Children tend to brag about their mothers." He looked over to a pile of children clothes.

"If someone asks one of us about our partner while the other isn't there, he'll fill in the information by himself truthfully, regardless of what we tell him to say. He'd do that even if we were together…" Fay smiled gently at the thought, his cheeks warming at the idea.

"It would be nice." It made the blonde even more excited to finally be able to hold their son. He sorted through various other clothes as his mind wandered. Conversely, Kurogane continued to frown.

"That's not a good thing, Blondie. If he brags that you're his birth mother, it could complicate things." He explained with a sigh.

"On top of that, if how he came about becomes known I don't know how these people will react."

"Then we'll have to tell him I wasn't the one carrying him...at least not until he's old enough not to tell anyone." His smile wavered at having to keep something like that from their child, even if it was for the better. Kurogane clicked his tongue at the thought.

"That sounds like a last resort." He said as he walked over to Fay.

"We'll have to teach him that the way people act at our house act different from the people in town."

"As long as it keeps him safe, I'm okay with it." Fai sighed, trying to will away thoughts about having to keep things a secret from others. The taller man didn't speak, trying to think of a better solution for both Fay and Toshihiko. He placed his real hand on his hip, staring at the front of the store.

"Even if we plan out everything, something could go wrong…"

"I know..." Fai continued to smile picking up a few more articles of clothing.

"Do you think this will be enough for now?" Kurogane gazed to his lover's arms and nodded.

"For now. No doubt Dad will by him a bunch of things too." He grumbled, thinking about all the way his father acted when someone mentioned his future grandson. Smiling, Fai took a few steps through the back of the store.

"Is there anything Kuro-rinta wanted to look at while we were here?" The Valerian asked as he turned to look at Kurogane.

"No, we can go." The dark haired man informed, following his lover with his hands in his pockets.

"Alright." Fai grinned as he made his way through clothes racks and shelves, the baby clothes held close to him as he weaved through the different sections of the store. They neared the front within a short amount of time, the cashier with blonde curly locks facing away from them as they went up to pay for the clothing. The blonde set everything down onto the counter, as he leaned forward. The girl whipped around surprised, but blushed when she saw Fai smiling at her and quickly moved to ring the clothes up. After at least six outfits the girl realized what she was ringing up and smiled politely to Fay.

"If it's my place to ask, when are you expecting?" The question made Kurogane choke on his spit, turning around to try to breathe normally again.

"The clothes aren't really for me." The blonde said as he twisted his words around a bit, instead of outright lying to the girl. He smiled nervously at the cashier as she looked at him in confusion. The girl blinked then, a vibrant blush claiming her cheeks.

"O-Oh I'm sorry! I didn't realize… you were… uh… h-here…" She stammered, handing Fay the first bag of clothing.

"S-sorry about that…" After getting all the clothing into bags she clicked a button on the register.

"That'll be $52.79… please…"

"It's an honest mistake." Fai grinned, waving the girl off so she wouldn't be too embarrassed for mistaking him as a woman. She smiled sheepishly back, the blush still very visible on her face.

"I still feel bad…" She squeaked, watching as Kurogane, who recovered easily enough, gave her a couple of bills to cover the expense.

"You're not the first person to do so." Fai smiled as he took the bags from the counter top. The girl quickly gave Kurogane back his change, before apologizing again for the mistake. The taller man placed his wallet back in his pocket before leading the way out of the store.

"You grown used to being called a girl or what?" He asked Fay casually over his shoulder.

"No, but it's not like I'm going to be angry about it every time it happens." The blonde said as they exited the store.

"Should we head to the shop we're supposed to meet the others at now? Or would you like to go somewhere else?" Kurogane shrugged.

"I already said I didn't plan to come with you guys today, so I don't have anything to take care of." He started down the way to the manga store.

"I'm glad you decided to come with us." He replied as he walked down the street beside Kurogane. Fai idly swung the bags in his hands back and forth as they made their way towards the store. The other man glanced over to the shorter one.

"Not like it screwed up my schedule or anything like that damned house…" He grumbled, thinking about how his shoulder and arm had malfunctioned due to helping with the house. He was unable to distribute the weight of his backpack like beforehand and that hurt his back for a couple of long ass hours. Fai stopped on the sidewalk where Tomoyo and the others had crossed and watching his step the blonde began to cross the street.

"Kuro-rin just does homework and growls at home anyways." the thin man teased as he looked over his shoulder briefly at his lover. Kurogane followed close behind him.

"Shut up, all those interruptions caused my grades to all fall almost two letter grades." He snapped, looking at the store in front of them.

"Then you should have taken the time to study more instead of helping." Grinning, Fai stepped up and onto the sidewalk before moving to the small shop. Looking in its windows the blonde could see several books lining the windows and wondered if there was anything interesting inside.

"You're frustrating, you know that?" Kurogane muttered, scowling at his lover while entering behind him.

"Kuro-san doesn't mind." The blonde said as he took in the shelves of books in front of them.

"If I didn't mind, it wouldn't be called frustrating now would it?" The taller man asked sarcastically, not paying attention to what the other was doing.

"Always so grumpy." Sighing dramatically the blonde walked towards the back of the shop. Stopping at a shelf to see if anything would catch his eye. Kurogane didn't reply as he went to a shelf that seemed to be one he visited regularly, looking up occasionally to the door to see his relatives.

"They're probably still shopping for that angel guy." Seeing nothing really appealing, Fai ventured over towards Kurogane, his eyes scanning the drawings of the books his lover was currently looking at.

"Kuro-min reads a lot?" The red eyed man pulled his vision away from the book to look at Fay skeptically.

"Are you serious? Are you blind when you look at my bookcases?"

"But these look different." Fai frowned as he shifted the bags he was holding to one hand, using his other to pick up a book that was nearly half the width of the one Kurogane was currently looking through. Turning it over in his hand and seeing the bright cover, the blonde opened it.

Seeing it was an illustrated book, Fai began flipping through the pages. Blue eyes widened as he turned a page. His cheeks heated and he knew he was blushing noticeably.

"Kuro-san, reads this?" Kurogane looked over idly but squawked indignantly as he saw what Fay was reading. He snatched the book roughly away before slamming it on the shelf.

"Like hell I read those! Those manga are written for women!" He sputtered, also blushing, though it was more for the fact Fay thought he read those types of manga.

"But they..." Fai continued to blush as he thought of the drawings on the page.

"Kuro-min's book has drawings too though and they're on the same shelf."

"No you idiot. They're sorted a specific way so you don't pick up ones you don't want to read." Kurogane informed curtly, pointing out the top shelf.

"Action." He pointed to the first part of the second shelf.

"Mystery." He pointed to the second part.

"Romance. Read the labels moron." Looking up the Valerian noticed he had been standing in front of the romance section.

"Are all romance books...that graphic?" He could feel his cheeks heating at the thought. Kurogane sighed.

"No…look, see that label on the side of the book? There are a number of those depending on the age group. If you want to read some of this shit go by the T or M, though you're able to read anything." Nodding in understanding, the blonde brought his hand to his cheek.

"Kuro-wan doesn't read books like that?" The image Fai had stumbled upon still burned into his memory. Kurogane looked back to the book he had chosen and snorted, though his cheeks were still powdered with red.

"Why the hell would I need to?"

"I didn't say you needed to, Kuro-myu, you could like reading them." Fai grinned as he looked up at Kurogane. Red eyes narrowed as the taller man brought Fay back to his attention.

"I don't like them either!" He snapped, closing his book and setting it back on the shelf.

"No need to yell." Covering his ears, Fai grinned, amused at his lover's embarrassment. Kurogane growled and shoved his hands in his pockets while looking away.

"When are those guys getting here anyway? It shouldn't take that long to buy clothing."

"They might have gotten Archellevon's clothing too." Lowering his hands, the blonde crossed his arms as he stood beside Kurogane. The student clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"Tomoyo will definitely want to be a while then."

"We could always leave and come back then?" He suggested, not thinking they could spend too long of a time here, waiting for the others.

"And where would we go?" The taller man asked with a frown.

"We've taken care of what we needed to already."

"We could go to Sorata's." The Valerian replied as he tried to think of what they could do as they waited on the others.

"Do you have any suggestions?" Kurogane looked to him.

"If we're going there, we should drop off the bags at my car. No sense in lugging them around everywhere." The older man then began to lead the way out of the store.

"Alright." Following the taller man out, Fai wondered if Sorata had noticed them arriving into town already. They crossed the street with ease, the traffic being slow that day. Kurogane pulled his keys out and unlocked the trunk for Fay when they arrived at the car.

"Put them in there." He instructed, knowing the blonde hadn't seen a car's trunk before. Following orders, the blonde set the few bags he had been carrying into the trunk. He grinned thinking of the outfit Kurogane had relented and bought; excited about dressing up their child in it to show his lover it wasn't as bad as he had thought. Kurogane watched as the trunk was partially filled and closed it when the blonde was done. He locked it and then began to walk down the sidewalk to the familiar shop.

"Sorata will be excited to see us." Laughing, Fai knew how Sorata enjoyed clinging to Kurogane.

"And I forgot to thank him again for the cake he made us." The taller man scowled.

"Yeah, he'll blow 'excited' out of proportions…" He looked ahead of him in thought.

"Wonder how the kids are doing…" Fai smiled as he thought of Syaoran and Sakura and how the boy confessed to her in front of them.

"Sorata isn't that bad, I think he's nice." Kurogane rolled his eyes and sighed heavily, not wanting to deal with his hyper-activeness. He sighed again when he remembered that the two girls from earlier had said they were going to eat there and he hoped that they wouldn't be there still. Walking down the street beside Kurogane, Fai could see the large windows of Sorata's shop come into view, his smile widening as he thought about meeting the others there. The younger twin was standing outside, sweeping some of the dust away from the inside of the store. He looked up and grinned widely when he saw Kurogane and Fay.

"Hello, Kurogane-san, Fay-san. Happy to see you two again."

"Hello Syaoran." Fai returned the other's smile with his own.

"How has Sakura been?" The slender man asked as the boy blushed brightly. He looked down, though his smile became wider.

"S-she's inside… oh! Please come in!" He said while moving aside for the adults. Keeping himself from laughing at the boy's blushing Fai thanked the teen and walked inside the shop. Sorata was behind the register as the other twin wiped table tops. Both looked up in surprise at seeing both men. Instantly stars appeared in the shop owner's eyes at the two men's entrance.

"Fay-chan! Kurogane!" He sang out, making the few people in the small shop turn to look at those who had just come in. Kurogane frowned.

"Yo."

"Hello, Sorata, Syaoron." Fai waved as he took a seat at one of the empty tables. He noticed how a few of the people looked at him strangely but ignored it. Kurogane sat across from Fay and barely had time to look up before Sorata zoomed into his side of the booth, tackling the taller man.

"I'm so happy you two stopped by my shop!" He called out, seemingly ignoring Kurogane struggling to get free.

"GET OFF YOU BASTARD!" Syaoron rolled his eyes as he calmly walked over, careful to keep out of distance of his boss and Kurogane.

"I wanted to thank the three of you again for the cake, though we didn't get to finish all of it before we left." The boy smiled and waved off the blonde's thanks as he watched Sorata cling to his lover. Kurogane shoved Sorata off, though a wince didn't go unnoticed as he used his still healing arm to give himself room.

"Asshole! Don't hug your customers!" He barked, making some of the ladies across the room giggle.

"Kuro-chan shouldn't be so rough with his friends." The blonde's smile faltered as he saw Kurogane, knowing it had to do with his artificial limb.

"Seeing that he's busy would the two of you like something?" Syaoron said, seeing that Sorata was still occupied with Kurogane. Said man glared to his lover, a set frown on his face.

"Shut up! If you wanna bitch at anyone do it to him!" He watched as Sorata conceded and stood straight again, a smile never leaving his face. The blonde gave Kurogane a light glare before looking up at the shop owner.

"I'd almost forgotten, my honey bear made some deserts today if Fai-chan would like to try them? I've also got those recipes I promised you before." Sorata blushed at the mention of his wife.

"Thank you, it sounds good." Fai replied, not wanting to turn the man down. The red eyed man folded his arms and looked away, obviously still pissed about the recent tackle. Syaoran entered the store and smiled to his twin before going to a booth a couple of tables away where the girl with green eyes sat. Syaoron left the couple to finish cleaning tables as Sorata hurried to the kitchen.

"They're very cute together." Fai smiled as he leaned forward, his chin resting atop his hands, as he saw both Sakura and Syaoran blushing at each other. Kurogane glanced over to the couple and his expression softened.

"Hn. They're fitting for each other." He said nonchalantly, though he was secretly happy they were together.

"Yes." Fai laughed at the thought of Kurogane acting like Syaoran when they were together; his thoughts went back to their earlier conversation about their unborn son, still a little upset about the situation. The dark haired man looked over to Fay and frowned again. He knew his companion was distraught over what to do with their child. He sighed and rubbed his arm subconsciously.

"We can always just tell people to go fuck themselves if they get nosy…"

"Kuro-rin can say that." Fai smiled warmly, glad for Kurogane trying to help.

"You arm still hurts?" The other man looked to his hand he had placed on his bicep absentmindedly and then moved it.

"It's nothing. It doesn't hurt unless idiots cling to it." He grumbled, speaking not too subtly about the shop owner.

"When we get home I could look at it." Fai suggested, worried about something bad happening to his love's arm again. The blonde could see Sorata coming back, a plate with several different looking deserts spread across it.

"Here you are Fai-chan, I wasn't sure what you would like so I brought a few things." Fai smiled in thanks before Sorata blushed and smiled sheepishly at the blonde.

"Fai-chan's very sweet." Kurogane glared at the man standing, not wanting him to be there. He looked to Fay with a frown and folded his arms while leaning back.

"Thank you." The shop owner's smile brightened considerably.

"Fai-chan's modest as well." With his hands on his hips Sorata noticed another customer walking in.

"Would Kurogane like something before I leave?"

"Nah, I'll pass." He replied glancing briefly up to the store owner before looking back to his lover. Nodding, Sorata left the two of them alone to attend to his other customers.

"Kuro-san?" Fai asked, noticing that the taller man was looking at him.

"I told you that I would heal fine." He replied, going back to their previous conversation.

"I didn't say anything about healing." He frowned not wanting to have the same argument again with Kurogane. The taller man closed his eyes and exhaled, not wanting to get angry for no reason.

"Anyway I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Fai picked up a fork, eating a piece of red cake.

"Kuro-kun should know I worry regardless." Smiling at the dessert, the blonde sampled the rest of what Sorata had brought him. Kurogane smirked somewhat at the other man's words but he shook his head.

"You shouldn't. Just because I get myself into a bunch of shit doesn't mean I don't know how to get out of it and carry the consequences too."

"So stubborn, Kuro-chan." Fai smiled, as he rested his cheek against his hand while he used his other to eat a piece of cake. Red eyes met blue and locked.

"You should know that by now, idiot."

"I do." The blonde smiled at Kurogane before he tried small light purple colored confection. The blonde sighed, thinking that he would have to try and make the cold treat sometime.

"Would Kuro-rin like to try some?" The other man snorted and looked away.

"No. I don't like sweets." He commented, watching as the brunette boy blushed at trying something Sakura had given him.

"You ate a little of the cake." Fai pouted as he took another bite of food, wondering if he could get the other to eat something as he at a piece of chocolate with dark swirls over it. Kurogane frowned a little as he remembered when he had eaten that cake.

"…I should take Yuui off standby."

"She could help with things, is she still working?" He asked, his thoughts drifting towards the android that was currently sitting at home with the rest of Kurogane's computers.

"The only thing that's wrong with her now is that she still thinks she's you." Kurogane informed, remembering his father's failed attempt at keeping his memories locked away.

"She'll need to be reprogrammed then." Looking at nothing in particular, Fai finished a piece of cake as he thought about Yuui.

"It's not going to be that hard." Kurogane replied, thinking about how he was going to go about changing Yuui's programming to make her think she was Yuui again.

"It seems Kuro-rinta stays busy." The other man said, thinking of how Kurogane was always doing something whether it was working on Edameonus's house or for their own child. It made Fai feel guilty for not being able to help as much as he had wanted to, especially when he knew the taller man lost sleep over doing so much. Kurogane shrugged, staring out the shop window.

"Not like I have a choice. There's always something new since you crashed into my life." The other said with a smirk, thinking about how his life had flipped upside down since he had met Fay. Grinning, Fai used his fork to take off a good sized piece of cake, holding it up as he straightened.

"Kuro-chu?" The smiled a little too innocently as he tried to get the other's attention. The other turned to look at Fay, curious as to what the other man wanted. Still smiling, Fai held up the desert as he looked at his lover before bringing it to the other's mouth. Kurogane, not realizing what Fay was feeding him, opened his mouth and bit down on the fork. He blinked and sputtered, realizing it was cake.

"God… damn…"

"You shouldn't waste food Kuro-min." Smirking, the blonde ate another piece of chocolate. Kurogane forced down the bite, still coughing as if he were dying. He glared to his lover, threatening silently that he was going to kill the blonde.

"Kuro-san acts like I gave him poison." Blue eyes glanced over to see Kurogane. Not fazed by his lover's glare the blonde continued to finish off the last of the deserts. When Kurogane had caught his breath, he growled.

"Asshole! Don't feed me cake if I tell you I don't like sweets!" He demanded, shoving his hands in his pockets angrily. Ignoring Kurogane's outburst Fai set his fork down on the now empty plate.

"Do you think the others are finished now?" Kurogane looked at the clock above the shop door.

"…Probably." He wiped his mouth as if it would help erase the taste of the cake and moved to stand, getting Sorata's attention from the counter. Following suit, Fai stood and pushed his chair in before heading to the register where Sorata stood.

"Fai-chan, here are the recipes." The other man smiled warmly as he handed the blonde several slips of paper.

"Thank you, I'll have to try them." Fay said with a smile while Kurogane folded his arms and watched as Sorata talked with his lover. He found himself staring at the blonde's stomach in thought of the baby and jerked his vision away, not wanting anyone who might be looking at him to get the wrong idea, or even the right idea.

"You and Kurogane will have to come by more often." Sorata smiled widely. "And you'll have to tell me how the recipes work out so I can tell my honey."

Fai nodded, returning the other's enthusiasm. The front door chimed and the taller man could see new customers approaching.

"Seems I'm fairly busy today, but maybe I'll stop by soon with my wifey to say hello."

"Don't bother." Kurogane commented, looking slightly bored.

"We've got a shitload of work to do as it is."

Sorata ignored Kurogane as he continued to smile. "I'll talk to the two of you later then."

Grinning Fai waved at his friend as Sorata left to wait on his new customers. Turning towards his lover Fai walked past him towards the exit.

"Kuro-chi's rude." Kurogane followed after him, slouching in his walk.

"And he's annoying." He said coolly as if he were stating a known fact.

"I don't see why Kuro-pyon thinks so badly about Sorata after they've known each other for so long." Fai smiled as they walked along the street, heading back towards the manga store. Kurogane walked a little faster, becoming side by side with his companion.

"Just because I know someone for a long time doesn't mean I'll end up liking them." Smiling to himself, the blonde could only imagine how Kurogane and Sorata must have interacted when they were younger. He suspected Kurogane at least tolerated the other man for a reason, but kept it to himself. Kurogane glanced over to the blonde a few times, wondering why he was smiling. He saw ahead of them the store, and he could see Mokona on Edameonus's hip in a new dress, pointing at the children's books excitedly.

"Looks like they're there."

"Hopefully they won't look through the shelf where Kuro-kun buys his books." The blonde chuckled as he began to cross the road.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Kurogane spat angrily, watching out of the corner of his eye for oncoming traffic.

"Nothing Kuro-myu." Fai said as he stepped over onto the other side of the street. He looked over his shoulder at Kurogane before turning towards the bookstore. Archellevon looked up from a book, sporting a new white jacket. He smiled and waved to Fay as he entered.

"I never realized how similar this place was to my home. I feel like I haven't gone anywhere!" Kurogane glanced idly over to Edameonus's hands to see that he was carrying several bags of Mokona's clothing.

"That's good. I hope all of you haven't been waiting long?" Fai said as Mokona wiggled around in Edameonus's hold, excited to see the couple walking in and getting to show off her new dress. The demon set down his daughter, smiling.

"We just arrived. How did things go with you two?" He asked as he stood straight again. Tomoyo peeked up from the shelf Kurogane had been at before and smiled, moving to go to them.

"We bought some clothes for Toshi." Fai smiled as he watched Mokona. "And Mokona's dress is very cute." Soel giggled before she grabbed the blonde's hand.

"Did Fai buy cute clothes too?" Fai nodded as he looked down at her.

"Once we get home I'll have to show you some of them." Kurogane frowned deeper when he saw the smarmy look Edameonus gave him, the Ginryan almost mocking him for buying baby clothing. Archellevon closed the book he was holding and carried it in front of him with both hands as he walked over to Fay and Mokona.

"I'd like to see them too, Fay." Fai nodded as Tomoyo walked towards the front of the store, carrying a few books as she stopped to stand beside Archellevon.

"I take it Kurogane-kun was picky?" Grinning, Fai looked over to Kurogane for a moment before turning his attention back to Tomoyo.

"Of course." He could feel his cheeks heating as he saw exactly what the girl had in her arms, thinking back to his earlier experience in the store. Kurogane growled.

"Shut up, you wanted to put girly and disgusting clothes on him." He watched as his cousin giggled, knowing he was only picky because of the way she taught him. Mokona pointed to Fay's face and squealed.

"Fay's face is red! Is it because Kurogane and Fay bought mommy and daddy clothing too?!"

"What?" The blonde looked at the girl confused. Tomoyo covered laughed before walking past Kurogane and towards the register to pay for her books. Mokona tilted her head to the side as she stared at Fai. Kurogane looked at the girl with wide eyes, a blush suddenly covering his face.

"What the hell?! Why the hell would we buy stuff like that?!" He stammered, making Edameonus cackle before going to Mokona and placing a hand on her head.

"Oh stop it, Soel. Don't embarrass the future father anymore." Soel pouted as she looked down to the floor.

"But don't they wear them because they are?" Mokona said softly, still upset about the light chiding from Edameonus. Said man smiled to his naïve daughter and chuckled softly.

"There's more to that than you know, Soel, but it's alright that you only understand that much right now." He said, making Archellevon smile at how delicate the demon could be. Kurogane folded his arms and huffed angrily, slightly annoyed that she had suggested something like that. Fai gave the girl a sheepish smile as Edameonus talked to her. Deciding it best not to give the transformed creature anymore ideas, the blonde walked over to Kurogane as Tomoyo grabbed her bag and grinned at them knowingly.

"It seems we're all ready to go now." Archellevon blinked and set the book he was holding back.

"Yes… though I was curious… does this dimension have any festivals or holidays? I was just reading a book about ancient traditions, so I wasn't sure…" He said while fidgeting. Edameonus had to look away, thinking it was impossibly cute for the former angel to do that.

"Of course, Halloween and O-bon have already passed...there's still Christmas to look forward to." Tomoyo said, answering the teen as she walked towards the door. Fai followed, curious about the holidays Tomoyo had mentioned. Mokona looked up at the girl in surprise.

"Mokona wants to celebrate!" Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"Christmas isn't until next month. The decorations for it aren't even out." He leaned against the door, holding it open for the rest of the group to come out. Mokona looked ahead to Tomoyo with sparkles in her eyes.

"What's Christmas?!"

"It's usually for couples, but we have a big party and exchange gifts instead. We put up a tree in Kurogane-kun's house, and on Christmas day we open gifts. Though I usually arrive later in the day after visiting my parents." Tomoyo laughed as she thought about the holiday. "And then there's New Year's right after." Mokona stared as she smiled widely in excitement. Fai listened intently as they began to cross the street. Archellevon smiled.

"So it's the same. Do you celebrate New Year's with your family members and friends too? What type of decorations do you use for those?" Kurogane raised an eyebrow at the boy's curiosity, not expecting it from him. Tomoyo laughed again, taking the teen's questions in stride.

"Yes, though it's another couples' holiday too. As for decorations I guess they would be traditional ones for us. Aunt Tsumebe puts up shide like the shrines do. There's a small fair held in town too."

"That sounds wonderful!" Mokona cheered, grabbing a hold of Edameonus's pant leg.

"Mokona wants to celebrate!" Edameonus chuckled at the girl and patted her head.

"It does sound interesting. Can we put a tree in my house too when it's finished? For Soel, that is."

"Of course, she can help decorate it as well." Tomoyo smiled brightly as they made their way towards their cars.

"It does sound fun." Fai smiled, thinking back to the festivals and holidays he used to celebrate with his family growing up.

"Tch. It's troublesome." Kurogane commented, though Tomoyo shot him a glare. Archellevon smiled triumphantly.

"Even though it takes a lot of work, it's truly worth the while of putting all the effort into it. Me and my parents always decorated the tree for hours while singing Christmas songs and dancing and playing our instruments. It was fun!" He said with a bright smile, looking to the rest of the group with enthusiasm. Fai smiled as well, wondering what it would be like, while Mokona jumped around in excitement.

"Yes, it is." Tomoyo said, smiling warmly at the teen. As they neared the cars, Kurogane stood at the edge of the road getting ready to cross the street.

"It's still a ways off; we need to focus on more important things now." He reminded, staring at his cousin. Edameonus picked up Mokona and held her with one arm.

"We can chat about it, but right now we should hurry up and get my house done, right Soel?"

"Yes!" Mokona cheered as she wrapped her arms around the other's neck.

"It's not too far away, after we finish Edameonus-san's house we should start get ready for the holidays." Tomoyo smiled knowing they had everything already for the baby as well as nearly having the house finished.

"That sounds good." Archellevon piped in, looking to the blonde.

"I suppose we'll see you at home? I would like to show Fay my new clothing!" He said with a polite grin.

"...Yes." Fai smiled as he was pulled away from his thoughts. He wondered what Tomoyo would say about the winter outfit they had gotten as he said goodbyes to the others. Kurogane unlocked the doors after crossing the street and got in his side, looking at the sky.

"Hn." He grunted, thinking that it would be colder now since it had gotten later, so he moved the roof of the car back, up, not wanting to catch a cold because of the breeze. Fai walked towards the car as well, stepping inside, watching as Mokona scrambled into the back of Tomoyo's car. He glanced up briefly to see the car being covered again. Kurogane cast a side long glance to the other before starting the car.

"…How is he?" He muttered, watching as Tomoyo's driver pulled out of her parking spot.

"The same, though he hasn't been as energetic lately." Putting a hand over his stomach, Fai knew it would be only a few weeks until he wouldn't be able to go out without the baby growing inside him being noticed. The other man seemed to ease up slightly.

"He better not develop your sweet tooth." He grumbled, pulling out and following Tomoyo's driver.

"Hmm...maybe I should rethink the hair clips?" Fai smiled, knowing it would make Kurogane yell. He sighed feeling their son's energy at his fingertips, wondering if the infant was going to start moving on its own soon.

"Like hell you will!" Bingo. Kurogane shouting. The taller man growled as he drove out of the city, ignoring the people either staring or waving at the couple. He frowned to himself, still wondering why so many people were enthusiastic or curious over them.

"Daddy doesn't think it would look cute?" Fai teased as he leaned over towards Kurogane, smiling.

"Though his hair might not be very long." The blonde acted as if he were deep in thought as his lover drove.

"Clips are for girls, you idiot! If I find any on his head I swear I'll use _your_ head as a soccer ball!" The other threatened vehemently, taking his eyes off the road to glare at his lover.

"Kuro-min would have to catch me first." He smirked amused at Kurogane's remark, knowing the other man would only yell. The taller man growled and sped up slightly.

"I'll make you regret it." He snapped, suppressing a shudder at the thought of his child with hair clips.

"Kuro-wankoro wouldn't hurt me." Fai leaned forward, resting his forehead against his lover's shoulder.

"You would only yell at me."

"Then I would yell until your ears bleed." Kurogane said a little softer, inwardly enjoying the other man's small bits of affection. The Valerian chuckled at the idea while he rested against Kurogane.

"I suppose I couldn't expect any less. Even if Toshi would look cute." He said teasingly. The other man rolled his eyes.

"Don't tempt yourself." He frowned then, staring at the road ahead of him.

"…I don't want him to be an outcast, Blondie. When he gets older…" The taller man started, thinking back to his own childhood.

"And I refuse to allow that damn court make any rules over his life."

"Such a good daddy. Besides, I was only joking about that Kuro-chan." Laughing to himself, the blonde grinned as he wrapped his arm loosely around his lover's waist.

"I wasn't talking about that." Kurogane replied, moving his arm to place it on Fay's shoulders as one hand rested on the steering wheel.

"Since he's got alien parentage I don't want him to feel like he doesn't belong. I wish my dad had told me I wasn't completely human instead of letting me think I was a human with something wrong with me." Fai looked up at Kurogane as he listened.

"He has his family, so he won't feel that way; we can at least make sure of that." He tightened his arm around Kurogane.

"And I don't think there's anything wrong with Kuro-rin." Kurogane smirked to the blonde and looked at the road again.

"I know… he could get the wrong impression when we tell him that telling other people would think it's unusual to be from a different planet." The smirk faded as he thought about how to tell their son his parents and half his grandparents were from a different world.

"We won't keep secrets from him and I can teach him to use his powers if he has any. All Toshi will have to do is be careful around others." Fai was hopeful that things would work out and that he and Kurogane wouldn't have to keep their child's lineage a secret from him.

"Even if it's against what that damned court says?" Kurogane said with another smirk, his grip tightening around his companion.

"Yes. Wouldn't Kuro-min do the same?" The blonde asked, already knowing his lover's answer.

"Heh, we've already got a bad record, what's more to it anyway?" He chuckled as he thought about all the hell they had previously gone through.

"We're bad examples." He smiled as he rested against his lover, thinking over their son as Kurogane drove.

"Doesn't mean he's going to be a bad seed." The other added, watching as Tomoyo's car started to slow up ahead as they neared their house.

"And if he gets into nearly as much trouble as I did, I'll fry his ass."

"Toshihiko will be sweet and not nearly as grumpy as Kuro-min." Fai laughed at Kurogane's threat, knowing the other man wouldn't be too harsh on their son.

"Tch, he'll have a mean side, that's certain." Kurogane grumbled, driving up to their house a little faster than Tomoyo's driver had.

"With you as his parent, I guess it's understandable." It made him wonder, just what kind of personality their son would have as they reached their home.

"Hn." Kurogane pulled away from Fay to use both hands to turn the car to sit by the house next to his motorcycle, making sure he didn't hit any of the others who had gotten out of the car ahead of them. Fai moved away from Kurogane as the car came to a stop and unbuckled himself from his seat.

"It's strange to think it will be about three months before Toshi's born." He smiled warmly at the thought. Kurogane paused in his actions to look at his lover.

"…Three months…" He said before smirking and grabbing the door handle.

"Guess we'll be stuck with three months of just imagining."

"Hopefully, it will go by fast." Fai said as he looked at Kurogane and smiled, excited about the idea of finally being able to hold the baby growing inside him. Kurogane chuckled and leaned forward to peck Fay on the lips.

"Yeah, hopefully." The blonde grinned both from the brief kiss and at Kurogane's reply.

"It's exciting to think about." A light pink dusted over Fai's cheeks as he smiled. Kurogane raised an eyebrow at the blonde's expression but merely continued to smirk.

"Come on, let's get inside." He said then, moving to get out of the vehicle. Stepping out in mimicking Kurogane, Fai walked to the back, waiting for the taller to open it so he could grab the clothes they had gotten. The half breed closed his door and unlocked the trunk of the car. He reached in and picked up most of the bags while looking at the porch where his cousin appeared.

"Kurogane-kun, Fay-san! Hurry inside! Mokona-chan wants to show off her outfits!" She called with a giggle. Grabbing what bags where left, Fai turned and began walking towards the others. Seeing Mokona moving about eagerly, the blonde chuckled as Edameonus tried to keep her still. Kurogane closed and locked the trunk before walking to the porch.


	24. Yet I couldn't forget the past

**Mirika-rin:** eeeeee Kurofay appeared in Kobato, the anime~ something for fangirls to squeal about (and scare their parents lol ;;; -guilty-). Another note; some more fluff and a bit more overriding angst ;w; let's get things movin~!

**Ashine-chan:** Here's a chapter where we make up for the past angst in the last few chapters before it. We're also getting a little closer to Toshihiko being born~.

* * *

When the two men entered the home Tomoyo closed the door and smiled.

"Ok, Mokona-chan, I think it's alright to show off your dresses now." She said as Kurogane set down the bags on the couch before looking to the girl with a contained sigh.

"Mokona will go and put them on!" The small girl grabbed at one of the bags her father figure held before grabbing a few dresses out of it and darting off to put them on. Fay chuckled before making his way over to the couch to sit, putting his own bags next to his feet as he did. Kurogane sat next to him, knowing the girl would complain if he didn't sit and watch as well. He looked around for a moment.

"Oi, where's that kid?" He asked, noticing Archellevon wasn't there. Edameonus gave a small smile.

"He… uh… fell asleep in the kitchen… I think getting his memories back drains him, so he doesn't sleep on a regular schedule…"

"While Mokona's getting dressed for us, I suppose it would hurt to show an outfit or two. Kuro-tan was picky even though he only really picked out one outfit." The blonde said as he reached to look through the bags he had. Tomoyo grinned as she moved to sit in one of the chairs in front of the couple.

"I'm sure Fay-san picked out adorable clothes." Kurogane snorted, thinking about all the mismatched clothing Fay had tried to put together. He hoped to everything holy Fay wouldn't pull out that damned blue coat first. Fay pulled out the pajamas Kurogane had picked out, holding it up for Tomoyo to see. The girl looked at the tiny article of clothing with bright eyes.

"Adorable, the baby will look so cute in it." Edameonus smiled smugly.

"Judging by Kurogane's reaction, he picked that one out." He said with a grin as he saw Kurogane glare at him.

"Mokona's ready!" All of them heard Soel shout as she came running into the room. The frilled blue dress she had on went well with her light hair and complexion. Mokona twirled as she smiled.

"Mokona's dress is cute~!" Fay said as he laid the small pajamas on his lap. Kurogane looked her up and down and shrugged.

"It's better than a t-shirt I guess." Tomoyo giggled and waved to the girl.

"That means you look adorable, Mokona-chan!" Kurogane looked at his cousin skeptically.

"Don't put words into my mouth!" Mokona smiled as she glanced over at Kurogane, before she noticed the red outfit in the blonde's lap.

"Fay has baby clothes?" She asked curiously as Fay nodded.

"I was showing some of the clothes Kuro-rinta and I got." Putting away the one outfit, Fay grinned before sifting through the bags for a particular outfit. Kurogane watched indolently before he blinked, realizing what Fay was searching for. He placed a hand over his face and growled, still partially not believing he let Fay buy the damn outfit.

"Kuro-wan doesn't like it, but I thought it was cute." Finding what he was looking for the blonde pulled out the hooded winter outfit he had picked out. Fay smiled as he noticed the back even possessed a small tail to match the ears. Mokona and Tomoyo squealed in unison, the smaller girl running over to Fay to get a better look. Edameonus cackled again, hiding his face in his arms that were on the back of the chair. Kurogane shot a glare over to the other dark haired man.

"Will the baby wear that?" Mokona said as she reached up to touch the small animal ears atop the hoodie.

"I don't see how Kurogane-kun could say no to something so cute." Tomoyo said as she smiled giddily over the small one piece.

"That's what I said about it." Fay grinned widely, knowing that the others would have found it suitable as well. Edameonus looked up from his arms and smiled fondly at the little coat.

"I'm sure it'll be even cuter on the baby." He looked over to Mokona then.

"Hey, why don't you go try on another dress?" Mokona nodded and ran off again.

"Thank you." Fay said as he watched the girl dart off to try on another dress for them. Folding both clothes he slipped them back into a bag.

"Kuro-pipi will like it once he sees it on Toshi."

"I doubt my opinion will change much." Kurogane said with a frown as he moved his arm to rest against the back of the couch. Edameonus covered his mouth to stifle a laugh as he thought about Kurogane cooing like an idiot over a baby boy.

"It will." Fay said as he pulled out a few more clothes, showing them to the others before Mokona can back in a small sun dress. Edameonus smiled at the girl affectionately.

"I think that's my favorite, Soel." He watched as the girl twirled around in it. Tomoyo smiled as well.

"I don't think she'll have much time left to wear it; it's going to get colder from here on out."

"Does it get very cold here?" Fay asked, not really knowing how the weather was here, especially compared to the near endless winter of Valeria.

"It does, but nothing that could harm a person if you stay inside." Tomoyo smiled wider as she thought about winter time.

"And the best part is you can play in the snow. And hopefully there'll be snow on Christmas again!"

"Sounds like Valeria, though it was always snowing." Fay smiled as he thought of the ground covered in snow.

"Mokona wants to play in the snow." The girl said excitedly as she looked over to Tomoyo. The dark haired girl smiled back.

"Don't worry; it won't be long before there is snow falling." Edameonus stood straight and folded his arms.

"It's easier to get sick in the winter time though, isn't it?"

"Yes, but as long as Mokona doesn't get wet and stays out too long she'll be fine." Tomoyo said as Mokona ran back to change once more.

"It will be fun to play in the snow." Fay pointed out, thinking back to his own childhood. Edameonus watched his daughter run out excitedly.

"What comes after the winter time?" He thought back to his own world where there was no such thing as snow.

"Spring, though not for several more months. Then summer, autumn, and back to winter. Each season last awhile." She informed the Ginryan as they sat waiting on Mokona.

"We have spring and then autumn." Edameonus thought while looking to the ceiling.

"The leaves on our trees fall and then re-grow in a year's time."

"Hmm, Valeria's tree never shed leaves...we have a very brief spring, but then it snows again with a few months." Fay said, surprised at the climates of both planets and how different they were from what he was used to. The blonde leaned back against the couch as he turned his attention back to Tomoyo. Said girl smiled, happy that they had eventually decided to share the information about them being not of this world.

"Interesting! The leaves should be falling now, though since Kurogane-kun lives in the country trees aren't that common unless you go into a forest." Fay smiled, wondering what it would be like to see the trees around them shedding their leaves.

"It will be odd to see." As he finished, Mokona came in once more with another dress on to show them. Edameonus blinked and frowned slightly.

"When did you buy that one? I don't remember you trying on a red dress." Tomoyo giggled and smiled to herself.

"While you were talking to Archellevon-san about his clothing I allowed Mokona-chan to try this one on." Edameonus blinked and blushed lightly with a small smile.

"O-oh…"

"It looks cute on her." Fay said as Mokona smiled up at him. The blonde looked over to his friend, grinning at hearing he had been talking with Archellevon. Edameonus smiled back to him and moved his eyes to stare at the white haired girl.

"Red does suit you. Then again, so does blue and green." He folded his arms and smiled to himself.

"Does it have a hat to go with it?"

"Yes, that way Mokona can wear it outside without anyone noticing the stone on her forehead." Tomoyo replied.

"This is Mokona's favorite one." The small girl said as she smiled brightly up at them. Edameonus grinned wider.

"Good. You can wear any of these as often as you like along with the casual clothing we bought you." Kurogane raised an eyebrow to Edameonus and then glanced to his cousin.

"You bought dresses and casual clothing?"

"Of course." The designer smiled as she watched Mokona twirl around. Fay grinned at the scene, wondering why Kurogane would ask about it. Said man snorted and looked away.

"You're getting better at speed shopping." He commented, making Tomoyo grin.

"Mokona-chan was happy to try on anything. And so was Archellevon-san." She laughed as Mokona moved to sit on Edameonus's lap. The demon smiled and picked her up to sit her comfortably on his thigh.

"I'm happy that you're ok with your new clothing." He glanced in the direction of the kitchen.

"I think Archy liked his clothing too… but he passed out before we could tell for sure…"

"Maybe you should move him, it can't be comfortable falling asleep in the kitchen." The blonde said as he rested against the couch, next to Kurogane. Edameonus smiled and shook his head.

"Moving him anywhere else would be too noisy. He's sitting in the chair with his head on the table, so I think he'll be fine." He placed his hand on Mokona's head, stroking her hair slowly. Tomoyo stood as she looked up at the clock.

"As much as I hate to leave and forego embarrassing Kurogane-kun further, I should go. After all I can't keep my driver waiting." She smiled at the others.

"I'll have to tell Toriho-san and Aunt Tsumebe about the clothes though, so you should expect him soon." She laughed deviously, knowing what the older man would probably do. Fay chuckled, thinking the same as he said his farewell to the girl. Kurogane glared at her.

"Dad's slacking anyway, tell him to go to the other house before he visits so it can get done already." He snapped, thinking about the workers doing a poor job. Edameonus chuckled and smiled to Tomoyo.

"Don't worry about the teasing part, I'm sure we'll all have plenty of time for that in the future."

"Bastard! You stop instigating!"

"If Kuro-rin wasn't so quick to blush and snap at all of us, no one would tease you so much." Fay smirked as he looked up at Kurogane. Smiling, Tomoyo nodded, trying to keep herself from laughing at the blonde's words. Kurogane growled at Fay, placing a hand on blonde locks harshly.

"I don't blush! Don't you have something to be doing anyway?!" He barked, though Edameonus simply cackled. The demon stood and bowed his head to Tomoyo.

"Well, take care, Tomoyo-chan. I'm going to try to give Soel a successful bath that stays in the tub."

"Both of you as well." Tomoyo smiled at the Ginryan and Mokona brightly as she waved and turned to leave the house, leaving her cousin and his lover to themselves.

"What would I need to be doing Kuro-chi?" Fay said as he grabbed Kurogane hand to try and remove it from his hair.

"Hell if I know, putting the clothes away or something?" Kurogane didn't remove his hand, giving his lover an effective noogie. Edameonus chuckled at their childlike behavior before taking his daughter into the bathroom, only pausing to glance in the kitchen to see the sleeping form of his late lover. The blonde yelped at the rough treatment.

"Kuro-daddy should help too then." He smiled despite himself as he struggled.

"I have other things to do." Kurogane said, the frown not leaving his face. He removed his hand and pulled away from Fay to stand.

"You bogged me down with a bunch of crap to do remember?"

"Kuro-chu wouldn't rather stay with me then?" The blonde said as he looked up at his lover, a slight frown marring his features. The taller man raised his eyebrow before walking over to his book bag to pick it up.

"You can sit there with the baby clothing and keep your mouth shut while I do homework or you can prance around the baby's room putting clothes away. Your choice."

"I guess I can go and put the clothes away." Sighing, Fay gathered the bags around his legs and stood, before he made his way towards the nursery. Kurogane sat back down on the couch, watching his lover leave the living room. He frowned and opened his bag to pull out the materials he would need to finish the assignments he had been given.

Stepping inside the baby's room caused the Valerian to smile as he made his way to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Putting the bags on top of the furniture, Fay began pulling out clothes and folding before he put them away. He could soon hear Mokona squealing and splashing as Edameonus proceeded to bathe the girl. The demon squawked abruptly, water hitting the tile floor.

"Oi! What the hell are you doing in there?!" He heard Kurogane shout. Fay shook his head and chuckled as he listened to everyone as he put everything away. Finishing the blonde gathered the plastic bags and left the nursery. He stopped briefly to throw the bags away, careful not to disturb Archellevon, before he wandered back to Kurogane on the couch. Said man was back to his old study habits, feet thrown up on the coffee table with several books around him. He was scowling at his book, apparently angry at Edameonus making a mess in the bathroom.

The blonde smiled as he took a seat next to Kurogane, leaning back against the couch as he watched his lover study. The dark haired man glanced at Fay briefly and flipped the page. He didn't look up again when he heard Archellevon stir in the kitchen nor when the white haired teenager entered the room while rubbing his eye free from sleep.

"Hnn… Good morning…"

"It's still late. You've not slept long." Fay said as he looked up at Archellevon. The slender man couldn't help himself from smiling at how groggy the teen seemed as he stood in front of them. Archellevon smiled warmly yet sleepily, moving his arms to hug himself loosely.

"Where is everyone?" He asked a little concerned.

"Tomoyo left not long ago and Edameonus is trying to give Mokona a bath." He answered as he crossed his legs and made himself comfortable beside his lover. The former angel's shoulders slumped at hearing that the girl had already left.

"Oh… I see…" He moved slowly to sit on the other couch.

"And I missed Mokona-chan's dresses didn't I?"

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind showing them off for you." The blonde answered, not wanting the teen to feel bad about missing both Tomoyo and the dresses. Archellevon shook his head and smiled a little wider.

"It's alright; I'll simply see them when Mokona-chan wears them." He brought his legs up beside him on the couch, draping his hand over his folded limbs.

"Did-" Fay winced at the sound emitted from the bathroom, wondering if someone should check on Edameonus and Mokona. The demon could be heard vaguely scolding the girl and Kurogane slammed his book closed.

"You better clean that entire bathroom when you're finished asshole!" He barked to mainly Edameonus. Cackling could be heard.

"Kuro-san shouldn't yell so much." The blonde said as he tilted his head away from Kurogane. Mokona's laughter could be heard along with another splash. Kurogane growled as he slouched back into the couch angrily.

"Damn them." He muttered under his breath. Archellevon giggled at the taller man's anger before peering around the corner to the bathroom door.

"They're double trouble aren't they?"

"Yes." Hearing the squeals of delight coming from the bathroom, Fay wondered briefly what it would be like if it were Kurogane and their own child instead. After a few moments a few more splashes signaled Mokona getting out of the tub. Briefly the door opened before slamming shut with an "Oi!" Mokona, a towel wrapped around her tiny frame, came running into the living room, laughing excitedly.

"Mokona's clean now!" Fay watched amused as the small girl ran towards Archellevon to try and hide. The boy watched with curiosity before blushing at the man who entered. Edameonus was dripping wet on one side of his body. He growled at the girl before storming over to her.

"Get back here, twerp!" He snapped. Kurogane chuckled deeply at them, flipping his page idly.

"Archy hide Mokona!" She laughed loudly as she saw Edameonus approaching her. Fay covered his mouth with his hand so he wouldn't draw attention to himself while he watched the Ginryan stomped through the living room. Archellevon looked between the two, blushing more and more as Edameonus came closer. He swiped for Mokona, who in turn went behind the couch arm rest where Archellevon leaned. He growled and went after her again, though this time he lost his footing. He caught himself by placing a hand on the arm rest and one on the back of the couch, hovering very closely to the teenager, who seemed to be completely red. Kurogane looked up briefly before flipping the page again.

"If you two plan to have sex, you can at least wait until I'm out of the room." Fay snapped his head around to stare at Kurogane, shocked that his lover would say something like that to the others. He glared just as quickly slapped the taller man's arm. Kurogane looked to Fay and blinked.

"What was that for?" He growled. Edameonus seemed to turn to stone before shoving himself off, not aware of what the other man had said.

"U-uh… S-Soel! Get back here right now or I'm changing my mind about you wearing your dresses." He snapped, his face as red as Archellevon's. Fay frowned and looked away from Kurogane before he ended up punching the man instead. He kept his eyes away from the others too, not wanting them to feel anymore embarrassed than the already were thanks to his lover's bluntness. Mokona pouted before walking out of her hiding place and held her arms up for Edameonus to carry her. The taller man picked her up and carried her back to the bathroom, closing the door almost soundlessly. Archellevon remained on the couch where he had been frozen, staring forward in an almost creepy way to Kurogane. The half breed glanced up and blinked again.

"…What?" The teenager's trance broke and his vision went to the floor.

"…You… th-think Ed… and… I …" Fay listened intently as Archellevon asked Kurogane. He knew that it was possible that everyone except maybe the teen himself thought both men were only delaying the inevitable. Not looking over at the boy, Fay sighed mentally and wondered if it was because everyone knew what used to be between them or if was how they were acting around each other now. The teenager didn't wait for an answer before he stood and walked quickly to the back of the hallway to the laundry room. It wasn't long before Mokona came skipping out of the bathroom, a new set of clothing as a nightgown on her body.

"Kuro-tan..." Fay said quietly as he turned to look over at Kurogane. Mokona walked in and crawled up on the couch opposite them, taking up the seat where Archellevon had been sitting.

"What?" The student asked through a sigh, knowing all attempts at completing his homework would be futile at this point.

"You didn't have to say that you know." Frowning, the blonde hoped Kurogane hadn't ruined the small steps Edameonus had taken to trying to talk with Archellevon. Red eyes moved to Fay's face and narrowed.

"It's inevitable they'll get there, why hide it from them?" He asked lowly, listening to the teenager walk smoothly down the hall. He paused when he saw the former angel knock gently against the bathroom door.

"E…Ed? …M-may I come in?"

"Not everyone is as blunt as you though." Fay rested his head against the taller man's shoulder and sighed. He could hear the door slowly open and the tentative footsteps of Archellevon entering the bathroom. Kurogane glanced up briefly to see that Archellevon was carrying a set of fresh clothing before he vanished inside the bathroom. He smirked to himself before moving to a different book.

"No, but sometimes being blunt is how you should treat a problem."

"Kuro-kun just knows everything." Fay shifted on the couch drawing his legs up and underneath him as he faced Kurogane. He wrapped his arms loosely around his lover's neck as he leaned forward to plant a chaste kiss against a tan cheek.

"Hopefully it wasn't a bad idea." Kurogane looked to his partner.

"Bad idea or not, it sets things into motion." He informed deeply, ignoring the wide eyed stare he was getting from Mokona. Fay rolled his eyes before he smiled and gave Kurogane another kiss before unwrapping his arms from the taller man.

"Are Edameonus and Archellevon going to have a baby too now?" She asked curiously as she kept her eyes trained on Kurogane. The dark haired man looked to the girl with mild surprise.

"…What?"

"Does Kuro-rinta need it explained to him?" Fay said as he tried to keep his composure.

"But Fay and Kurogane are a couple and they have a baby, isn't that how you make them?" She frowned, confused a still not having her answer from before. Kurogane shot a glare to his lover, not liking the idea of being treated like an adolescent. He then exhaled tiredly, rubbing his temple.

"No, kid, they're not going to have a child."

"But how are babies made then?" She pouted as she brought her knees up to rest under her chin as she looked over towards the human. Fay smiled brightly wondering how Kurogane would handle Soel's question. The student's eyebrows knitted together in frustration.

"Seriously? You're expecting me to answer that?" He moved one of his legs to set the curve in his boot's soul against the table.

"It has a lot more physical work to it than you should know, kid." He muttered, smirking to himself wryly as he looked back down to the book.

"Fay, Kurogane won't tell me!" She pouted at the blonde before she hopped down from the couch and walked over towards the couple. She stuck her tongue out at Kurogane for good measure before she looked up at the blonde.

"You wanna do that again punk?" Kurogane questioned angrily, glaring sharply at the girl. Archellevon came out into the room again silently, moving to sit on the couch without trying to attract attention to himself.

"Make Kurogane tell Mokona." She pouted as Fay smiled nervously at the girl. He looked briefly up from her to the teen, wondering what had happened.

"Mokona will have to ask Kuro-san." Purple eyes stared up at Kurogane, pleading silently as she stood in front of Fay. Kurogane snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on. Not sure your 'daddy' would appreciate me telling you before he can." He said as he reached into his backpack to pull out a highlighter. Archellevon looked up slowly to Kurogane, listening to their conversation with a silken frown.

"But he only said it happened when two people were in love." She frowned, upset that no one would explain it to her. Fay blushed, remembering the conversation they had had earlier during the day.

"And you think those two are in love?" Kurogane asked nonchalantly, covering a couple sentences in his book in yellow ink. Archellevon looked down to his hands again.

"…No… Mokona-chan… it's not like… that…"

"But didn't Fay and Kurogane have a baby like that?" Her frown deepened as she looked over to Archellevon and then back to the couple in front of her. Fay covered his face with one hand, wondering how Kurogane could be so crude about such a...delicate topic.

"Mokona-chan stop." Archellevon said sharply, though his voice broke by the intense tone. He looked to the girl with a stern face and sat up straight. He patted the seat of the couch next to him, indicating he wanted her to join him. Mokona pouted before leaving Fay and joining the pale haired teen on the other couch. The Valerian watched, curious about what Archellevon was going to do. The angel continued to frown as the girl climbed to sit next to him. When she was settled he held up his hands with the palm facing the ceiling.

"Look here; there is two loves. One is the one you feel here-" He placed his left hand over his own heart, "-and then one you feel here." He moved his hand to his stomach. "The first is the love you feel toward Ed… the love Tomoyo-chan feels for Fay…" Mokona nodded in understanding as she listened to Archellevon. Across from them Fay sat, quiet as the two youngest members of the house sat together. The stern look on Archellevon's face melted into a warm smile.

"Sometimes this love grows stronger and it can no longer sit in here alone. You start to feel your chest tighten and you swallow; the love gets in the way and you end up swallowing it. It feels like fluttering here, where the second love is created. Do you know what this love is, Mokona-chan?"

"...No, Mokona doesn't know." She looked up at Archellevon curious. Fay watched them, a warm smile across his lips as he listened. Archellevon giggled.

"This is a love Kurogane and Fay feel. It's so big it eventually consumes your entire body. Your hands get sweaty and you get lightheaded, even by just thoughts of the one you care about. Your knees shake and you can't walk straight if they do something nice for you. This is the love you feel that tells you it's ok that you want to be with this person your entire life, even if it's just that one person." Fay muffled his laughter, as he mulled over Archellevon's words. He stole a glance at Kurogane, smiling at his lover as Mokona looked up at the boy surprised by his description. Kurogane raised an eyebrow to Fay, wondering what the hell was so funny. Archellevon giggled again; glad to know Fay didn't seem to be worried about him anymore.

"Also Mokona-chan, this is the love that is sometimes referred to as 'in love'. Do you see the difference?"

"Yes." Mokona smiled up at the teen as she nodded. Fay raised his arm and flicked Kurogane lightly on the forehead, remembering how cute his lover could behave sometimes. Kurogane snatched the blonde's hand angrily, a growl escaping his clenched teeth. Archellevon smiled wider and nodded.

"Ok. Now, tell me, which love do you think creates children?"

"The 'in love' one." Mokona asked, unsure of her answer. Fay only smiled at Kurogane, ignoring the warning growl the other man had given him. Kurogane placed Fay's hand down to the couch before moving his own hand back to his book. The white haired boy nodded.

"Yes, and that's the love Kurogane and Fay feel correct?" Mokona looked over to see the blonde laughing as Kurogane glared at his book, before she turned to look back at Archellevon.

"Mokona thinks so." The teenager giggled and nodded.

"It is, don't worry about how they act; people demonstrate being in love in different ways. Sometimes it's hard to tell." Fay smirked as he peered over at Kurogane, before looking back to Mokona who smiled and nodded.

"Even though Kuro-chu doesn't look it, he is very loving, Mokona." Soel giggled as she glanced at Fay, seeing the blonde was agreeing with Archellevon.

"Oi, oi, oi! Don't drag me into your mother-daughter talk." Kurogane snapped, closing his book. Archellevon shook his head at the taller man, obviously not amused with him.

"Well, anyway, people of all ages and of all nationalities and races and species fall in love and also love. Everyone is capable of showing both types."

"Kuro-pyon shouldn't interrupt." Fay said as he leaned against Kurogane. Mokona nodded in understanding as she smiled, listening intently to the teen.

"Neither should you, Blondie." Kurogane replied as he wrapped his arm around the other, kissing the top of blonde locks absentmindedly as he continued onto another book. A rosy hue spread across the blonde's cheeks as Kurogane brought him closer. A long arm snaked around his lover's waist as he rested against the taller man. Archellevon closed his eyes as his fingers laced with themselves.

"Whether it's love or being in love, it's magical… Love is certainly the epitome of miracles." His face heated in memory of being in love, though he himself didn't remember who it was with. Purple eyes widened in awe, as the small child stared at the teen as he finished explaining things to her. Archellevon's blue eyes opened slowly and he smiled warmly.

"…Oh! I remembered something!" He giggled to himself stupidly.

"Sometimes love takes a while to grow, so a person may not admit or show that they're in love when they really are." Fay chuckled as he remembered Kurogane when they first met. He tightened his hold on the other man as he pressed his face against the taller's chest to keep himself from laughing. Mokona laughed as well, happy to see the teen smiling. Archellevon placed his hands over his chest, looking into nothing particular as he thought of fond things.

"Sometimes… being in love just… happens… you can't explain how… or when… it might take a day… it might take a year… it might take 100 years…"

"Is Archellevon in love then with someone?" She asked as the small creature still looked up at the pale haired boy. On the opposite couch Fay turned his face to see exactly what his lover was reading, trying to give the other two in the room with some sort of privacy as they talked. The former angel placed a finger at the end of his chin and looked up to the ceiling in thought. "Well… I thought I was in love with Souhi-kun when we were together… but that was before I found… whoever that person was…." His eyes went hazy in thought. Meanwhile, Kurogane's head snapped up in infuriated surprise.

"WHAT?!"

"Toriho?" Fay asked as he looked over at Archellevon in surprise. Mokona tilted her head to the side in confusion. Archellevon smiled sheepishly to the two men across the room.

"Aha… it was long before Kurogane was even thought of, trust me… I suppose he didn't tell you I was a past lover?" Kurogane stared at him in fury, too angry and shocked to form a sentence.

"You and Toriho were...." Fay blushed at the idea as he tightened his hold on Kurogane in case his lover decided to do something to the teen sitting across from them.

"YOU FUCKED MY DAD?!" Kurogane finally shrieked, all anger being shown. Archellevon winced at the accusation and looked down, a blush tenting his cheeks. He opened his mouth to answer but found he couldn't.

"Is that really any of your concern?" Came a deeper voice from the entrance of the hallway. Edameonus was leaning against the wall, arms folded and expression that of one wanting to kill.

"N-now Kuro-sama, there's no need to yell." Fay smiled sheepishly, even if the news was startling, as he looked up at Kurogane. He turned his head to the side to see Edameonus standing in the living room. Archellevon looked to Edameonus in slight curiosity, wondering why the demon was sticking up for him. Edameonus walked into the living room and placed a hand on the back of Mokona's head affectionately.

"The fact remains your father didn't stay with Archy and that he wasn't with Archy for a very long time anyway, now grow up and get over it." Mokona smiled at the affectionate gesture. Blue eyes were trained on Kurogane as Fay listened to what Edameonus was saying. Kurogane stared at the other dark haired man, realizing Edameonus wasn't just talking to him, but to himself as well. He folded his arms and sank back into the couch, glaring dangerously to the white haired teenager. Archellevon frowned, looking down again; he had no idea that a tidbit of his past life would've caused people to be angry with him. He looked over to see that the boy was now upset once more and frowned trying to think of a way to help.

"Archellevon shouldn't be sad for telling us about his past, Kuro-puu's just surprised is all." He tried to smile as Edameonus looked down at Mokona.

"No… it's alright… I can understand why he's angry…" Archellevon offered him a weak smile as his hands clenched in his lap. "I think I would be angry too if I found out my father had slept with a person younger than me, even if that person had been reborn."

"It's not so bad, I'm older than Kuro-chan and he doesn't seem to mind." Fay said as he smiled at the teen, hoping he could try to help his friend. Kurogane snapped his attention to Fay.

"What!? You're not older than me!" Edameonus rolled his eyes and lifted Mokona off the couch from behind.

"You hungry?" He asked her as he placed her on his hip and moved to go into the kitchen.

"Yes!" Mokona said as she was picked up.

"How old do you think I am Kuro-rinta?" Fay asked as he loosened his hold on his lover to look at him better. Kurogane narrowed his eyes.

"That damned court announced you're a year younger than me going by Earth years." Edameonus entered the kitchen with Mokona, being watched by the teenager who remained on the couch across from the couple.

"Yes, by 'Earth' years Kuro-min, there's a difference." Fay smiled nervously, not thinking his age was that big of a deal. The red eyed man scoffed and looked back to his book.

"Well what the hell are you going by? We're on Earth now aren't we?" He didn't take notice as the white haired boy moved to lean up against the armrest and placed his arms around his knees. Archellevon looked to the ceiling pensively, trying to rethink what he should say from then on.

"But I wasn't born here, technically I'm eighty-eight Kuro-san, if you were to convert that to Earth's timeframe it would make me twenty-two instead." Fay hoped it his age wasn't a problem for Kurogane as he gazed up at him. Kurogane's face contorted into disgust as he heard the age, unable to block images of an older version of Fay in bed with him from his vision. He brushed them off, suppressing a shudder while looking down to his lover.

"We're on Earth, so I'm going by Earth years. And if we were on Valeria-or-something, I'd be ninety-two, so I'd be older than you either way."

"So you're not too upset about it?" He asked, concerned by the look on his lover's face. The Valerian could vaguely hear the sounds of Mokona cheering as Edameonus gave her something to eat in the kitchen.

"Tch. Why would I be upset over that?" Kurogane asked, sticking a note card in the crevice of the book before closing it and setting it aside with the others.

"You didn't look very happy about it." Blue eyes lowered as Fay looked away from Kurogane. He noticed Archellevon sitting quietly across the room and hoped the teen wasn't still too upset over talking about his past life.

"You worry way too much." Kurogane said nonchalantly, shoving some of his books back into his backpack. The teenager on the other couch sighed lightly before moving to sit properly.

"I suppose… I'll go do laundry…"

"Would you like some help Archy?" Fay frowned as he moved away from Kurogane to look at the teen.

"Oh no, I'm fine with it, Fay…" he replied with a grin, moving his hands in front of him to wave the other off. He glanced over his shoulder when he heard Edameonus laugh at something Mokona did.

"If you're sure..." Fay gave the boy a smile, hoping it would help lift his spirits. "If there's anything you need, just ask."

"I know, Fay." He said warmly, standing. He walked slowly down the hall and entered the laundry room silently. Kurogane glanced up and frowned, still irked at the knowledge the angel had previously been with his father.

"And you should know I worry..." Said the blonde as he turned back to face his lover. Fay thought of how long he actually would live and wondered if Kurogane would as well. Kurogane turned back to his partner and frowned deeper, moving his hand away from his work to place it under Fay's chin.

"I told you to stop. It annoys me."

"...It's hard not to." A faint smile spread across his lips as he looked up at Kurogane. The other gave an irritated smirk.

"It makes me think you don't think I can handle myself that well."

"I don't think that..." He offered his lover a smile, knowing he was only being insecure, even if Kurogane didn't give him reason to be.

"Then stop it." The dark haired one commanded before settling their lips against one another. The Valerian brought his hand to rest against the side of Kurogane's neck as he closed his eyes and pressed his lips to Kurogane's. The other man moved his hand from Fay's chin to snake around the smaller body, pulling him closer to his own form. The kiss didn't last long, but Kurogane quickly claimed the lips a second time.

Smiling into their second kiss Fay leaned forward, pressing himself further against his lover. In turn, the blonde's other hand founds its way to thread through Kurogane's hair. Edameonus strolled into the living room to get something for Mokona and paused when he saw the couple on the couch kissing. He blinked, frowned, grabbed the item the girl had wanted, paused again, frowned deeper, and walked out without a sound. Kurogane smirked against Fay's lips, wondering to himself why the Ginryan hadn't laughed maniacally at them.

Idly Fay's arm snaked down his lover's shoulder to hold the other closer to him as he kissed Kurogane, enjoying being with his lover after not getting the chance to all day. The taller man tilted his head sideways somewhat to press their lips further together, taking pleasure in having Fay's arms around his shoulders. He rubbed his hand smoothly against the other man's back, having completely forgotten about the tattoo and how Fay had hurt himself over his wounds until just then. Fay sighed into the kiss, relaxing against his lover as he felt Kurogane's hand move down his back. He grinned into their kiss as he moved closer to Kurogane.

The half breed played his tongue against the other man's lips, feeling that simple kisses were not enough anymore. He leaned back slightly against the couch, relaxing against the fabric as he continued to lick the pale lips. Parting his lips without protest, the blonde moved as Kurogane moved to rest against the couch. He shifted to sit on his lover's lap for a more comfortable position. Fay removed his arm up to encircle the taller man's neck instead. Kurogane allowed the other to do so, quickly moving his books out of the way to let them fall to the ground haphazardly. He placed his hand on the other's lap while bringing his opposite hand to rest in wispy locks.

Fay slightly jerked at the sound of Kurogane's books hitting the floor, but ignored it as he rested on top of the dark haired man instead. He moaned into their kiss as he enjoyed the feeling of the other man's hand in his hair. Kurogane cracked an eye open when he heard the moan and repressed a shiver, feeling as if it had been too long since he had caused the blonde to make sounds like that. He explored the blue eyed man's mouth fervently, rediscovering each part with want.

Fay shuddered as their kiss deepened and the blonde lay flush against Kurogane. He could feel the blush crawling across his cheeks as he combed his fingers through dark strands. Kurogane let a chuckle escape his throat when he felt the tremble of his lover. He removed his tongue from the blonde's mouth slowly, thinking it better to not move any further whilst resting in the living room. A whimper escaped from the blonde's throat as Kurogane slowed down and began kissing him languidly instead. Fay could feel his heart racing, adrenaline pumping through his veins, as he tasted his lover.

"Oi…" Kurogane muttered passed Fay's lips. "Not here, idiot." He listened for any other intruder into the kitchen, thinking to himself it would be rather amusing to watch Edameonus try to explain their actions if they decided to go further in the living room. Fay panted against the other man's lips as he registered what Kurogane was saying. Immediately his face darkened and he nodded briefly in understanding, not wanting the other to accidentally see them if they continued. Kurogane smirked and kissed Fay again.

"That is… if you want to continue." He murmured, listening to the lithe man's breathing with the etched red cheeks and wondered why he was riled up so easily.

"Someone might walk in..." Fay said as he looked at Kurogane, his cheeks still flushed as he rested against his partner. Kurogane grinned devilishly.

"Do you really think that would stop me? We have a lock on our door you know." He paused and let the smile dissipate a little.

"Or we don't have to at all." Fay grinned at the implication, knowing Kurogane would want to continue regardless.

"I want to then." He said as he met Kurogane's eyes with his own and smiled innocently at his lover.

"Hn. Get up then." He said lightly, removing his hand from his partner's tresses.

"I have to put my school books away." Nodding the blonde lifted himself off of Kurogane and sat back on the couch. Giving the taller man enough room to move about as Fay tried to collect himself. The books were stored within no time and tossed to the side of the room in the backpack's usual position. The dark haired man stood, looking down to his lover briefly. Archellevon was seeing exiting the laundry room, but he didn't seem to notice the couple standing as he went into the kitchen. Fay grinned before he stood as well and lifted his head up to met Kurogane's eyes. He briefly registered Archellevon entering the kitchen and hoped the teen wasn't still upset.

The taller man brought his lips down chastely to kiss Fay again, taking the pale hand in his own. He listened to the kitchen door close, wondering how Archellevon and Edameonus would act around each other now with awkward recent events. Fay kissed back as he laced their fingers together. It seemed as if it had been ages since they had held hands, even if the last time had been earlier in the evening. Kurogane pulled away from the blonde and began to lead the way into their bedroom. He vaguely remembered not having eaten that evening when they passed the kitchen, but he didn't care, having other things on his mind instead of food.

Walking inside, Fay shut the door behind them and locked it, his hand still entwined with Kurogane's as he smiled up at his lover. The other smirked back and kissed him again, bringing his other hand to cup the side of Fay's cheek. He hoped the other wouldn't fret too much when he would remove his shirt and show that his arm wasn't fully healed yet. Leaning into the touch of Kurogane's hand, Fay closed his eyes, savoring their kiss. He sighed as he felt his body relax, his other hand coming up to rest against the taller man's chest. Kurogane enjoyed the brief moment, knowing they were now rare to come by. He pulled away slowly, only to find the other man's lips once more just as indolently. Smiling, Fay's hand clutched at the fabric of Kurogane's shirt as they kissed again.

Kurogane moved his hand away from Fay's to slink around the shorter man's shoulders. He moved his other hand and in one gesture he picked the blonde up, only breaking the kiss once before returning their lips to be together. Fay's hands found the usual resting place in Kurogane's dark hair as the blonde was picked up and carried over towards their bed. The lithe man smiled into the kiss, thinking how Kurogane was being rather romantic at the moment. The taller man laid Fay down gently on the bed, not separating them as he moved to hover over the lithe man. He listened curtly for any sounds of interruptions before putting all his attention on his lover. Long arms wrapped around Kurogane's neck as parted his legs to allow his lover room. The blonde broke away from the kiss, his lungs filling with needed air as he breathed harshly and looked up at Kurogane a smirk stretched across his lips. The taller man grinned impishly back, resting his lips barely against the others.

"Heh, someone's eager." He said as his hand slid slowly up the blonde's shirt.

"And Kuro-san's not?" Fay sighed at the feel of Kurogane's fingers against his skin, the sensation sending shivers down his spine as he lay down underneath the other man.

"Never said that." Kurogane muttered, pulling the shirt up as his hand continued to travel up the pale skin. Fay chuckled as his fingers played with a few strands of Kurogane's hair as the taller man went about removing his shirt. Kurogane moved away from Fay completely as he pulled the lithe man's shirt off, tossing it to the side carelessly. He frowned slightly when he saw the tattoo markings brimming over the other man's back, still feeling guilty for them. He leaned down and kissed the Valerian's jaw line and neck tenderly. Fay tilted his head to the side to give Kurogane more room. He wondered why the other man had frowned but pushed it aside, not wanting to worry too much about it.

The taller man moved his lips down the pale neck, kissing the collar bone smoothly. He then kissed the tattoo briefly, thinking it would make himself feel better about it. The blonde beneath Kurogane shivered at the feeling of lips pressed against his skin. Closing his eyes, Fay focused on the sensation of his lover kissing him, having missed it. Kurogane traced his hand down the other's side, never wanting the feeling of Fay's flesh under his finger to get old. He pulled his lips away from the tattoo to bring them to the Valerian's ear, nipping it slightly. Fay gasped and opened his eyes.

"Kuro-san." His hands grabbed at his lover's shirt as he felt teeth graze against his ear. Kurogane raised an eyebrow in interest, having found a new button of Fay's to push. He bit it a little harder, growling in approval against it. Biting his lip, Fay closed his eyes. His hands began to pull at the other man's shirt wanting to remove it so he could feel more of Kurogane's skin against his own. The half breed pulled away to comply with Fay's wishes, removing his shirt just as quickly as he had the other man's. He tossed it with the smaller one, bringing himself down on Fay to continue with the new discovery.

Fay looked at the bandages still around the others arm, hoping it wasn't causing any problems for his lover. As Kurogane repositioned himself atop the blonde, Fay's arms returned around Kurogane, more careful of the dark haired man's shoulder. The red eyed man noticed the attentiveness of Fay for his shoulder and he frowned, kissing the pale cheek.

"Don't worry about it." He grunted, feeling like he was repeating himself over these matters.

"Didn't you say it was still sore?" Fay asked as he grinned at the simple kiss.

"Maybe Kuro-kun should be the one laying down?" He suggested, not knowing if putting weight on the still healing injury would be help.

"Hn. I don't feel like lying down." He grinned, having a thought occur to him. He smoothed his hand down the other man's side again, enjoying the texture of the skin under his hand.

"How about we try something new instead?" Fay's cheeks felt as if they were ablaze at Kurogane's suggestion.

"What did you have in mind?"

"The one we did in the laundry room." The dark haired man offered with a wolfish grin. Fay rose up on his forearms to smile up at Kurogane.

"Kuro-min will have to help me." He continued to blush as he spoke.

"Hn." Kurogane grunted, the smirk not leaving his face even as he kissed the blonde again. "Let's get you undressed first." He muttered deeply against the pale lips, licking them once out of habit. His hands leaving Kurogane, the blonde moved to unbutton his pants, smirking up at the other man for a moment before sliding them off his slim hips. Kurogane aided him, making it routine to throw their clothing off to the side. He then moved his own hands to undo his pants, not really seeing them as necessary for the task at hand. Fay sat up on the bed as Kurogane finished stripping as well, his smile still present on his face as he waited for his lover to finish. The dark haired man looked to the blonde and raised an eyebrow.

"Just what are you smiling at?" He asked lowly, his hand going to his lover's leg.

"Kuro-chan doesn't like it when I smile?" The smaller man replied teasingly as his boyfriend rested his hand atop his thigh.

"I didn't say that, I was just asking." Kurogane snorted and kissed the man in front of him once more.

"Hell, Blondie, it drives me nuts."

"Seems everything I do has that effect." He said after their brief kiss.

"This is different…" Kurogane chuckled as his hand moved to pull Fay's leg to join the other one to begin repositioning.

"If Kuro-pon says so." Fay chuckled also as he helped the taller by moving his legs however the other man wanted. The dark haired man moved Fay to where the blonde was laying on his stomach before he was satisfied.

"There. Now I can pull you up when my arm starts to hurt." He muttered in Fay's ear in a low tone. Fay smirked to himself, glad that Kurogane was at least admitting his arm was bothering him as he settled down against the bed. Kurogane grinned to himself at this new position, his tongue flicking out against the other man's ear. He vaguely wondered if it was so sensitive because of the magic used to conceal it. As his lips danced against the flesh once more, his hand trailed down to smooth against Fay's rear.

Fay shivered at the contact, his nails digging into the bed sheets as he moved his head to the side, his cheek resting against a pillow while he panted from the touches. Kurogane rose off Fay briefly, getting into the drawer quickly to pull out the oil. He smirked and drenched his fingers and set it on the nightstand before he laid back down against Fay, inserting one finger into the entrance. Fay bit back a moan, as he felt Kurogane's finger inside him, still aware of the other occupants of the house being awake.

"...Kuro-myu..." The half human felt his cheeks heat up slightly at the sound of his name rolling off Fay's tongue like that, his hand moving slowly against the tight muscles. He noticed the skin relaxed easily against his appendage, so he inserted another without hesitation. Blue eyes closed briefly before opening again and searching out Kurogane. Fay panted as his muscles relaxed at his lover's attention. Kurogane grinned again, moving once more to grab the oil as Fay's became languid again. He coated his member with the liquid and set the bottle down, positioning himself in front of Fay's entrance.

Fay looked up at Kurogane, from the corner of his eye, not able to see what his lover was doing as he felt the bed shift at the other man's movements. His hands gripped the sheets anxious as to what Kurogane was going to do. The half breed placed a hand on the other man's delicate hip, telling the blonde exactly what he was about to do. The taller man couldn't help but wonder if the lithe man would stay quiet this time, though he didn't really care if the others in the house overheard. Blue eyes closed in anticipation as he felt Kurogane's hand moved to his hip. His breath came out in quick pants as he waited for his lover to move.

Slowly, the tanned man moved his member to enter the smaller man, sliding in easier with the help of the lubricant. He grunted slightly, the angle of their position making his cheeks heat up slightly. A soft noise left pale lips, as Fay opened his eyes to look up at Kurogane. The lithe man's cheeks heated as well as he felt the taller man fill him. Kurogane leaned down and kissed Fay's shoulder simply, sheathing himself completely in his lover. He closed his eyes, mind focusing on the muscles around him. Moaning, Fay moved and lifted his hips upwards. With a shaky breath, the Valerian moved to tuck his hair behind his ear and out of his face so he could better try to see Kurogane above him. The half human gripped the hip tighter, planting another kiss against Fay's skin.

"Relax…" He muttered, red looking down into blue. Fay smirked as he glanced up at the other man. His hand moved to rest over top Kurogane's affectionately. The taller man laced their fingers together, removing their hands from Fay's hip to rest against the bed sheets. He then pulled slowly away from his lover, almost completely out, but re-entered just as languidly. His grip on Kurogane's hand tightened as the other man moved. Another pleasured cry tumbled past Fay's lips at the sensation.

"Kuro-san..." The other growled lowly, becoming more aware of the blonde's moans now that they weren't the only ones in the house. He pushed into the blonde over and over, creating a slow rhythm like they had done many a time before. A sharp jolt of electricity ran down the blonde's spine as Kurogane began to thrust into him. Fay looked away from Kurogane briefly, his eyes half lidded as he focused on his lover moving above him. Kurogane's grip on the other man's hand tightened lightly as he felt the skin around him become looser. He grunted again, enjoying this time like any other time they had spent together in bed… or anywhere else in the house for that matter.

Fay moved his head, so his was facing the opposite side of the room while Kurogane continued moving at a languid pace. Using his free hand, Fay wiped away strands of his hair that clung to his sweaty skin as his other hand kept the tight hold on his lover's larger hand. The dark haired man growled slightly and moved a little off his partner for a better angle. He smirked to himself while keeping their hands entangled, not wanting to let go of him just yet. Fay brought his fingers up to cover his mouth as he tried to keep back another sound from leaving his throat, aware of the others not far from them. Kurogane suppressed a sigh from escaping, knowing they would have to be quiet whenever having sex from then on. He moved his mechanical arm to balance his weight against the bed, not caring about the fragment of pain caused by it. Fay shifted his hips, changing the angle of Kurogane's thrusts. A cry managed to escape the blonde as he stared at nothing in particular, his eyes glazing over in lust. Kurogane felt a slightly panicked anger graze his mind, bending down against to kiss Fay's skin.

"Stupid, not so loud…"

"...Kuro-tan's....not helping....things...." Fay smiled as his eyes turned to Kurogane. He blinked and shuddered at the tender kiss.

"Hn… I could stop…" Kurogane threatened, though they both knew it was an empty warning. He grunted again, moving somewhat faster.

"Not like we haven't…done this in a while…"

"A-ah...no...Kuro-kun wouldn't." Fay panted out, as he gripped the sheet tightly with one hand as the fingers of his other hand lay across his lips. Kurogane chuckled deeply and kissed Fay's shoulder.

"Try me." He whispered, slowing his pace slightly to show he wasn't kidding as much as they both thought he was. The blonde stifled a whimper of protest, knowing it was cruel of Kurogane to tease him.

"Kuro-pon..." The taller man chuckled again and removed his hand from Fay's to place it back on the pale hip. He moved the prosthetic hand to the other hip and pulled the other man's body up so Kurogane was on his knees behind him.

"You complain too much…"

"You're… the one...who makes me..." Fay said as he let Kurogane move him. He grunted at the change and buried his face into the pillow briefly before turning his head once more, his rosy tinted cheek resting against the pillow as he tried to see Kurogane above him.

"Tch… troublesome…" Kurogane smirked and began to move once again in this new position, gradually losing himself to the feeling of being in and out of his lover's body. The Valerian pressed his hand firmly over his mouth to keep himself from crying out as Kurogane began moving inside him again. Kurogane closed his eyes and gripped the hips in his hands tightly, holding them steady as he picked up the pace more. His body jerked at Kurogane moved quicker inside of him. A soft moan left the blonde's throat despite his attempts otherwise. Red eyes cracked open he heard the sound, a low growl rumbling from his own throat at the mixture of the moan and the shiver that ran down his spine from feeling Fay move against him.

Fay shut his eyes tightly as he listened to the growl emitted from his lover. A wave of pleasure washed over him as he felt Kurogane brush against the bundle of nerves inside him, his nails dug into the sheet as he gripped the fabric harshly in his free hand. Biting his lip, a strangled cry was ripped from the lithe man's throat. Kurogane's hand tightened on the pale hip and he smirked, leaning down slightly.

"It seems asking… you to be quiet… is asking too much…" He chuckled, moving to where he'd hit that spot every time he entered.

"Not...my fault..." Fay said, a smile playing across his lips as he continued to clutch onto the bed sheets while Kurogane thrust into him. The dark haired man rolled his eyes and grinned, moving a little faster into the lithe man. He grunted once more, mind slowly focusing only on the way their bodies moved together. Fay's smile faltered as Kurogane increased their pace, his hand returning to cover his lips so he wouldn't be too loud. His eyes were half lidded as he focused on the two of them moving in sync with each other.

Once more, Kurogane listened for any intrusion possibilities and tried to keep his breathing even, though it had come in short breaths now. He growled lowly, not wanting to be a hypocrite by becoming noisy. Deftly, Fay's hand moved to cover Kurogane's hand on his hip as he began to lose himself to his lover's thrusts and his own pleasure. Kurogane couldn't hide a smirk as the blonde placed a hand on his own, though he knew that his fingers would leave bruises the next day. He vaguely remembered the first markings Fay had left on him and shuddered, trying to remain attentive to the task at hand. Thin fingers gripped Kurogane's hand before slipping from the appendage and moving towards Fay's own arousal. The Valerian shifted, his upper body raising a few inches off the bed as he supported himself with his arm. His sweat dampened forehead rested against the pillow, as he covered his mouth once more with his free hand, trying to keep himself quiet while his fingers wrapped around himself. The taller man glanced down briefly at the alien's movements and he growled deeply. He pushed himself more harshly into Fay, absentmindedly pulling the pale hips against him.

The lithe body below Kurogane shuddered once more, a cry came from Fay, muffled by his hand as his eyes opened widely. His breath came out in heated pants as Fay became overwhelmed at both Kurogane thrusting quickly into him and his by his own hand. The dark haired man's mouth came open slightly, breathing ruggedly as he continued the frantic pace. He leaned forward a little once more, wanting to reach the state of satisfaction quicker. Fay groaned as Kurogane thrust into him roughly. A few more thrusts and the blonde's body stiffened as he released over his fingers. Breathings harshly, Fay's moved his arm and slumped forward on top of the bed. The muscles around him tightening caused Kurogane to follow afterward, filling the blonde up with one final thrust. He wavered tiredly, but didn't collapse on the other. Instead he removed himself from the lithe frame and fell onto the bed next to his lover when he felt his muscles become leisurely.

Fay breathed deeply, filling his lungs as he rose to lay flat against the bed and rolled over, careful not to dirty the sheets any further, knowing he would have to move shortly to clean both himself and his hand. The alien drew up his legs as he body ached pleasantly. Kurogane tried to catch his breath as he lay down next to his lover, a smirk spreading across his face as his arm snaked around to bring Fay closer. He didn't really care about their mess, seeing it was inevitable.

"Kuro-min." Fay smiled as he was pulled towards Kurogane, his body felt boneless as he was moved. The taller man looked at the clock briefly before settling his head against his lover's, sighing in content as the last of the waves of ecstasy washed over his mind. Fay smiled and closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against Kurogane as they lay together taking in the aftereffects of their love making. Kurogane placed his lips against Fay's hair.

"Hnn… you need to get better at keeping your mouth shut."

"If anyone's to blame for me speaking too much or making too much noise it's Kuro-wan's." A soft smile graced the blonde's lips as he replied. Kurogane glanced down to blue eyes, a frown gently marring his features.

"How the hell is it my fault?" A thin eyebrow rose as Fay looked at Kurogane.

"Kuro-tan was the one making me be so loud," He blushed, hoping the others hadn't heard him. "and besides I know how you like to listen to me talk." He teased knowing Kurogane had said the opposite countless times. The other rolled his eyes and sighed again.

"You're just an idiot. That's all." He looked to his mechanical arm shortly, seeing if any damage was done from the rough treatment.

"Maybe I should just get some duct tape and put it over your mouth next time."

"Kuro-sama shouldn't say something like that so lightly." Fay gave his lover a stern look, knowing he would fight back if Kurogane decided to try. The dark haired man raised an eyebrow at Fay and frowned a little deeper.

"Or I can get duct tape and put it over your mouth in general. Seriously? If they overhear us they can get over it."

"They're adults and besides I could always do the same to you." Fay smirked, knowing if he had to, he could probably overpower Kurogane with help from his powers. Kurogane snorted.

"I'm not as noisy as you are during sex." He looked down to the mess in the blankets and clicked his tongue, knowing he'd have to change the sheets once more.

"It would keep you from telling me to shut up." Fay moved one hand to rest atop his stomach as he laughed lightly at the thought.

"Hn, you like the rough treatment, don't tell me otherwise." The student replied with a smirk, watching as the lithe man's hand danced across his slightly swollen stomach. Fay blushed darkly at the other man's comment.

"Kuro-kun's fault as well I suppose." He grinned as he rested his hand on his stomach, feeling for their child. Kurogane stared at Fay's hand for a moment before grinning vaguely, his free hand moving to join the blonde's.

"Seems like I'm to blame for a lot of things…"

"...Yes." He smiled as he felt tiny pulses reaching out towards their fingertips. It seemed their unborn child had calmed greatly and Fay wondered if it meant they would be able to actually feel the tiny fetus moving on its own soon. Kurogane watched Fay's expression change as the Valerian thought about their child and he couldn't help a smile forming on his own face. He leaned forward and placed his lips against the pale cheek, inwardly glad that he had made the other so happy. Fay chuckled at the gesture.

"It's such a long wait." He sighed, thinking of their son. His other hand lay beside him, knowing he'd have to get up from their comfortable position to clean himself, but ignored it as he turned his face towards Kurogane to give the other a light kiss. The taller man kissed him back, a chuckle escaping his throat as he listened to the blonde speak.

"He'll get here, just be patient…"

"Kuro-min should know me better." He thought briefly about how much had happened since his return, knowing it made his own pregnancy seem to last even longer.

"Hn, what with you whining so much, it's hard to take you seriously when you want to be." Kurogane grumbled, feeling the need to get up and clean off grow slightly stronger.

"I was being serious." Fay frowned a bit as he looked over at Kurogane, not wanting to ruin the position they found themselves in.

"And so was I." Kurogane replied, moving his hand from Fay's stomach so he could place it against the bed to sit up.

"I know you well enough to know Toshihiko being here would make you happier than ever…" He said with a smirk, thinking about their son as well.

"...I think I'm more excited to see you hold him." A warm smile spread across pale lips as Fay looked up at Kurogane. The tanned man felt his cheeks heat slightly at the thought but he shrugged it off.

"If you say so…" He looked down to his lover. "Come on, let's clean up and call it a night."

"I wonder what you'll look like...." He thought aloud in an almost airy voice as his mind wandered. Fay sat up, his body singing at the dull ache that pervaded every inch of skin. Moving off the bed he searched for his discarded clothes and picked them up, wiping himself off with his dirtied shirt. Kurogane followed his example and removed the top of the bedding that was soiled. He too thought about holding a child in his arms and frowned a little, knowing he wouldn't really know what to expect until the actual baby was born.

Fay opened the closet and pulled out a pair of shorts. Slipping them on the blonde gathered his dirty clothes, before he turned to watch Kurogane strip the bed down and gather the soiled sheets. Said man moved the sheets to the basket in the corner of the room and went to stand next to Fay by the closet to pull out his own clothing. He picked up a pair of sweatpants and pulled them on easily. Moving over out of his lover's way, Fay picked up what was left of the clothes lying around the floor and put them in with the sheets. Turning on his heel the blonde walked back over to the bed to sit as he watched Kurogane. The taller man didn't put on a shirt, showing he didn't care nor feel like doing so. He yanked a blanket out of the closet with a frown before walking over to where Fay sat.

"I don't feel like putting the sheets on again."

"Then Kuro-san should figure out something so he won't have to." Fay grinned before standing. "It won't hurt to sleep without any sheets either." Kurogane raised an eyebrow and tossed the blanket onto the bed.

"We can always just not have sex on the bed." He said, unable to hide a smirk.

"We tried that and you still had to clean." The blonde returned the others grin with his own as he watched Kurogane work.

"Not in the bathroom." He replied, sitting down on the bed after he had settled the blanket into place. "At least, not including the towels."

"Then you want to only have sex there?" Fay smiled at the idea, thinking it would be strange for both of them. Kurogane paused, finding it slightly odd for Fay to say the word 'sex'. He looked over to his lover and shook his head.

"Nah, that'd be too troublesome." He moved to lie under the blanket and held out an arm for Fay.

"I'll just make you clean the sheets next time."

"So cruel." He pouted halfheartedly as he kneeled down onto the bed and crawled gladly over to Kurogane. The taller man simply smirked and settled into the blanket. He knew it was slightly earlier than usual for them to go to bed, but considering sleep was not always easy to get and they both needed as much as possible, he welcomed it willingly. The blonde smiled as he lay down next to Kurogane. One of the Valerian's arms moved to hook around Kurogane's waist as Fay settled in. The dark haired man moved his hand to hold Fay's shoulder whilst his other rested against the pale forearm on his stomach. He planted his lips against the alien's forehead, growling a soft goodnight. Fay closed his eyes as he rested against the taller man. He offered his own goodnight to Kurogane as he began to drift off.

As their room became silent, Edameonus, who had been sitting in the living room with Mokona on his thigh, let out a quivering sigh. Again, he had been tortured by their noises, and it didn't help that he was the only one who had good enough hearing to listen, though it wasn't by choice. He placed his hand on his face momentarily, trying to collect himself. Archellevon stepped out of the kitchen, a faint blush across his cheeks, making his way towards one of the couches as Mokona sat happily atop Edameonus. The girl looked up to her father figure, for he had stopped reading out of the story book.

"…What's wrong?" She cooed, placing her tiny hand on the back of his larger one. He looked at her in slight surprise before giving her a gentle smile.

"Nothing…" He looked over to Archellevon and frowned again, curious about the rosy cheeks. The boy sat quietly. Feeling the other man's eyes on him only caused his blush to become more pronounced.

"Mokona wants to hear the rest of the story." The small girl said as she looked over the pages again after being reassured that nothing was amiss. Edameonus stared at the white haired boy a little longer before his vision returned to the book.

"But you already know what happens; wouldn't you rather go to bed?"

"No, Mokona doesn't want to." The transformed creature said as she turned to rest her head against the Ginryan's chest, trying to stay awake.

"Hn, then I'll read to you all night and then all day and if you want to sleep I won't let you because you said you didn't want to go to sleep." Edameonus replied simply, gesturing over to the pile of books she had received from Tomoyo. Mokona pouted, knowing she had been caught.

"Mokona will go to sleep then." Archellevon smiled at seeing Edameonus interact with the girl.

"Good." He picked the girl up delicately and moved away from the chair so she could sleep in it. He leaned over and grabbed a folded blanket next to Archellevon, spreading it out overtop the girl. After doing so he knelt in front of her.

"Now be a good girl and actually go to sleep this time." Mokona nodded before she wiggled under the cover to get comfortable, a small yawn escaping her lips. Bringing the blanket up to her face the girl closed her eyes and turned around to sleep. Edameonus smirked to himself before kissing the girl's head quickly, a habit he had developed since she had transformed. He stood straight and ran a hand through her hair affectionately, knowing it would help her get to sleep.

Archellevon smiled fondly at the scene in front of him, not wanting to interrupt the two by talking. The teen thought briefly if the Ginryan had had experience with children before as he watched Edameonus comb the girl's pale hair to help her sleep. The big hand removed itself slowly, the demon's face returning to its normal expression. He sighed lightly before moving to sit on the couch opposite of Archellevon. He stared at the floor, wanting to say something to the former angel but unable to think of anything. The teen glanced over at the other man, seeing Edameonus was looking down after having taken a seat across from him. He frowned not knowing what to say to the other either.

"….Uh…" Edameonus tried to start, swallowing after noticing his throat had suddenly become dry.

"…Ha…have you had any nightmares since regaining your memories?"

"No, I've just been seeing things...memories whenever I sleep. It's hard to separate myself sometimes...from my other self." Archellevon tried to smile as he thought about the things Fay had told him about the man sitting in the living room with him. Edameonus frowned a little more before closing his eyes.

"I see… is it that you don't want to remember anymore?" He asked, his heart hoping that wasn't the case.

"No...There's something...important that I'm sure that I need to remember from them." He looked to the ground as he thought.

"I just don't want to lose myself to who I once was. It was a past life, but I still want to know what happened." Archellevon smiled faintly at the memories he had regained so far. The dark haired man grimaced and folded his arms, turning his vision to a different direction. He couldn't understand why, but knowing that the teenager didn't want to be his past self made him angry, or even hurt.

"Hn… Don't try to pull them out of hiding…" He reiterated from before. Though he did want Archellevon to remember, he didn't want the boy to hurt himself over it.

"Thank you...I don't know how what triggers them though so it's been difficult." Archellevon smiled faintly as he talked with Edameonus. The demon finally brought his eyes to look up at the boy.

"…What do you usually do before sleep that the memories come after?" He asked leaned down to remove his shoes.

"I do my normal routine I guess, nothing out of the ordinary..." The pale haired teen frowned as he thought over what he did. Leaning back against the couch, Archellevon tried to remember if he had done anything odd. Edameonus stared at the boy, his eyes widening slightly as he watched the teenager's form move delicately onto the curves of the couch. He stood suddenly, unable to take it any longer.

"Go to sleep now, Archy. I'm sure there's not going to be a shortage of work tomorrow…" He muttered while picking up a change of pants.

"But, I..." Archellevon blushed, a little angry at being treated like a child by the Ginryan. Edameonus offered him a small smile.

"It's alright… if you sleep, you're more likely to remember more…" He said, the smile faltering a little at the thought of the only thing Archellevon wouldn't remember would be him. Sighing in defeat the teen nodded.

"Goodnight then, Edameonus." He offered the man a smile before going about preparing the couch for him to sleep on.

"Ed, Archy… call me Ed…" The demon said faintly, wondering if the other had said his full name on accident or out of frustration. He watched the white haired one settle in to sleep before going to the bathroom. He closed the door and leaned against it, his eyes tightened shut.

"God dammit." He growled, tossing his clean clothing onto the chair before stripping himself down. He climbed into the shower, turning on the water as hot as it would get. He slid down the side of the wall and sat there for a moment before he noticed what listening to Fay and Kurogane and seeing Archellevon did to him.

"Fuck…" The Ginryan felt his own face reddened as steam rose off his skin from the now scalding water that rained over him. He thought about the teen back in the living room, as his own memories of Archellevon came to mind. He placed his hand over his face briefly in self loathing, moving his other hand to cleanse himself of the want. He bit his hand whilst the other moved; trying to not think of what he was doing and instead thought of the former angel and how they had spent their nights on many moons and planets. He bit down harder to suffocate a grunt, not wanting to wake Fay up since the man also had delicate hearing. The Ginryan gritted his teeth, ignoring how his skin grew numb to the water's temperature. Thoughts of himself and his lover evaded his senses as he closed his eyes.

He moved his free hand to cover his face again, leaning his head back against the tile in a mixture of pleasure and agony. His fist tightened, wanting it to be over with, so he wouldn't be humiliated by doing this action for much longer. He began panting, his eyes shut tightly as more images of his lover played through his mind. The water overhead left his hair plastered against his flushed skin. Leaning forward into the shower's path, he hissed at the heat and at the speed his hand now moved to. He felt his cheeks heat up more when he actually saw himself, thinking of himself instead being inside the white haired angel. He couldn't muffle a moan in time, biting his hand extra hard as a self scolding.

Edameonus couldn't help the thoughts of all the times he had been with Archellevon evading his mind as he gritted his teeth and fought with himself to keep from making too much noise. His eyes flashed open, mouth gaping in shaky breaths as he tried to keep quiet. He moved his hand to his mouth again and bit down harshly, his essence finally spilling to mingle with the running water.

Edameonus slumped back against the wall, taking in deep breaths as rivulets of water ran down his heated skin. His lips parted, the Ginryan bowed his head, his mind blank for the moment. He watched as his seed slipped completely away down the drain, his eyes slightly wide in the aftershock of release. He removed his hand from his member, ignoring the want to hit himself for even needing to do this. A sudden thought came back to his mind. He looked up slightly as he reminisced. He was standing on the canopy of Jade's moon, Archellevon next to him. The angel was smiling, he was happy. The edges of Edameonus's lips curled upwards into a bitter smile, thinking back to his lover and how he would run his fingers through the other long hair afterwards.

"I love you, Ed." He remembered vividly, when they were still allowed to say each other's names. He reached out into the water, his memory showing him his hand on the pale face. He smiled weakly before it fell, seeing the water finally. He brought the outstretched hand to his face, closing his eyes as the memory disappeared.

"Life… sure is a…bitch…."


	25. So help me pick up the pieces

**Mirika-rin:** it's official, Mirika-rin needs to be shot in the foot to keep her up to date with posting OTL;; I'll try to post the next chapter super early to make up for my laziness. Gomen. Now on with the chapter~!

**Ashine-chan:** Another chapter~ we get some fluff and some more angst *evil laughter*. Also everyone should go check out our facebooks for the rp!

**Mirika-rin**: (Kurogane will** not** add you if you don't say you've read this. A warning.)

* * *

~morning~

Fay sighed as he blinked awake. As was his morning ritual, he moved his hands over his stomach to check on his son. Feeling that everything was normal the blonde peered over to see Kurogane still asleep. Smiling, Fay wrapped his arms around his lover and kissed the sleeping man. Kurogane moved to kiss back, groggily registering that it was Fay against his lips.

"Good morning Kuro-daddy." Fay said softly as he gave Kurogane another kiss, enjoying the other man's drowsiness.

"Hnn…" Kurogane grunted, a fragment of a smile cutting on his cheeks.

"I feel like we've done this before…" He muttered tiredly, remembering waking up on the morning Fay and he were taken to Edonis. Fay laughed cheerfully as gave his lover another chaste kiss, thinking he rather liked this cute Kurogane in the mornings. The taller man kissed back once more, but opened red eyes slowly.

"What time is it?"

"I don't know, but it's still early." Fay grinned as he wrapped his arms around Kurogane.

"That's why you look at the clock." The taller man growled, moving his hand to rub his face. He looked to Fay, then staring at the blonde. Said man stared back wondering why the other man was looking at him. Moving his hand, the blonde brushed his hair away from his face as he rested against his pillow.

"You moved a lot again." Kurogane said abruptly, his body relaxed in a still sleepy haze against the bed.

"Did I wake you up a lot?" He frowned, wondering why he would move so much in his sleep.

"Seldom but still woke up." The dark haired man replied, his eyes closing again as he got used to being awake.

"You should've woken me up." The smaller man said as he brought his hand up to rest atop Kurogane's cheek. He didn't like waking the other man up when he needed all the sleep he could get as well. Kurogane subconsciously moved into the hand, opening his eyes slowly.

"I would've, but I wanted to get my own sleep instead of listening to you whine." Fay pinched his lover's cheek and pulled the tanned skin to get back at Kurogane.

"I wouldn't have. Next time it happens I want you to wake me." Kurogane growled and swatted Fay's hand away, pulling away to turn and lay on his other side.

"Tch. I'll make sure to remember that." He said, though the blonde knew he wouldn't. Sighing the Valerian moved closer to wrap an arm loosely around Kurogane. Leaning up Fay gave a quick kiss to the other man's ear, before settling back against him. He knew Kurogane was too stubborn to listen to his requests and hoped next time he wouldn't move about so much.

They were disturbed by a loud squeal from the kitchen, obviously it was from Mokona. It was followed by laughter, letting them both know nothing was wrong. Kurogane groaned slightly, seemingly angered by the others in the house.

"Maybe we should get up?" Fay suggested, but remained still behind Kurogane. Another bout of laughter broke the silence, causing the blonde to chuckle, making him think if their home would sound this way when Toshihiko was born. Kurogane, on the other hand, didn't seem like he wanted the sounds of Toshihiko to be there before the boy was born. He growled to himself shuffling next to Fay before sitting up slowly, glaring at the door.

"They need to learn respect, dammit."

"Kuro-kun could always go back to sleep, I can go ask Mokona to not be so loud." Fay said as he rolled onto his back and stared up at Kurogane.

"I'm awake now." The taller man grumbled, moving to run his hand through his hair. He looked down to Fay and paused, taking in the sight of the man relaxed on the bed.

"Kuro-tan?" Fay asked a small smile gracing his lips as he met Kurogane's gaze with his own. The other man shook his head and leaned down over his lover, kissing him gently.

"Nothing." The blonde stretched after Kurogane's kiss and sat up.

"I think I'll take a shower." Nimble fingers ran through honey colored hair as Fay spoke.

"Hn. I'll do our laundry then." Kurogane looked to the clock, seeing it wasn't too late in the morning after all. He moved to get out of bed, the blanket being removed from his legs idly. Moving, Fay left the bed and opened their closet to pick something to wear for the day. Settling on a simple sleeveless shirt and pair of slacks the blonde gathered his clothes and walked towards the door.

"Kuro-rin will need to take a shower too." The slender man smiled as he watched his lover prepare to do laundry. The taller man paused and looked to his lover.

"….Is that an invitation?" He asked, unable to hide a grin from taking his lips as he straightened his stance.

"Could be, but if Kuro-san doesn't want to..." Fay turned and made his way to the bedroom door, unlocking it. It wasn't long before Fay felt Kurogane's hand on his hip.

"Never said that…" The deep voice behind him grumbled, lips being placed on the pale skin of the blonde's neck tenderly.

"Then I'll take that as a 'yes'?" Fay smirked to himself as he opened the door slightly. Kurogane chuckled lowly, removing himself from the blonde so Fay could open the door successfully. Stepping outside the bedroom he could hear the others in the kitchen moving about and laughing at each other. Smiling Fay walked towards the bathroom, clothes in hand as he stepped inside the small room. Kurogane didn't appear for a moment before he entered after Fay, having clean clothes of his own. He closed the door and locked it, making sure that they would yet again go uninterrupted.

After laying his clothes on the sink, Fay pulled off the shorts he had slipped on last night before he slipped into the shower. He smiled as he waited for Kurogane. Said man followed suit, tossing his pants into the basket for clothing carelessly before moving in with Fay. The blonde grinned before turning the shower on, prepared for the cold water that assaulted them. He sighed when it warmed and steam began to rise around them. Kurogane grunted slightly, his hands going to Fay's hips.

"You should turn the water on before you get in…" He muttered nonchalantly.

"Didn't think about it." Fay replied indifferently as he felt large hands move to his hips.

"You don't think about a lot of things, do you?" Kurogane asked as he moved one hand to run through his hair to get it evenly wet. Fay brushed his hair out of his face. His body relaxed under the warm water as he looked over his shoulder at Kurogane.

"That's not very nice Kuro-sama."

"Just asking." Kurogane said with a shrug, using the hand that had run through his hair to pick up a bottle of his soap. He frowned when he realized how many foreign soaps there were now that he wasn't the only one living in his home. The blonde in front of Kurogane began combing his fingers through his hair, getting out any knots before reaching for a bottle of shampoo and pouring a generous amount into his palm before lathering into his hair.

"You make it sound like I'm dumb." He stated, making Kurogane rolled his eyes at how much the blonde reminded him of an insecure woman. He placed the bottle back when he retrieved what he needed and mimicked Fay. Said man bowed washed the suds from his hair. Once finished the smaller picked up another bottle and began rubbing the body wash into his skin.

"Tch. That's the last time I let Tomoyo buy your soap." Kurogane snorted as his nose was infiltrated by the sweet aroma of Fay's shampoo. He washed his hair as well, making sure to not get any suds on his lover.

"Kuro-rinta doesn't like the way I smell?" Fay asked, turning around to face Kurogane as he looked up at his lover.

"It doesn't suit you." The taller man looked back through his damp hair, the black spikes tamed by the water's downpour.

"I never realized how long Kuro-kun's hair is." Smiling, the blonde brought his hand up to run through wet spikes of dark hair.

"Don't change the subject." Kurogane said irritably, thinking his hair length wasn't a big deal.

"I wasn't." Fay kept his gaze locked onto his lover's face, thinking how strange Kurogane looked, even if it wasn't that bad of a look for the other man. "And what would Kuro-min suggest?"

"Tch." Kurogane moved his hand to get the wet hair out of his face, slicking it back evenly. "Anything but that. What the hell is that anyway?" Fay turned slightly to grab the bottle and looked over it.

"...Blushing Cherry Blossom..." He raised an eyebrow at the title, wondering why Tomoyo would have picked this certain type out for him. Kurogane muffled a snort with his hand at the girly name, turning his head away slightly.

"What the hell? Are you sure you didn't use that meat bun's shampoo?"

"Kuro-chan's laughing at me? And I know it's the one I was using before..." He frowned as he watched his lover try and keep himself from laughing. Fay reached up and ran his fingers through Kurogane's hair, causing the soaked spikes to angle outwards in different directions. Kurogane growled at the treatment, batting Fay's hand away.

"Well I'm going to have a talk with Tomoyo anyway. That shampoo shouldn't even be used by girls."

"It's not that bad...even if the name is a little off-putting." He replied as he looked up at Kurogane. The other man smirked and ran his hand through his hair again.

Damn straight. You sure that isn't a girl shampoo?"

"I don't know." Fay frowned as he picked a different bottle of body wash and began cleaning himself.

"Hn." Kurogane grabbed his own soap and also moved to wash himself down, making sure it was even his soap before doing so. Blue eyes closed as Fay tilted his head up to allow the showers water to wash away the soap over his skin. His lover watched with slight interest, red eyes scanning over the golden strands as they draped lower now that they were wet. Fay sighed, unaware of red eyes looking him over as he brushed his hair back and out of his face. Still wondering about the shampoo. Kurogane smirked to himself before pulling the blonde back planting a kiss on the pale cheek casually. Opening his eyes, Fay smiled at the kiss as he snaked his arms around the taller man's neck.

"Kuro-chu's affectionate this morning." Kurogane raised an eyebrow and slipped his arms around the shorter man's waist.

"Is that a bad thing?" The Valerian shook his head.

"No, I'm not complaining." He grinned up at the other man.

"Then be quiet." Kurogane murmured, uniting their lips delicately as his grip around the other man's waist tightened. Fay sighed into their kiss as his lover tried to silence him. The blonde moved until his was flush against Kurogane, his own arms tightening around the taller man. Kurogane smirked into the kiss as he felt their bodies touch; noticing Fay wasn't completely flat against him anymore. He also took notice of the water's temperature change and growled in dismay. Breaking their kiss, the shorter man looked up confused as what had upset Kurogane.

"Kuro-pipi?" Fay asked as he grinned up at the other man.

"Let's get out." He replied, pulling slightly away from his lover.

"Alright." Lithe arms slipped from their hold around Kurogane's neck. Fay turned around just enough to turn off the cooling water. Kurogane watched him momentarily before sliding open the glass door to step out into the chillier room. He went over to the cabinet and pulled out a few towels for the both of them. Fay watched as Kurogane left and rung most of the water from his hair before stepping out of the shower as well.

The taller man placed a towel over his head and rubbed his hair dry, the spikes sticking up simultaneously once the towel was removed. He looked over to Fay and tossed him a clean towel casually. Following suit, the blonde towel dried his hair before drying the rest of his body. Finished he wrapped the towel around his slender hips. Kurogane, on the other hand, wiped himself dry and moved to his laid out clothing, beginning to dress himself for the day. The Valerian moved to his own clothes, slipping the sleeveless shirt he had brought with him on first before untying his towel and slipping on his pants. Buttoning them Fay noticed how the dark blue pants come to just below his knees, thinking it looked a bit strange. Kurogane glanced up and raised an eyebrow.

"You're going to freeze if you go outside in those clothes." He muttered while yanking on his shirt.

"I can just wear a coat, I brought one with me." The blonde realized he hadn't unpacked the rest of the bags he had brought from Valeria as he stood in front of Kurogane.

"Hn, if you say so." Kurogane replied, slipping a belt through his pants' hoops. Picking up his discarded towel, Fay brought it over to deposit it with the rest of the laundry.

I should probably empty that bag..." He thought about the few things aside from clothes he had brought with him.

"What bag?" The taller man asked nonchalantly as he moved to place his used towel in the basket like Fay had done.

"The one I brought with me. Don't you remember?" He asked as he looked over at Kurogane. Now that Fay actually thought about it, he wasn't sure where it was now.

"Hn, there've been a lot more bags entering my house of late." Kurogane added sarcastically, placing his hands on his hips.

"It had important things in it." Fay said as he tried to think, the last time he had seen it was when he and Edameonus had arrived on earth.

"It should be in the bedroom." Kurogane commented as if answering Fay's thoughts, moving to exit the bathroom. Relieved Fay began moving out of the bathroom as well. As Kurogane left the smaller room he had to pause to make room for a running Mokona. The girl squealed and ran through the hallway to the living room. Archellevon went after her silently, a slight concerned look on his face. Kurogane simply stared.

"…the hell?" He questioned as he followed after to see what was up. Fay turned and walked into the bedroom, not bothered by the routine running Mokona did. Looking around he didn't see his bag laying about, so the blonde opened the closet and began searching. After a few minutes he pulled the black bag out and unlatched it. Fay pulled out the clothing and tossed the bag over onto the bed to hang up later, before pulling out what few tokens he had brought with him. Picking them up he walked over to the nightstand and deposited them. Shutting the drawer, Fay smiled and walked out to join the others.

"Oi! You're sleeping on my backpack asshole!" He heard Kurogane snap. When Fay walked out he could see Edameonus face down on the couch without a shirt. He was using the other dark haired man's backpack as a pillow. Edameonus's hand rose slowly, as if to wave him off, before all but his middle finger bent. Kurogane stared at him for a moment before snarling and storming over to the sleepy man.

"BASTARD! GET OFF OF IT!"

"Kuro-san should ask nicely." Fay said as he stepped into the living room. Mokona still ran around the opposite couch laughing as Archellevon looked at the two taller men worried. Kurogane moved to hover above Edameonus menacingly, about to grab the dark hair and pull him off. The demon didn't move again until he noticed the other was standing next to him.

"Hnn… Fuck off, loverboy…" He said drowsily, moving to lay on his side. Fay shook his head and walked over to stand beside Archellevon.

"Such children." The blonde only hoped both men wouldn't start fighting in the middle of the living room. Archellevon stared at the man still lying on the couch with worry; unable to think of anything but that he was unnerved about something.

"…He was upset last night too…" He said faintly to Fay, looking to the blonde with a troubled gaze before sitting down. The blonde met the teen's gaze with his own.

"…Kuro-sama..." Fay put a hand on his hip as he watched, not wanting Kurogane to suddenly starting punching Edameonus. The student stared down at the demon for a moment before looking over to Fay.

"What?" He snapped, still angered at being flipped off. Mokona smiled faintly before moving to sit on the couch next to Archellevon.

"You should leave Edameonus alone." The blonde said as glanced over at his still angry lover. "Maybe you could help him with breakfast?" Fay suggested, trying to think of something to keep the other busy. Kurogane growled at being talked to like a child, but he folded his arms and began to walk to the hallway.

"Tch, I'll go work on Yuui." He muttered, passing his lover in a huff. Archellevon stood, his hands folded in front of him.

"If Fay wouldn't mind… I'd like to talk with you in the kitchen… we can make breakfast with Mokona-chan…"

"Mokona wants to help!" The small girl hopped off the couch and ran into the kitchen.

"Of course." Fay smiled as he began walking after the girl. Archellevon nodded and watched her go. He followed Mokona into the kitchen with a small glance to the unmoving figure on the other couch. He placed a hand on Mokona's head gently, looking to the blonde.

"What shall we make?"

"Well make whatever we can find for breakfast." Mokona nodded and made a beeline for the fridge, opening it to look for anything they could make.

"You...wanted to talk?" Fay said as he stood next to the stove and began gathering pans. Archellevon looked to the ground with a frown.

"I… I know my past life was important… but should I even be remembering it? There were important things… and I am curious… but shouldn't it be locked away forever?" He hesitated while biting his lip, unknowing of Edameonus sitting up like lightning in the other room, able to hear the smaller.

"If it was meant to you wouldn't recover any of them...they would be difficult to obtain if you weren't meant to recover them." Fay smiled gently at the teen, knowing it had to be hard for him.

"But why recover them in the way I get them?" Archellevon said, slightly frustrated with the way he would dream about things that didn't make sense. "I know who certain people are and were, but I feel like I'm forgetting something terribly important!" He wrapped his arms loosely around him. "I wish I wasn't in limbo for it… almost like I had never remembered any of it…" Mokona frowned as she carried carton of eggs atop her head to the counter. The blonde turned and put his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"I'm sure there's a reason why they're coming back to you like this, you'll regain all of your memories soon enough. After all; everyone doesn't want you to hurt yourself trying to force yourself to remember." Fay could understand what the teen was feeling, it was difficult to not know something important and know that you had lost it. Archellevon stared back to Fay, his eyes quivering before he bowed his head.

"…Yes…" His hands clenched around themselves. "…But how long? How long will it be before I remember him?"

"With the way things are going you should recover all of them soon enough, you've already regained several memories." The blonde blushed faintly from yesterday's revelation. He paused as Archellevon's words registered with him. "...'him'?" The white haired boy froze and looked up to Fay in surprise, not realizing he had said anything specific.

"U-uh…" His face went a vibrant red, and he shook his head fervently. Chuckling lightly the blonde put a hand atop the teen's head affectionately.

"See? You already have an idea of what you're looking for." Archellevon looked down in slight embarrassment, staring at the ground.

"….Yes…" Removing his hand the taller man turned towards the oven. Looking over his shoulder briefly he smiled at the teen.

"Now, we should help Mokona with breakfast, we don't want Kuro-rin screaming about it later." Archellevon looked up to Fay and smiled faintly, nodding his head.

"Yes!" He moved to stand next to Fay, the blush waning slightly from his cheeks. Fay laughed at the other's enthusiasm before getting started. Handing various things to either of the two beside him, the blonde went about preparing breakfast.

It wasn't long before they heard a knocking come to their door. Archellevon looked up from his bowel, pancake batter on his cheek.

"Eh? Who's arrived?" He asked before looking to Fay.

"Get the damn door! Someone's knocking!" They heard Edameonus shout lazily from his place on the couch.

"GET IT YOUR DAMN SELF!" Came Kurogane voice from down the hallway.

"I'll get it, just keep stirring Mokona." Fay smiled as he wiped his hands clean on a dishtowel before heading out of the kitchen and to the door. Opening it, Fay yelped as he was immediately picked up.

"Fay-chan!" Said blonde blushed fiercely as Toriho held him up.

"Tomoyo-chan told me about the clothes." The older man smiled brightly as he looked up at the blonde. Edameonus rolled over to look up at the taller man with a scowl.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He asked angrily, obviously not liking the loud noise right next to him.

"I'm here to look at the baby clothes." He smirked as he stepped forward and kicked the door shut. Fay grabbed the older man's arms, still blushing at being held by Toriho. Edameonus rolled his eyes and sat up on the couch, shoving Kurogane's backpack to the ground to spite the other man. "What about my damn house? Are we going to work on that or not?"

"We'll work on it just as soon as I see them." He looked up starry eyed at Fay who managed to give Toriho a sheepish smile. "Where's that brat of mine? He should be waiting on Fay-chan hand and foot."

"SHUT THE HELL UP DAD!" Came Kurogane's voice from within the computer room. Toriho raised an eyebrow and moved to stand in the middle of the living room.

"My, he seems to have developed the Ginryan hearing too…" Edameonus rolled his eyes once more.

"That or you can't keep your damn voice down."

"Toriho..." Fay said, wondering if the man had forgotten he'd been carrying him.

"Ah, sorry Fay-chan." Toriho smiled as he grabbed the blonde's hand and began walking towards the nursery.

"Either way Youou should be making sure Fay-chan's comfortable, especially with how draining a pregnancy is." The older Ginryan said knowingly. The blonde being dragged along looked up confused as they made their way out of the living room. Archellevon popped his head out of the hallway to watch Toriho drag Fay into the nursery.

"Does this mean you'll stay for breakfast?" He asked, nonchalantly trying to wipe the batter from his face.

"Yes, Archy." Toriho grinned towards the teen as he pulled Fay along. Archellevon smiled warmly to the taller man and nodded. Hearing his voice in reply to Toriho's made someone else in the house growl. Kurogane stood and stormed to the nursery, having remembered something. Fay watched as he and Toriho entered the nursery.

"Youou came to show off clothes too?" Toriho asked as he released the blonde and stood in the center of the room. Kurogane came into the room with a snarl and he lunged for his father.

"DAMN YOU! SLEEPING WITH OTHERS!!" Toriho gave out a strangled cry as he was tackled. Blocking Kurogane, the other man looked up at his son confused.

"What are you talking about?!" Fay took a few steps back, wondering if he should separate the two of them.

"You slept with that kid, asshole! And you didn't think to tell me!?" Kurogane barked as he tried to get his hands free from his father's grip so he could punch the man. Edameonus walked casually to the framework of the door, peering in lazily.

"Archy let it slip that you two were together once."

"For one thing he was older, two it was decades before I met your mother, and three why should you know who I sleep with, Youou?" He gave his son a stern look, the surprise from Archellevon remembering him from before replaced with anger at Kurogane trying to attack him.

"IT STILL PISSES ME OFF!" Kurogane roared, making Edameonus roll his eyes.

"So childish." He said coolly, making Kurogane snap his attention around to him.

"AND YOU! QUIT ACTING LIKE YOUR FINE AND DANDY WTH THE WAY THINGS ARE!" Toriho quickly moved up and pinned Kurogane to the floor.

"Youou." Fay looked over to Edameonus, knowing his lover being blunt wasn't the best thing for the Ginryan to hear. The tattooed one's eyes were widened slightly from being yelled at, and Edameonus growled very lowly. He walked into the room slowly, moving to kneel next to Toriho. He reached out and grabbed Kurogane's cheeks and pulled him to look him in the eye.

"You piss me off." He said simply before landing a blow against the pinned man's cheek.

"Ed!" Toriho shouted at the man, his hold on Kurogane tightening, knowing his son would want to fight now. Fay stepped forward, watching the scene unfold.

"Both of you should stop..." Fay said as he stood to the side from the three in the middle of the room. Toriho looked up at Fay and could see blue eyes flashing an electric blue light. Edameonus looked up as well, eyes mimicking Fay's in a deep red. When he saw the blonde's power he pulled away from the other men, moving to stand. He didn't want Fay to use his powers uselessly, so he backed down.

"I'm going outside." He muttered before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking to the door. Kurogane watched him go with a scowl, his cheek stinging from the hit. Moving his hand to his stomach Fay sighed, his body relaxing as he watched his friend leave. He would have to apologize later. The Valerian crouched down in front of his lover.

"Toriho." Understanding the older man moved off of Kurogane and stood. A quick punch landed on the side of Kurogane's head, Fay being the one to deliver it.

"Idiot, why did you say that? I told you yesterday it didn't make him feel any better about things." Kurogane gripped his head with his now free hand.

"God dammit! Why is everyone fine with hitting me!?" He snapped, rubbing the spot where Fay hit him. He sat up and growled, staring at through the exit to the front door that was left open. Archellevon poked his head into view, looking timidly to the others.

"….F-food's ready…"

"We'll be right there Archy." Toriho smiled as he saw the teen, hoping he hadn't heard too much.

"Maybe you'll learn when not to be so blunt about certain things." Fay said as he leaned forward and cupped his lover's cheek. His fingertips glowing a faint blue as he smiled. Kurogane looked over to his partner and sighed.

"He pissed me off, I said what I thought." He muttered, moving to grip Fay's hand.

"And stop using your magic dammit." Blue eyes widened briefly before Fay shook his head.

"Using this small of an amount won't do anything, and besides Toshi's not draining near as much of my energy as he was before." Toriho smiled before turning around to give the couple some privacy before he went about opening drawers to search for the baby clothes he had heard about. Kurogane narrowed his eyes.

"I don't care; I saw your eyes when that guy was still here." He murmured, turning to watch his father look for his grandchild's clothing.

"Despite what you said he was at fault too for hitting you." Fay as he wrapped his arms around Kurogane, glad the other hadn't charged after Edameonus. Kurogane raised an eyebrow at the movement but didn't question it. He looked to his father again and growled.

"They're in the closet, moron."

"You shouldn't be calling anyone stupid right now brat." Fay hid his smile against Kurogane's chest as Toriho ventured over to the small closet and opened it.

"Who are you calling brat, old man?!" Kurogane's eyebrow twitched, feeling like he was a child once more.

"Kuro-chan shouldn't argue with his father." Fay laughed wondering how Kurogane would react to Toshihiko speaking to him the same as he did with his own father.

"Tomoyo-chan was right; these will look cute on my grandson." Toriho said as he began to pull clothes out. Kurogane sighed and rolled his eyes at his father's words, looking to Fay again.

"Oi, you hungry? That kid will probably whine if we don't get in there soon."

"Toshihiko will need more clothes than this." Toriho said as he put everything back, still in his own little world. "I remember when Youou came back from the hospital..." The older Ginryan said as he thought back to his own son. Fay smiled at Toriho's before looking back to Kurogane.

"Kuro-chan won't start any arguments or fights?"

Before Kurogane answered Fay he growled and snapped to his father. "Don't remember useless things!" He then moved to stand, allowing Fay's arms to unravel from his neck first.

"I bet baby Kuro-kun was cute." Fay said as he stood. Toriho chuckled.

"Tsumebe and I will have to dig up our old photo albums and bring them." Kurogane placed his hand on his face and grumbled something incoherently, not wanting Fay to see him as a baby. Suddenly Mokona's exasperated voice came down the hallway, complaining that the food was getting cold.

"I suppose we should go." Fay said as he began making his way towards the kitchen.

"I might even be able to find some home movies...I'm sure Fay-chan would like to see the one with Youou's first bath, or maybe the one where he was stuck in the tree..." Toriho trailed off as he thought of what he could bring with him next time. Fay laughed.

"I would be very interested in seeing those."

"Like hell it will!!" Kurogane snapped while following his lover. Archellevon looked up from the sink, having started cleaning the utensils to cook with.

"Ah, here they are, Mokona-chan. You can start serving the food out."

"I could imagine Kuro-min would be such a grumpy baby and especially when he was getting a bath." Fay chuckled as he looked over his shoulder at Kurogane. Mokona carried a plate and set it on the table before gathering another one.

"He looked like a monkey, Fay-chan, and even then he was always scowling at everything." Toriho said as he took a seat. Kurogane glared at his father and snarled.

"I told you to shut up!" He barked, tempted to throw his fork at the older man. Mokona moved to set a bowl of eggs on the table, barely managing to place it so. Archellevon reached out a hand and helped her with a smile while also putting pancakes on the table.

"Kuro-chi's getting embarrassed." Fay said as he put some food onto his plate. "But I still want to see these movies and the pictures."

"I am not getting embarrassed! That stuff is old and doesn't need to be brought up again!" He growled, making Archellevon giggle.

"Does that mean Kurogane is old too?" He said while sitting down.

"I'll have to make a trip over here when Youou isn't home." Toriho grinned before eating a piece of pancake.

"That reminds me, I'll need to get out the video camera. Have to film on the big day after all." Fay blushed at the thought as he ate. Kurogane almost choked on what he was eating and he shot a glare over to his father. Toriho continued.

"I don't think Youou would want to film, but between Tomoyo-chan and me we should be good."

"Quit talking about useless stuff!" Kurogane snapped, feeling his eyebrow twitch.

"You should be more excited Youou instead of blushing so much." Toriho patted his son on the back as he laughed. Kurogane growled but didn't comment, glancing over to his lover briefly. Across the table, Archellevon pulled Mokona to sit in his lap, seeing as Edameonus wouldn't be joining them. He was tempted to ask the others what had happened, but decided not to. Instead he looked over to Fay.

"Is Toshihiko going to be the only name you give him?"

"I've not thought of it actually." Grinning, the blonde replied as he looked at the teen. Archellevon giggled and used a wet napkin to wipe syrup off Mokona's dress.

"I'm sure whatever Kurogane and Fay pick out will fit nicely."

"I wouldn't know what to pick out." Fay said as he took another bite of pancake. Archellevon giggled again and took a bite of his eggs.

"Well you have Kurogane to help you, and also all of us. I'm sure we're creative enough to help out if you need it."

"Thank you Archellevon." Fay said as everyone continued to eat.

"Mokona wants to help name the baby too!" The small girl waved her fork around as she talked. The former angel moved out of the way of Mokona's utensil, not wanting to be injured by it.

"Ah, Mokona-chan…" He muttered, placing a hand over hers. "That's dangerous; you shouldn't do that when others are around because it could hurt someone." He said softly, knowing Edameonus had said something similar.

"She's very energetic." Toriho glanced at his son, remembering how Kurogane used to act. Archellevon smiled at Toriho, knowing the other man was right.

"Yes, she is, but Mokona-chan should learn that waving around sharp things could be harmful." He said while running a hand over her head in a stroke. Mokona lowered her fork as she began eating again.

"Does Kuro-rinta have any suggestions? It is tradition in your family to give another name." Fay said as he rested his chin atop his hand. The student looked over to Fay and shrugged.

"None come to mind." He muttered before bringing his drink to his mouth.

"You could always look through a baby name book Fay-chan." The oldest man offered as he ate. Fay nodded, putting the information away for a future trip to town.

"Baby name books?" Mokona asked as she swallowed the last of her pancake.

"It's a book that tells all the names a person could think of and the meanings that go with them, used for naming your children." Archellevon informed, smiling down to the girl.

"Mokona wants to read one. Kurogane and Fay will have to buy one." She said as she looked over at the couple. Fay chuckled and stood, finished with his own breakfast, before taking his dishes to the sink. The girl hopped off of Archellevon's lap and followed Fay with her plate, though the teenager leaned over and picked it up with his own to place it into the sink. He hesitated and looked at the leftover food with a frown.

"Archy?" Toriho asked after he finished drinking the last of his water. Fay smiled and took Mokona's and Archellevon's plates adding them to his own. The boy blushed a little before answering.

"…I… I was wondering if I should take a plate to Ed…"

"I'm sure he'd like that." Toriho grinned before standing as well. "I'll do the dishes, Fay-chan and Mokona-chan should go relax." Mokona smiled before running off as Fay gave the older man a smile as well, stepping away from the sink. Archellevon blushed more and contemplated his choice a little more. Kurogane looked to him and sighed. He stood and placed a hand on the boy's head.

"Don't hesitate." He said deeply, making blue eyes look to him curiously. "If you stop to think over it too much, you'll miss your chance." He then removed his hand and walked into the living room. Archellevon blinked and smiled, glad that Kurogane was trying to help.

"Kuro-min's right, you should take Edameonus a plate, I'm sure he's hungry." Fay said as he walked past the teen and in the living room, not wanting Mokona to get into trouble. Archellevon nodded and moved to gather a few things for the demon to eat. After doing so he put away the leftover material and gathered the plate to give to Edameonus. He walked passed those in the living room and went to the porch, seeing the dark haired man sitting on the roof.

"WHA?! How did you get up there!?"

"What?" Edameonus looked down confused. Seeing Archellevon, the Ginryan's cheeks burned a dull pink before looking away. The ex-angel blinked before looking down, his face heating slightly.

"N-nevermind that I guess…. I… I brought you breakfast…" He said abashedly, not wanting to make eye contact. Edameonus blinked and jumped down from the house easily. Stepping onto the porch the dark haired man looked at the plate the teen held.

"Thank you." Archellevon slowly looked up and smiled delicately, giving the man the plate.

"D…Do you want me to sit with you while you eat?" He asked, faltering in his courage and looking down again to the floor.

"That would be...nice." He offered the teen a faint smile as he took the plate and sat on the porch's wooden steps. Archellevon felt his heart skip a beat as his offer was accepted. He moved to sit next to the demon, his folded hands going around to hold his knees. Taking a tentative bite, the Ginryan stared out into the yard in front of them not knowing what to do as he sat alone with the boy.

"...It's good. Thanks for bringing me something, you didn't have to." He kept his eyes trained away from Archellevon.

"I-I wanted to… I thought you'd be hungry…." Archellevon trailed off, his hands fidgeting slightly against his knees. "I didn't make it alone though… Fay and Mokona-chan helped me…" He rambled, trying to fill the awkward silence.

"...You're a good cook regardless." Edameonus swore mentally at himself, not wanting them to be act so oddly around each other. Archellevon smiled warmly and looked to the ground.

"Thank you… I… I would've cooked something you liked… but… I didn't know what… your favorite…was…" He bit his lip, more blush forcing its way onto his face. Edameonus grimaced briefly thinking back to when his lover would do the same for him.

"Th-that's fine, you don't have to go to the trouble."

"B-But Mokona-chan likes pancakes… I wanted to do something for all of us…" Archellevon whimpered, a slight frown on his face at seeing Edameonus's expression. "Plus… I won't be able to… to c-cook for you when you move out…" He deteriorated, his hands bringing his knees to his chest.

"I like what you made, but you shouldn't go to the trouble of making my favorite foods." He smiled lightly at the teen, not liking to see him upset. He felt his stomach churn at the idea of being separated from the other, even if they weren't together.

"You're staying with them after the baby's born?"

"I don't know what I'm going to do…" The blue eyes looked to the ground and the angel frowned majestically.

"I don't want to trouble anyone by asking to stay with them… I came here without a whim of why… I didn't mean to be a bother…"

"You can live with me and Mokona...there's enough room and you won't have to deal with Kurogane." Edameonus said as he kept his eyes on the yard in front of them, not wanting the teen to see how hopeful he was about the idea. Archellevon looked at the other with surprise, his face heating up more than before.

"O-Oh no, I couldn't do that! I'd feel terrible and in the way!" He said weakly, not admitting that he'd feel that way if he moved in with Edameonus or just stayed with Fay and Kurogane.

"There's an extra room, you can have it." Edameonus glared wondering if that had been Souhi's plan when building the house. "And you won't be in the way."

"B-but Ed…" Archellevon stuttered, trying to think of a good excuse. His face went a darker shade of pink and frowned more while looking to the ground.

"W-what happens if… I-I don't know… you get a… a girlfriend… or something…"

"There's no chance of that happening...believe me." He grimaced at the thought. "If you don't want to, I won't force you..." The Ginryan frowned, knowing he shouldn't push the teen to stay with him. Archellevon fell silent, knowing he had made the other upset. He fiddled with his hands again, trying to think of something to say.

"…I… If Ed… wants me to stay… I would…" He said weakly, closing his eyes sharply in case of rejection. Edameonus blushed deeply as he turned to see Archellevon.

"Then you'll stay...with me and Mokona." He smiled as he looked at the pale haired boy. Blue eyes opened again and Archellevon looked to Edameonus with a dark blush. He placed his hands on his cheeks and looked to the ground again with a smile.

"A-ah! E-Ed wants me to live with him!" He said to himself, not really believing it.

"I-it's not the hard to believe." He stuttered, blushing even more at the thought as he saw Archellevon's reaction. The teenager smiled widely before he looked to the other man.

"I'm happy though! Because Ed… Ed likes me then…" Archellevon blushed tremendously at his own words, poking his fingers together. "A-and if Ed… likes me… then I can be useful to him…"

"I-idiot." The Ginryan blushed a brilliant shade of red before going to ruffle the teen's hair, before he could catch himself. Archellevon giggled, moving his hands to grip the bigger one on his head.

"You shouldn't call me that!" He whined, a little more relaxed now.

"You're the one acting like no one likes you." He smirked, forgetting himself for the moment at seeing the teen smile.

"I was afraid of that at first…" Archellevon admitted, pulling the heavy hand off his head to hold it with both of his.

"Back on my world I was too quiet and people didn't like that…" He informed, staring at the hand he held.

"You're fine the way you are, everyone else were just being assholes." Edameonus tried to will his blush away as he let the other hold his hand. He knew he just couldn't move away from Archellevon, he'd most likely end up hurting the boy's feelings if he did.

"And besides you can tell that everyone likes you." Archellevon smiled again, his hands cupping the darker one.

"I'm glad… I was afraid that was going to happen again…" He closed his eyes as his smile fell. "I didn't want people to be mad or upset at me either… because I know that would lead to much worse…"

"...'worse'?" Edameonus frowned wondering what the pale haired teen meant.

"People hate and get angry at things I do very easily…" Archellevon bowed his head and let their hands fall to the porch. "I especially didn't want Ed to hate me again… if Ed was mad or upset with me… I didn't want him to end up not liking me at all…" He sighed and wondered for the first time what the teen's life had been like.

"There's nothing you could do or say that would make any of us hate you...I couldn't hate you especially." He blushed as he re-okayed his own words. Archellevon opened his eyes slowly and stared at their hands.

"Do… do you mean it?" He blushed as well, imagining it to be impossible for Edameonus to hate him.

"Yes." Edameonus offered the teen a soft smile. The Ginryan looked to Archellevon, hating the uncertainty in the other's eyes. Archellevon brought his vision up to the demon and accidentally locked eyes with him.

"I…I-I…" He tried to begin, finding himself unable to utter words he wanted to speak.

"You don't have to say anything." Edameonus looked at the other nervously, not knowing what to do as Archellevon stuttered. The other blushed deeply, his hand on Edameonus tightening somewhat. The teenager smiled faintly after a moment, staring into the red eyes in front of him.

"I would… I would like to live with Ed…"

"It's settled then, just need to get Souhi's lazy ass to start working again." The Ginryan smirked knowing it would be hard to get the man to do something other than prepare for Toshihiko, especially now when the blonde was only a few months away from giving birth. Archellevon closed his eyes and smiled widely, glad that the other was happy to live with him. Unbeknownst to them curious purple eyes peered out of a window at them.

"Maybe we should go inside; Souhi probably needs to be pried off Fay-chan." Edameonus suggested, even if he was content to stay outside with the human. Archellevon looked down and sighed inwardly, reluctant to join the others.

"Yes…" His eyes widened when he realized that over the time their hands had become intertwined. Following the others gaze, Edameonus blushed seeing that they had been holding hands for awhile now.

"A-ah…. Ed…" Archellevon stammered, his face completely red now. He tried to pull his hand away, but he found that his body wouldn't obey what his mind wanted. Instead, his grip tightened on the other man's hand. Out of reflex the Ginryan's hand tightened as well.

"..." Tilting his head down Edameonus moved to look at the other, his own blushing getting the better of him. Archellevon slowly brought his gaze up, unable to think of anything to say. He felt his heartbeat quicken when he stared at red orbs, feeling something stir in his memories still locked away. Edameonus continued to stare, his mind slowly replacing this scene with one he had experienced years ago with his past lover. Without thought, Archellevon began to inch closer to the taller man, his eyes falling to be half lidded while his cheeks burned darker.

The dark haired man gripped his plate as he saw Archellevon move closer to him, his own heart racing at the idea of what the other might be doing. Edameonus felt his throat dry as he leaned forward an inch closer to the pale haired teen beside him, his red eyes wide.

Their lips were mere hair strands away when Mokona's grip on the door failed, causing her to fall face first out of the front door. Archellevon pulled away abruptly, face set aflame with blue eyes opened wide to search for the cause of the noise.

"Soel!" Edameonus yelled, seeing the girl had fallen on her face. Removing his hand from Archellevon's, the taller man dropped his plate and moved to Mokona, picking her up. The human was frozen on the steps, his heart still racing at the fact of what could've happened.

"….I-Is she alright?" Mokona sniffled and rubbed at her eyes. Red eyes scanned over the small girl worried she might have broken something.

"I only see a few scratches, nothing too bad." Toriho leaned into view from the doorway, a raised eyebrow on his face.

"Was she listening to you two?" He asked, having seen the girl peeping out of the doorway only moments beforehand.

"Soel?" Edameonus questioned firmly. Mokona whimpered and wrapped her tiny arms around the Ginryan. He sighed and blushed at what she might have heard.

"I don't know." Archellevon looked to the discarded plate and picked it up with a slightly shaky hand. He moved to stand and began to walk to the door, not looking to Edameonus for fear of blushing like mad, though he already was. Toriho glanced between the two as he moved out of the boy's way. Edameonus, stood picking up Mokona as he did, and walked inside.

Archellevon beelined for the kitchen to put the plate away, ignoring the curious look of Fay on his way through the living room. Kurogane glanced up and continued writing, not feeling like paying attention to other house member's business. Walking into the living room Edameonus sat on the other couch, Mokona sitting atop his lap as he ran his fingers through her hair while trying to comfort her. Toriho followed soon after, sitting in one the room's chairs. He wanted to ask his friend what had happened but knew it wasn't his place to. Archellevon paused before re-entering the room, placing his hand delicately on his lips. When he thought about what could've happened his heart skipped a beat once more. He shook his head and entered with a faint smile, wanting to forget it had happened.

"Souhi-kun, when are you going to work on the house again?" He asked while sitting in another chair.

"I have to hire some painters and movers to bring in some furniture once the walls and floors have been finished." The older man smiled sheepishly as he looked at the teen. Fay watched curious at their exchange, wondering why Archellevon had such an interest in the house all of the sudden.

"So we'll be getting decorations for the house soon?" Archellevon smiled, thinking about the town and visiting the stores again. Edameonus looked slowly to the former angel, not knowing if he should be glad Archellevon was trying not to act like nothing was wrong or hurt because he was no longer caring about their almost-kiss.

"Yes, Youou and I will have to search for a tree sooner this year, Ed will have to come too if he wants a tree." Toriho grinned as he thought of the upcoming holidays, knowing it would be a much bigger celebration this year. Kurogane looked up from his book and frowned.

"Don't pick out a goddamn big one like last year. That one almost scraped up my ceiling." He grumbled, trying to not think about the paint job he had to do. Edameonus smiled somewhat.

"What types of trees do you use?"

"Pine trees, though it's a hassle have to sweep up the needles everyday." Toriho said, knowing from experience. Fay smiled as he imagined Kurogane carrying in a tree, of all things.

"We should go out scouting for a tree. That way, in case it snows a lot, we won't have to search too long for one." Toriho said as he looked over at Kurogane. Said man snorted and scanned over a page in a book.

"Go do that yourself. I'm busy." Archellevon giggled at the thought of Edameonus and Toriho carrying in a tree into their home, a faint blush blossoming back on his face.

"I've never seen something like that before." Fay smiled, thinking back to the days he had spent in Leval's walls. Toriho smiled.

"From what I can remember the only thing close to Christmas would be the festivals held in the spring." Fay blushed, knowing he had never really went to anything like that after he was so old.

"Fay, Ed, and Mokona-chan will like Christmas for sure!" Archellevon said childishly, trying to keep his mind from wandering. "I'll have to teach you how to make Christmas cookies and cakes, Fay! Mokona-chan, would you like to learn how to make those things too?"

"Mokona wants to." She said, not as loudly as normal as she lay against Edameonus.

"It will be strange to celebrate anything like that after so long." The blonde blushed as he grinned at Archellevon.

"Every new experience is magical." Archellevon quoted, the blush on his own cheeks growing brighter. "Someone once told me that, and I learned that it's true. Christmas is just one of those things." Edameonus stared at the former angel, wondering if the teenager had remembered that certain line from his past or if the other Edameonus had told him that.

"Didn't you go to parties, Fay-chan?" Toriho asked, knowing about the gatherings Valeria's cities threw on occasion throughout the year.

"Parties yes," He paused remembering Ashura and how the man had taken him to all sorts of special gatherings held by their school. "but I've not celebrated a holiday or anything since I was younger than Archy." He blushed, embarrassed by the fact.

"Oh, then we'll definitely celebrate it." Edameonus chimed in, placing a hand on Mokona's shoulder to allow the girl to lay on him.

"We can teach you certain meanings behind things now too, since Christmas is different in most places." Archellevon smiled, folding his legs as he lounged in the chair.

"That will be nice." Fay smiled as he sat lengthwise on the couch beside Kurogane, his legs stretched out in front of him. Toriho grinned as he looked over to the Valerian.

"Youou should make sure then that Fay-chan's first Christmas is memorable." Kurogane snapped his eyes up to his father in a glare.

"What the hell? What're you implying old man?" He growled lowly, his pen stopped moving on the paper. Mokona laughed at the taller man, thinking it funny that he would be so defensive over doing something nice for someone he loved.

"Instead of grumbling like you do every year you should take Fay-chan out to celebrate." Toriho said as he crossed his arms, remembering the dates he had taken Tsumebe out on when they had first started their relationship. Kurogane snorted and flipped the page.

"Whatever." Archellevon leaned against the armrest smiled to Fay.

"So… what should we do first? I'm sure the decorations in town will be out in no time."

"I've never really decorated for something like that before...we could cook perhaps?" Fay said, his cheeks still tinted a rosy hue from Toriho's remarks. The former angel smiled widely and nodded.

"Ok. We're going to have to buy the materials for them though; cookies are made with special ingredients a person wouldn't buy on a regular basis, so I don't think we have any…" He looked to Toriho momentarily. "There's a place in the market where we can buy the things we need right?"

"Yes and I'm sure Tsumebe wouldn't mind bringing some things over either and giving out some of her recipes." Toriho smiled at thoughts of his wife and how they prepared for the holidays. The white haired boy clapped his hands together.

"Ok! Tomorrow then! You wouldn't mind asking her to come over to cook with us, would you?" He said with a grin. Edameonus relaxed a little into the couch, glad to see Archellevon opened up a little.

"She should be done with her work for now and she hasn't visited in awhile so I'm sure she'll be excited to drop by." Grinning the older man said as he looked over to the teen. Archellevon nodded and smiled wider, his hands folding against the armrest. Edameonus looked to Mokona and blinked, wondering why she was so quiet.

"Oi, you ok?"

"Mokona's cheek hurts." Purple eyes looked up into red. The Ginryan could see an angry red scuff on the girl's cheek as a few smaller scrapes adorned her forehead and chin. The man grimaced and moved to stand, the girl in his arms.

"Why didn't you say something before, Soel?" He asked softly, taking the girl into the bathroom without looking to any other member of the house. Mokona only pouted as she was lifted and carried to the bathroom. The others watched, hoping it wasn't too serious. The man closed the door as to not be disturbed. Edameonus sat her down on the toilet seat before digging in the cabinet.

"How bad do they hurt?"

"It stings." She said as she sat patiently in front of her father figure.

"Is that all?" He asked, searching for more clues that it could be worse than it appeared. He walked over to her and set down the materials needed to disinfect her cheek before dampening a towel at the sink.

"Yes." She watched Edameonus move about, frowning as her cheek burned.

"Alright then…" The demon sighed, kneeling in front of her. "Let me clean it then, I don't want it to get worse."

"Okay." Mokona said as Edameonus tilted her chin up and began dabbing at her cheek with the corner of the damp towel he had in his hand. He watched her expression in case of any signs that would tell him to stop, making sure to clean every area that might get infected. Wincing at the feel of the towel brushing against her cheek, Mokona closed her eyes and tried not to say anything as the Ginryan went about bandaging her up.

"Were you listening in on our conversation, Soel?" Edameonus asked idly as he moved the towel away to inspect the wound, though he was actually extremely hopeful that she hadn't.

"Mokona was only looking through the window and then I wanted a better look...so I went to the door." Soel answered as she pouted. Edameonus paused for a moment before setting the towel aside.

"Why did you do that Soel? You know it's not nice to watch people or listen to them without telling them." He chided lightly while picking up a tube of disinfectant.

"Mokona saw Edameonus alone, but then Archellevon came..." The creature said as she tried to reason why she had eavesdropped on the two outside.

"Why were you curious over what we were doing?" Edameonus asked as he applied the clear liquid to his child's cheek.

"Because Archy is Edameonus's special person. Mokona can feel it..." She winced at the medicine applied to her skin. The demon halted completely, his body frozen at the girl's words. He looked up slowly, eyes slightly wider than usual.

"…Soel doesn't mean that…" He asked, a faint blush going across his face. "…do you?"

"Mokona can tell." She replied as she smiled brightly, forgetting her cheek for the moment. The dark haired one stared at her for a moment and dropped his head.

"…Soel… you're young…" He brought his vision to her once more and placed a hand on her uninjured cheek. "You wouldn't understand it just yet…" He gave her a faint smile then and placed a bandaid on her cheek. Mokona frowned deeply as Edameonus spoke. She knew the Ginryan was being stubborn, she could tell how he liked the other man.

Unbeknownst to them, Archellevon had tried to enter to ask if Mokona was ok. He stopped when he heard Edameonus talking about the girl spying on them and listened to their conversation. His hands clutched his chest at the taller man's most recent words, feeling something he couldn't remember shatter. What the demon had done was so confusing that Archellevon paced down the hall to the laundry room, holding back bewildered tears. And back inside the bathroom Edameonus rubbed the disinfectant over the cut on her forehead.

"…At least… let's wish what Soel thinks to be true is actually so…"

"Mokona knows it will." She smiled as her father figure checked the rest of the small scratches on her face. The red eyed man grinned more and ruffled the girl's hair affectionately.

"Because Soel knows everything, right?" He asked playfully, placing another bandaid on her face.

"Mokona knows everything!" She cheered.

"Alright then, if you know everything, that means you know the ending to all the stories." He stood and carried the aid kit to the cabinet. "No stories tonight."

"Mokona wants a story!" She frowned as she protested.

"This is for eavesdropping, especially on me and Archy." He looking to her simply, a slight frown on his face.

"You didn't think you'd get punished for it did you?"

"...No..." She pouted and crossed her arms. Purple eyes starred down at the tiled floor.

"Well unfortunately eavesdropping isn't a good thing, so you'll have to be punished for it in some way." He walked to her and kneeled, placing a hand on her head. He gave her a gentle smile. "Wouldn't you rather have Archy tell you a story instead?"

"Mokona will go ask Archy to read her a story!" Soel said as she smiled up at the Ginryan, excited about getting a story read to her.

"Well good. Now then, you're all bandaged up in your bright colors, feel better now?" He asked her while picking her up and showing her reflection in the mirror.

"Mokona looks silly." She laughed as she touched the multi colored bandaids on her face.

"That's what you get." Edameonus scolded playfully, his scowl easily replaced with a smile. He stared at her reflection affectionately, his free hand going up to caress her cheek. He brought his vision to the girl's real face, the smile fading somewhat.

"…Even though you're not my real child, Soel… I'm… thankful… you're my daughter…" Mokona smiled brightly.

"Edameonus is family!" She wiggled in the man's grasp excitedly. Edameonus chuckled and nuzzled her cheek softly.

"As is Soel." The girl giggled as she was held before wrapping her small arms around the other's head, cuddling back. The man pulled away a little and moved some strands out of her face gently.

"I pity those without a family. Soel was kind enough to give me one." His smile faltered a little, thinking back to a piece of conversation he had with someone earlier.

"Everyone has some sort of family." She smiled childishly as she looked at the man.

"What do you mean?" He asked as his lazy grin came about his lips again, his hand moving to wrap around the girl's back.

"Fay and Mokona and Archy and Edameonus don't really have family, but we're all family still." Soel explained as she looked up at the Ginryan. The dark haired one blinked and then closed his eyes with a smile.

"Soel truly does know everything…" He said fondly, bringing her closer for a hug.

"Because Mokona's smart." The girl immediately hugged back as she laughed.

"Hn…" Edameonus hummed in reply, his smile fading somewhat as his embrace became tighter. He placed his lips against her cheek gently, grateful for more than he could say. The girl had given him a family, happiness, wisdom, and now hope. He only wished he had something more for her as appreciation.

"Can Mokona ask Archy to read a story now?" Soel asked suddenly. Edameonus laughed heartedly at the childish obliviousness and pulled away from her to set her down.

"Yes, you can go ask him." He said with a smile, picking up bandage wrappers that had to be discarded. Mokona rushed out of the bathroom to find the teen while Edameonus put everything away. Soel ran into the living room and made a beeline for the bookshelf and pulled out the book Edameonus had been reading to her. Kurogane and Fay watched her from the couch, the student studying whilst his lover had been talking with Toriho. Kurogane raised an eyebrow when the girl looked around for someone. Toriho blinked and placed a hand on her head to stop her.

"Hey, what're you looking for, sweetie?"

"Archellevon's going to read to Mokona." She smiled at the older man.

"He left the living room earlier." Fay said as he sat beside Kurogane. Toriho removed his hand and leaned back in his chair.

"I saw him go into the laundry room; I think he's still there." He informed as Edameonus walked back in and toward his clothing pile by the couch not being occupied.

"Mokona will find him!" She darted off, the book held atop her head as she ran in the direction of the laundry room. Toriho smiled as he watched her go, thinking of his soon to be born grandchild. When the girl arrived in the laundry room she saw Archellevon facing away, folding some clothing that was to be put away for the winter. He sniffled silently and paused to rub his face, but continued like he hadn't done anything. Bringing the book down, Mokona held the book to her chest as she looked at the teen worriedly. "Archy?" The teenager stiffened but turned around with a smile, his cheeks barely red.

"Ah! Mokona-chan! What are you doing back here darling?" He asked as he finished folding a short sleeved shirt to set it to the side.

"Mokona wanted Archy to read!" She smiled holding her book up as she looked up at the teen. The other white haired one grinned back and knelt to her level.

"I'd… be glad to…" He said gently, reaching out his hands to take the book. Mokona cheered excitedly as she handed the book over to Archellevon.

"Can Archy read it now?" She looked at him with an expectant gaze, hoping the teen wouldn't want to finish the laundry. Archellevon paused, his smile slipping off as he looked over his shoulder briefly. He sniffed again and wiped his eye quickly before the smile came back.

"Sure! I'll do the rest of it after Mokona-chan goes to bed, ok?"

"Okay!" Mokona smiled brightly as she moved about happily, excited that the boy was going to read to her. Archellevon stood straight again and took the girl's hand in his free one, letting her lead him to the chair where she could sit in his lap and listen to him. He sighed airily, thankful she hadn't questioned his behavior. Toriho watched as the two reentered the living room and sat.

"Looks like Mokona-chan was able to find Archy." The older man said as he smiled. Fay watched as Mokona sat in Archellevon's lap, the book open in front of them as the girl flipped through the pages to find where Edameonus had left off. Whilst the girl did so, Archellevon stared down to the book, though his eyes seemed to be glossed over with thought. Kurogane closed the book he was holding and moved to a different one, not caring in the slightest about the others in the room.

"Mokona found it!" She shouted as she looked up at Archellevon. Toriho and Fay both smiled at the scene before picking up on their earlier conversation. Archellevon snapped out of his daze and smiled to the girl.

"O-oh? Where do I begin?" He asked, a faint blush of embarrassment over his cheeks from zoning out. Edameonus, now wearing a shirt and reading the materials in a mechanics book, frowned when he looked up to see Archellevon's expression.

"Here." Mokona pointed near the middle of the page as she smiled up at the teen. Fay chuckled at something Toriho had said while Mokona turned to look back at the book. Archellevon smiled and read ahead quickly before beginning.

"I've read this story before, this is about the crane maiden, isn't it? Here, let's begin. 'Some years later Tian was called to battle far away, leaving his wife, mother, and son back home. He begged his mother to keep the Celestial robes of his wife hidden so she couldn't return to the heavens while he was away'." Mokona leaned back against the teen as he began reading, smiling as she listened intently. Archellevon frowned slightly as he remembered all points of the story.

"…'His mother obeyed his wishes, though after Tian had left for war, the young Maiden was even more desperate to see her gown. She begged her mother-in-law each day to see her robes, just one quick look. "If you will let me see them only once then I will be happy"…' What do you think she did then, Mokona-chan?"

"She showed her the robes because she wanted the girl to be happy." Mokona said as she tried to think about the story. Across from them, Toriho and Fay talked about Kurogane reading to Toshihiko the same as Archellevon was doing. Kurogane twitched, glaring over to his lover. Archellevon giggled and nodded.

"Yes… 'the woman relented and let the girl see her robes. Overjoyed the Maiden wept over her Celestial robes, but in a flash she tore off her human clothing and threw on her garments and instantly turned into a beautiful white crane. She then flew out the window before the old lady could stop her, up, up into the sky'." Fay cooed at the taller man, while Toriho chuckled.

"That's a sad story...." Mokona frowned as she listened.

"It's not over yet, love. The ending is better." Archellevon kissed the top of white hair before continuing on the next page.

"…'Tian returned from the wars to find his beloved bride gone. His mother and he were saddened, but his son wept more than they. He took no comfort in his father and grandmother's tries, searching for her always'." Kurogane, oblivious to the story, growled and placed a hand on Fay's head angrily. Mokona smiled as she listened to the story. Toriho scolded his son as Fay replied how cute it would be, his hands going up to try and loosen his lover's grip. Kurogane removed his hand to fold his arms, glaring at his father. Archellevon turned the page again.

" 'It was then he met an old wise man. The man told him to go to the pool by his home and there would be three maidens. The one that would ignore him would be his mother'. Do you remember the pool from the beginning of the story?" He asked, forgetting about his earlier troubles.

"The one where Tian found the girl?" Mokona asked, not sure as she looked up at the pale haired teen. Fay chuckled as he teased Kurogane while Toriho commented. Kurogane growled again and threw a crumbled piece of paper at his father. Archellevon nodded and looked to the rest of the story.

"Yes… 'The boy when to the pool and saw gorgeous maidens playing in the water. He called out to them, and two looked to the boy, calling out, 'Sister! Your son is here to see you!' But she wouldn't look to him'." Archellevon paused, wrinkling his nose at the story. Mokona tilted her head to the side as she thought about the story, waiting for the teen to continue. Toriho threw the paper back and pouted as he put an arm around Fay's shoulders and chided his son. Kurogane barked to his dad about touching Fay in a lecherous way, reaching over his lover to pinch his father's nose childishly. Archellevon glanced up to them and giggled again before picking up where he left off.

" 'The child didn't relent, going up to the one whom ignored him. Seeing this, the Maiden broke down and hugged the boy desperately, crying "my son, my lovely son"'." Mokona stared at the pages with wide eyes wondering what would happen. Across from them, Fay blushed while Toriho swatted at Kurogane.

" 'After some time, the two other cranes notified their third sister it was time to leave and that she would either have to leave the boy there or take him to the heavens with them. Deciding on the latter, they took the boy to the palace of the High God, who was thrilled to see his grandson'." Archellevon continued, leaning back in his chair as Kurogane blocked Toriho's hand from hitting Fay. Staring in wonder, Soel looked at the book as the teen continued to read. Fay chuckled as his lover's father ruffled Kurogane's hair with his free hand. Kurogane pulled away from them both and grumbled something incoherently. Archellevon smiled at Mokona's curiosity and continued.

" 'The High God taught him many things about Heaven and Earth, giving him eight books to take with him when he returned to Earth'. Now isn't that sweet of him?" The former angel asked, not having read the story in a while.

"Yes." Soel answered as she smiled up at the boy. From the other couch Fai hugged Kurogane and pouted up at him while Toriho laughed. The taller man looked down to his lover and glared without saying anything. Archellevon smiled as they approached the ending of the story.

" 'The boy returned to Earth, but only to find that while in the Heaven's palace a few days had passed, twenty years on Earth had passed and he was a young man. He searched for his father and grandmother only to find his grandmother had passed away and his father had gone to the West. So, he became a scholar and devoted his life to study the eight books his grandfather, the High God, had given him. He was famed for being placed in high areas in the Emperor's court and for his want to help mankind. And thousands of miles away in a mountain to the West, Tian heard of his son's success, and he was content'." Smiling Mokona looked down to the book especially when she heard about the boy's father. The blonde pouted as Toriho scolded his son for causing supposedly hurting the Valerian's feelings.

"Would you faggots keep it down?! Trying to read here!" Edameonus barked abruptly from the other side of the room, making Archellevon nearly jump out of his skin. Kurogane turned to look at the dark haired man and growled.

"Like they're going to be quiet for you!" Edameonus sat up slightly, glaring back.

"Youou was the one who started it." Toriho said as he pointed at his son. "I was only talking to Fay-chan." The blonde between father and son laughed, his arms still wrapped around his lover. Mokona giggled at the Ginryan's outburst. Archellevon closed the book slowly, looking at the other men in the room as they continued to bicker.

"Me?! You're the one instigating here!" Kurogane snapped, pointing a finger to his father. Edameonus rubbed his temple and grumbled angrily.

"You were the one accusing me of trying to take advantage of Fay-chan." Toriho said as he looked at his son. Fay smiled sheepishly between both men while Mokona laughed.

"There you go again!" Kurogane barked, though he was cut short by a book hitting his head. Archellevon had ducked from Edameonus's path, who had thrown the one he was reading at the taller man.

"Shut the hell up." He snapped, making Kurogane snarl while holding his head.

"BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!!!" Fay immediately tightened his hold on his lover, afraid Kurogane would lunge at Edameonus. Toriho looked at the other Ginryan.

"Again? Honestly you two can't stop fighting for once?" Edameonus spread out on the couch, laying haphazardly with a smug grin at Kurogane needing to be held back.

"Aren't you one to talk, Souhi?" He said with a cackle.

"I don't throw books at his head." Toriho said as he glared at his friend. The blonde beside him looked over at Edameonus briefly before turning to his lover, hoping his wasn't too angry.

"Kuro-san?" Kurogane was still rubbing his head vigorously, grumbling and growling to himself while glaring daggers at the alien across the room, who was still cackling. Archellevon looked to Mokona and frowned. Fay moved his hand up to Kurogane's head, checking to see if he was bleeding. Toriho sighed beside them and leaned back against the couch while across from them Mokona met Archellevon's eyes, confused. The blonde could feel no wetness of blood, though a bump was present. Kurogane slumped back into the couch, not wanting to move harshly against Fay or his stomach. Edameonus then looked to Toriho.

"Hey, what was the reason you decided to visit again?"

"Baby clothes." Toriho grinned. "After Tomoyo told me about them I had to see what my soon to be born grandchild will be wearing." Fay blushed as he inspected his lover's injury. Kurogane finally tore his eyes off of Edameonus to look at his partner.

"I'm fine, Blondie…" He muttered while Edameonus scoffed.

"Only the baby clothes?" He paused and looked to the ground. "Hey, Souhi, can we go to town? It's boring and I get into fights here." He whined, making Kurogane's eyebrow twitch.

"...Sure I guess we can." Toriho stared at Edameonus, confused about the other's request. Fay grinned before moving his hand, he knew it must have been painful, but didn't want to start another argument with Kurogane. Edameonus sat up abruptly.

"Can we go now?" He asked almost eagerly, not noticing Archellevon's eyes on him. Kurogane took the book that had hit him in the head and set it on the coffee table with a slight slam.

"Alright." Toriho stood, fishing his car keys out of his pocket, still trying to figure out what the other was up to. Fay watched, curious about Edameonus's motives behind wanting to leave all of the sudden. Kurogane watched the demon suspiciously, not liking the idea of letting him go alone to town with his father. Archellevon shriveled slightly in his seat, wanting to go as well but remembering the words he had overheard earlier made him afraid to ask. Edameonus smirked and stood, slipping his boots on easily.

"We'll be back later then." He waved at the others, a slight frown on his face before he walked towards the door. Unwrapping his arms from Kurogane, Fay sat up watching as Toriho left. Edameonus glanced to Mokona before he closed the door.

"Be good for them, Soel." He commanded as he left. Archellevon bit his lip, looking down to the girl on his lap. Kurogane watched the demon through the window cautiously.

"What's he up to?"

"I don't know..." Fay watched, a slight frown on his lips as he watched both men get into Toriho's car and drive away. Mokona pouted, wanting to have gone with them as she sat atop Archellevon.

As the car drove down the dirt road, the demon looked out the open window, in a completely different attitude than he was in while sitting in the living room. On top of that, he was silent.

"Is there a reason you wanted to leave? I know you fighting with Youou was only an excuse." Toriho said, his eyes trained on the road as he continued to drive. Edameonus chuckled softly, looking to the road ahead of them.

"Yeah… You see through the acts every time…" He frowned again. "We… we almost kissed Souhi… we were close…" He said faintly, thinking about the time him and the former angel on the porch. "I don't know if that was him or his memories, but we almost kissed…" Toriho snapped his head to look at his friend in disbelief before he quickly looked back to the road.

"...Isn't that a good thing...if it's not the memories it means he likes you enough to want to kiss you..." Toriho continued to drive, still shocked about the other's revelation.

"I don't know… He's unlocking memories left and right so I don't know what it is…" He smiled to himself and looked to the ground. "And… he's agreed to stay with me and Soel when the house gets done… I was surprised that he was so eager for it too… It seems the Edameonus he knew was really important to him…"

"That might be true, but he could still like you for you, Ed." Toriho smiled, knowing Archellevon wanting to stay with the other Ginryan made the man happy. "I think he would have said something if he had remembered you...but a near kiss could mean he's falling for you again regardless of having any memories of you." He chuckled, thinking back to when they were teens. "You managed to get him once before, the second time won't be as hard now that you're not as shy about the whole thing." Edameonus shot a glare to his friend.

"I dare you to say that again." He warned, but his expression fell slightly. "Souhi… There's something else…" He swallowed hard, having kept this to himself for a long time.

"Archy said he needs to contact the Court… but I'm not going to tell him Soel is a communication device. I don't think I ever will." He said defiantly. Toriho sighed.

"I agree with you on that. Even if there's a small chance they would force him back...you shouldn't take the risk." He thought briefly to how both of his friends had lived over the years because of their places amongst the court. "You should know better than anyone what would happen if they found out and tried to take him. It's better for the both of you not to want have to relive all of that again." He gripped the stirring wheel tightly, thinking of his own son and Fay. Edameonus placed an elbow on the door and his free hand went to his hair in frustration.

"Dammit… I just wish there was a way I could demote one of us so we don't have to deal with that shit. They hardly rewrote the rules after his death so there's still a chance he'll be taken…" Edameonus caught his breath in his throat, disgusted with how selfish he sounded.

"It might have been best for him to never remember...that way at least the two of you could have lived together without worrying about anything." Toriho frowned, knowing Edameonus was in a difficult position. The other dark haired man stared to the moving ground, a set frown on his face.

"…No matter how much that upsets me… it might be true…" He sighed and grumbled again.

"Don't these humans have any stress relievers?!" He barked, smacking his hand onto the car door.

"There's lots of ways people can relieve stress, Ed." The other man chuckled. The town slowly came into view as Toriho drove. Edameonus looked over to his friend and sighed.

"Well fighting and reading don't help me any." He grumbled, running his hand through his long hair once more.

"That's actually the reason I wanted to come to town. Also, I'm making sure I've gotten everything straight for my next report."

"Still doesn't narrow things down. There's a cafe, a park, we could just walk around, there's all sorts of things to do." The dark haired man said as he listed off more things they could do.

"And you should really not pick fights with Youou, Fay-chan will eventually not be there to hold him back and I'm not rebuilding his house if the two of you start." He said as he thought of Youou's temper. Edameonus clicked his tongue.

"Like he knows how to use his powers anyway." He looked out the window again. "I don't really care what we do… I'd like to invest in something I could take with me."

"True, but it doesn't mean he can't use them if he's riled enough...not to mention Fay-chan." Toriho frowned thinking of the blonde ready to separate both men if things had gotten out of hand and when pregnant of all things. Pulling into a parking lot Toriho parked his car.

"Still doesn't help, what would you like?" Edameonus frowned at the other man's words about the half breed, but he decided not to push that matter any further.

"We can look around… I'm not quite used to human materials yet." He muttered, unbuckling himself from the car.

Toriho grinned and followed suit. Stepping out of the car and locking it.

"Alright, we'll look around and see what we can find you." Edameonus smirked slightly and closed the door once he was out. He looked around to the stores and blinked, not knowing where to start. He wondered vaguely if this was how Fay felt when Kurogane first took him shopping.

"…Souhi, where do we even begin?"

"Let's start at the electronics store seeing as how books aren't helping." Toriho smiled sheepishly as he began walking towards the stores on their side of the street. Edameonus followed afterwards, scanning the people's faces as he went by. Ironically, they were scanning his too. He almost ran into Toriho when the taller man stopped by the store they wanted to enter.

"Eh? Electronics?" He muttered before meandering into the store.

"Aside from computers there are all kinds of gadgets people make." Toriho answered as he stepped into the store. Shelves of games and machines that played music and lit up and moved surrounded them as both men walked in. Edameonus blinked and then narrowed his eyes, looking at all the devices. He moved to one shelf in particular and picked up a cell phone on display, studying it like it was an artifact of ancient history.

"They make these here? What are they called here?"

"Cell phones." The other Ginryan replied.

"They're actually pretty modern." He smiled as he watched his friend examine the phone. Edameonus raised his eyebrow and set it back, picking up a robotic dog that played music. He wrinkled his nose in slight disgust.

"Humans. They waste their talents." He muttered, making a boy next to him gawk up in terror. He moved to a different shelf and picked up a small radio, staring at the knobs on top.

"Maybe you shouldn't let everyone know you're not from around here." Toriho suggested as he saw the boy looked at them oddly.

"There are video games too; it's not all kid toys." The other man said as he picked up a small toy, wondering if Toshihiko would be able to play with it.

"Video games? What are those?" Edameonus muttered, slightly jumping when a saxophone noise came out of the radio.

"Here." Toriho said as he stood in front of a display. Taking up the controller, the Ginryan began playing the game up on the screen, shooting down enemies as his character ran around the map. Showing Edameonus what he had been talking about.

"Youou played these when he was younger, but they've gotten a lot better over the past few years." Edameonus stared at it blandly, his hands going to his pockets.

"…….They could be doing so much more with this shit." He grumbled, though he found the graphics to be entertaining.

"This isn't a very good one, there are some with motion capture technology and such, the graphics get rather good on some of them too." Toriho said as he paused the game and turned to the other man. Edameonus looked back and shook his head.

"What are those designers thinking? They can do much more with all this technology than create games to play." He shook his head again, getting hair out of his eyes this time.

"It's slowly going into other things." He said as he looked around for something else that could entertain his friend.

"Proof?" Edameonus said lightly, watching something on the news on the tv above the counter. He narrowed his eyes with a frown.

"Aside from more government oriented things, there are the computers, tv, most forms of media." Toriho grinned as he noticed the Ginryan watching the news. Edameonus peeled his eyes away from the screen and blinked.

"Show me more…" He began, finding this intriguing and sad at the same time. Toriho nodded and showed Edameonus the various things around the store that the man might have been interested in.

"In the bigger cities there's more of a variety, but there's still a lot here."

"Bigger cities?" Edameonus asked nonchalantly as he messed with a little toy robot on the bottom shelf.

"This is just a town, some of the biggest cities in the world have millions of citizens and millions more that commute to the city for work and thousands that travel to them every day to visit. There more like the capitol cities back home if anything." Toriho explained as he remembered his home world and the bustling cities there. Edameonus placed a finger against his chin in thought.

"I see… they're more advanced here than I assumed. I wish I could say that about their toy choices though…" He said as he looked at the mechanical dog again.

"I wonder if it's too soon to be buying toys..." The taller man said as he looked over the various toys lying in front of them. The other demon blinked and rolled his eyes at his friend.

"My word, you're really excited about Toshihiko being born aren't you?" He snapped as his hands went to his hips.

"Tsumebe and I only had one kid...it's exciting to think of being a grandfather and of Youou being a father after everything." He replied his smile faltering at the thought of how his son had almost ended up losing another child.

"Maybe he and Fay-chan will have several kids?"

"Ha, I wouldn't doubt it. With the way they go at it?" Edameonus grumbled peevishly, his eyebrow twitching as he thought about the night before and the limits he crossed. "Damn, I'd be surprised if they didn't have more than one."

"They're like rabbits then?" Toriho laughed, unfazed with talking about his son's private life and his friend's reaction. "I'll have to tell Tsumebe to expect more grandkids then...." He trailed off as he picked up a small star shaped toy that glowed. Edameonus rubbed his head and gave Toriho a quizzical look.

"I think I'm done looking here… there's nothing that really sparks my interest…"

"Do you at least have an idea of what you'd like?" Toriho said as he held the small toy and walked over to the counter to buy it. Paying for the toy, Toriho turned to look at the other Ginryan.

"You're very picky you know that?"

"You've known me for how long and you just realized that?" Edameonus replied sarcastically, walking to the entrance of the store. "Keh… I'm just looking for something to take my frustrations out on… something to punch or chew on or rip in half… any of that give you ideas?"

"Not anything that could last...." Toriho wondered about a punching bag for the other, but knew Kurogane wouldn't be thrilled about bolting something like that to his ceiling and floor. Both of them walked outside, Toriho carrying his bag as he tried to think of a place to go. Edameonus peered around to the different stores, clicking his tongue at each one that didn't sound interesting. He stopped though, looking up at one.

"What's this place? 'Sport's and Recreation Center'?"

"For outdoor sports, they might actually have something you can punch or hit things with in here." The taller man said as he opened the door and walked in.

"Cool." The other said casually as he followed, instantly looking around the shop for something he could mess around with.

"There's baseball, boxing, but I don't think that would be the best idea..." He could only imagine Edameonus boxing with Kurogane and knew he wasn't about to open that can of worms. "There's also basketball and all sorts of other sports." The demon looked at a fishing rod with dull amusement.

"What are those games?" He asked as he played with the twine that rolled out.

"Games with balls. And that's for fishing." Sighing the other man took the reel and began rolling back the reel's handle, so they wouldn't get kicked out for damaging goods.

"They got things for hunting here as well."

"Hunting you say?" Edameonus said with a slight grin, placing his hands back in his pockets. "Meaning things that shoot other things?"

"Meaning you need to have a permit and only for special occasions." Toriho said not liking the idea of the other man loose with any sort of weapon. "Maybe you should try to find something that won't kill another thing." Edameonus frowned deeply and scoffed.

"I'm a member of the Supreme Galactic Court. Like I need a puny certificate saying I can hold something that's lethal to others." He shrugged and continued walking down the isle. "But if you say so, I won't buy something that's dangerous to anyone's health by my own."

"You don't have any money for one thing." Toriho smirked as he went to the side of the store with the sports equipment.

"How about baseball, get to hit a ball?" Edameonus picked up a baseball and tossed it from one hand to the other.

"….How hard do I get to hit it?" He asked, slightly tempted to try it out.

"Doesn't matter." Toriho said with a smirk thinking he may have found his friend something to use. The demon grinned somewhat and tossed it slightly higher in the air.

"Hmm… And this sport is called baseball? Why? Does it sit on something?"

"No there's 4 bases, you start at home bases hit the ball that the pitcher throws at you, a run to the other three bases and back to home before someone on the other team can touch you with the ball." Chuckling the other man explained the sport to his friend as Edameonus tossed the baseball up in the air. The other demon's smirk slightly faded.

"So this a multi-player sport? Hn…" He set the ball down and placed his hand in his pocket. "I'd like something I could do by myself."

"You can play it by yourself, though it's better with others." Red eyes scanned the store, trying to find something. "Anything look interesting to you?" The shorter glanced about as well, trying to find something eye-catching.

"…Hmm… I don't know…" he walked forward a little into the sport's section. He picked up a volleyball and gave it the same treatment as the baseball.

"Why do all of these games include balls?"

"Never really thought about it before." Looking around the taller man sighed, not seeing anything that would keep the other man's interests.

"Hn… what's this one used for?" he picked up a black ball with three holes in the side.

"This one's heavy, do I get to throw it?" He asked playfully with a devilish grin.

"Only at pins." Toriho rolled his eyes, pointing at the white and red trimmed pins set up beside the Ginryan. Said man raised an eyebrow and scoffed again, setting down the ball gently.

"Eh, no fun." He laced his fingers and placed them behind his head, continuing to walk around in the section. Toriho sighed and followed after Edameonus; the other man seemed to not be interested in anything that he couldn't use to inflict some kind of harm.

"…what about this one?" He asked, picking up an almost too inflated basketball. He looked up to the hoop it was supposed to go in and tilted his head to the side somewhat.

"Basketball, you just try to throw the ball in the basket. You can play by yourself or with teams." Toriho said as he stood a little to the side to watch his friend. Edameonus blinked and looked to Toriho.

"Into that basket? Is it always that high?" He furrowed his brow in thought and placed the ball on his hip.

"This could be interesting… but I guess we can continue looking."

"You can adjust the height." Crossing his arms, Toriho scanned over the goal. "If you want this we could get, though I'm not sure if I could get that big of a box in my car." Edameonus shrugged and placed the ball back.

"Nah, I don't think this would help." He said simply, though merely walking around town was making him feel better. He had somewhat forgotten what was causing him to be upset in the first place.

"Alright." The other man walked forward, trying to figure out what he could find to help Edameonus.


	26. And learn to live without you

**Mirika-rin:** -bows- I apologize. You know why. ;; In this chapter we've got more tension, more angst, more fluff. With more than one couple, ohoho~!

**Ashine-chan:** Another somewhat angsty chapter, but we make up for it in a few more chapters and even drop a hint in this one for some fluff much, much later on. XD

* * *

~Meanwhile~

"Would Mokona-chan like to play outside?" Archellevon asked, placing a hat over his white hair. He had finished doing the laundry to keep his mind off the words Edameonus had said earlier in order to keep doubt out of his mind, and now he was thinking about taking a stroll around the fields while the demons were out. The small girl scrambled off the couch and looked with wide eyes up at the teen.

"Yes!" Mokona shouted as she waved her arms about excitedly. Smiling brightly the transformed creature ran towards the door to put on her shoes.

"Ah, ah, ah! Don't forget your hat, Mokona-chan. Remember that people might drive by still." He said, remembering the looks he and Mokona got for their absurdly white hair while in town. He vaguely wondered why black was such a common color but not white on Earth. Shaking the thoughts from his head he picked up a hat for the girl and walked over to the child. Mokona turned and waited with her shoes already on.

"Mokona and Archy will wear hats!" She smiled brightly up at the pale haired boy as she cheered. Archellevon smiled back and placed the hat atop her head. He turned to look back at the house, forgetting where the older members had run off to.

"Kurogane, Fay! Mokona-chan and I are going out!" He called, blushing a bit as he thought of what they might be doing. Mokona opened the door and stepped outside onto the porch. The weather had noticeably cooled over the past few weeks and soon it would be even colder as winter approached.

"Mokona's ready!" The former angel shivered at the nippy weather, glad he was wearing a jacket. He smiled to the girl and placed a soft hand on her head.

"Alright then, let's go." He said happily before letting her lead the way out. Fay listened as the front door shut and the house's other two occupants left. Shifting on the bed to get more comfortable, the blonde moved himself closer to Kurogane. Said man sighed, wrapping his arm tighter around the blonde's shoulders.

"Bout time… thought those two would never leave…" He muttered, rubbing his temple slightly with his free hand.

"That's not very nice to say Kuro-min." Fay smiled as he looked up at Kurogane. "Your head still hurts?"

"Yeah, that asshole threw a fucking textbook at my head!" Kurogane grumbled, shooting a glare to the ceiling as he thought of ways to get back at the cackling fiend.

"Tch, don't worry about it. S'only a migraine."

"Maybe once he comes back, he won't be so angry anymore." Fay sighed thinking how both men wouldn't let their little feud rest until something bad happened to one or both of them.

"Che, what's his problem anyway?!" Kurogane barked, though not entirely to Fay. Thinking about Edameonus was obviously not helping the migraine, for his hand shot back up to cup his forehead.

"You always bringing up his situation for one thing and you being jealous of him when he first came here didn't help things either." The other man said as he moved his hand to his lover's head.

"Jealous!? How the hell was I jealous of that dickwad?! I was angry that he would be stupid enough to try to win you over, that's all." Kurogane replied, though it seemed having Fay's hand on his head calmed him down slightly.

"You should know better than that, especially now." A dull blue glowed at the tips of Fay's fingers, hoping to help Kurogane's headache. "And before you say anything, I'm not hurting myself." He grinned, knowing the taller man would complain. Red eyes snapped over to the blonde and he growled, though he didn't say anything. Kurogane closed his eyes and sighed, not wanting to yell while they finally had a brief moment to themselves.

"Feel better?" Fay smirked as he removed his hand from the side of his lover's head.

"Hn." Kurogane moved his mechanical arm to grip Fay's side lightly, planting a kiss on the pale forehead in thanks. The shorter man chuckled at the gesture.

"Kuro-chan's very cute sometimes." The other glared halfheartedly at the smaller man.

"How many damn times are you going to call me cute?" He asked.

"How ever many times I want to, Kuro-cute." The blonde's smile widened as he looked up at Kurogane.

"That's so goddamn annoying." Kurogane replied, pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt another headache about to start from Fay's teasing.

"Then what would you want me to call you?" Fay said he propped himself up with his arm, still laying on his side.

"How about my name for once?" Kurogane growled as he looked up to his lover. He had heard his name roll off Fay's lips plenty of times and found himself not liking it as much as he had thought.

"You said you didn't want me to." Fay grinned, knowing they had had the same discussion before. Kurogane rolled his eyes with a frown.

"You're confusing to deal with." He said in exasperation, moving his hand from Fay's side to place it behind his head.

"Maybe I should just say Youou instead, seeing that you don't like my pet names or me calling you by your other name." The blonde said as he looked at his lover.

"Hell no. I don't like it when dad calls me that, you're no different." Kurogane grunted, thinking about how his father kept ignoring his wishes by calling him by his childhood name.

"Then Kuro-rin it is." Fay leaned over to kiss Kurogane as he chuckled at the other's response. The other exhaled dangerously but kissed back, not wanting to shout. He moved his hand out from under his head and used it to pull Fay down over top of him. The blonde moved to rest more comfortably atop Kurogane as he smiled.

"Kuro-kun can be affectionate too." Fay grinned as he crossed his arms on top of his lover's chest as he peered down at the other man. Kurogane raised an eyebrow as his hands moved to rest against the shorter man's sides.

"I can always be abusive if you prefer that." He threatened, not liking how the blonde relentlessly pointed out his softer attributes.

"Kuro-san wouldn't hurt me." The blonde pointed out. He knew the other wouldn't really do anything to him, despite his threats for otherwise. Kurogane clicked his tongue, looking back to the ceiling.

"You're annoying." He commented, not wanting to admit out loud the blonde was right.

"Kuro-sama still loves me though, even if he thinks that." The blonde said as he rested his chin on top of his crossed arms. Red eyes glanced down to him and the taller scoffed.

"So?" He listened as Mokona squealed outside, not being far from the house.

"So you shouldn't act like I'm such an annoyance, even if I know it's not true." He continued to grin as he rested atop Kurogane. A tan hand came up to move a few strands away from Fay's eyes.

"What, you don't like the way I act now?"

"Kuro-rin wouldn't be the same Kuro-tan if he acted any differently, but you shouldn't say what you don't mean. At least not when we're alone." Long arms moved from under Fay to wrap loosely around the other man's shoulders. The dark haired man watched Fay resituate himself before sighing.

"Fine. Whatever." Leaning down, the blonde kissed the other man.

"So Kuro-rinta doesn't mind the names?" He smirked, knowing the other wouldn't admit to it. Kurogane hesitated, not looking at the blonde for a moment. He grumbled in reply, shifting his vision over to the nightstand.

"What was that Kuro-san?" Fay grinned as he leaned forward to plant a chaste kiss on Kurogane's cheek. Said cheek reddened slightly and Kurogane growled angrily.

"I said no dammit." Fay giggled and kissed Kurogane again, his hands moving to cup his lover's cheek. He smiled into the gesture, surprised how Kurogane had actually answered him. The taller man applied pressure to the kiss, his hand slinking up the other man's clothed back to hold blonde locks in his grasp. Even if he was embarrassed about admitting his feelings on something so personal, he didn't feel like passing up a good kiss.

Fay sighed against Kurogane's lips, his hands moving to his lover's hair. Kurogane pulled his partner closer to him, relaxing more so now than before as he felt Fay's hand in his tresses. He smirked against pale lips and licked them, the want to taste the lithe man never leaving him alone. Fingers sifted through his dark hair as Fay pressed himself against Kurogane, enjoying the quiet they shared in their bedroom now that the houses other occupants were out.

Kurogane slipped his tongue into Fay's mouth expertly, not patient enough for Fay to open his own mouth. The Valerian felt his cheeks immediately flush a bright shade of red as Kurogane suddenly deepened their kiss. A small sound escaped his throat as Fay shifted above the taller man. Kurogane looked to the lithe man and raised an eyebrow, removing his tongue from the blonde's mouth.

"What's with you?" He asked.

"What?" Fay said as he looked down at Kurogane, curious about why his lover had ended their kiss.

"Why are you blushing?" The taller man asked, his lips brushing against the other man's as he spoke.

"Am I not supposed to?" Fay questioned. Kurogane shrugged.

"We've made out before, just thought you'd be used to it." He murmured, recapturing the lips in a brief kiss.

"Hmm....I almost always blush when we kiss." A smile crept onto the other's lips.

"Hn…" Kurogane smirked playfully before licking Fay's bottom lip. "If you say so."

The blonde's knew he was blushing again, but he grinned anyway. Fay tilted his head down to kiss Kurogane once more. Said man accepted the other, smirking as his tongue traveled into the lithe man's mouth again. The lithe man lying atop Kurogane smiled into their kiss as it was deepened. Fay's arms moved to rest on either side of the other man's head as the blonde bent downwards into their kiss.

Kurogane explored Fay's mouth like he did the first time, searching for nothing in particular as he did so. He moved his hand from the back of Fay's head to travel to his side, clasping his waist gently.

Fay sighed as he felt himself relaxing into the familiar sensation of Kurogane's lips moving against his own, his arms tightening around the taller's neck. The dark haired man smirked and continued to move his tongue inside the blonde's mouth, mingling it with the other. He ignored another squeal from the two outside, hearing what sounded like a splat of mud. The shorter man blushed as he heard Mokona outside, hoping they wouldn't be interrupted. Fay moved his fingers to his lover's hair, trying to distract himself.

Said girl squealed again as she chased after a frog in a small pond on the side of the house. Archellevon huffed as he appeared off of the side.

"There you are! Don't run around in case I might lose you!" he scolded weakly, having chased after the girl from the other side of the house.

"Mokona doesn't want it to get away!" Soel shouted as she kept her eyes trained onto the frog leaping slowly away from her. Archellevon placed a hand on his hip and leaned them to the side while raising an eyebrow.

"Moko-chan, you sat in the mud didn't you?" He asked, noticing wet dirt on the back of the girl's dress.

"But he did too!" She pointed at the frog, which only croaked and hopped once more away from the girl.

"Frogs are supposed to do that, sweetie." Archellevon shook his head slowly and walked over to the child, making sure not to step in any mud as he did so.

"Mokona wants to be a frog!" Soel cheered as her purple eyes watched the green creature intently.

"If you were a frog we'd have to leave you outside." The taller one said as he crouched to sit at the girl's level. Mokona thought over the teen's words for a moment before shaking her head.

"Mokona doesn't want to live outside."

"Then we'd have to keep you in a cage and you would be able to go to town with your father or me." Archellevon said simply, blushing when he realized the way he had put himself with Edameonus in that sentence. Pouting the small girl turned to look over at the mud on the back if her dress, knowing she'd be scolded for it later.

"Mokona doesn't want to live in a cage."

"Then would Moko-chan like to stay Moko-chan instead of being a frog? What do you think your father would think?" He asked, a small smile on his face as he drew circles in the soggy ground with his finger.

"Mokona wants to be Mokona!" The small girl turned and jumped at Archellevon to hug the teen as she frowned, the frog forgotten. The former angel, having been crouched down, lost his balance and yelped, falling over to be sitting in the pond.

"A-Ah! M-Moko-chan!" He whimpered, the water being colder due to the weather change.

"Archy and Mokona are wet." The girl said as she hugged Archellevon, her dress now muddy and soaked as it clung to her tiny legs. Archellevon smiled weakly, though his eyebrows knitted together.

"Y-yes Moko-chan… we are…" He tried to move out of the small pond, but his hand slipped and he ended up deeper in the water.

"Kyaaa!" Mokona yelped as both of them fell deeper into the water. The girl shivered as cold water washed over her. Archellevon coughed as some of the pond water entered his mouth, more desperate to get out.

"Moko-chan… you'll have to get off me…" He muttered, wiping his mouth with a muddy hand. Mokona pushed herself off the teen as she crawled out of the water and stood, tears welled in her eyes as she looked herself over and looked at Archellevon. The other began to shiver as he too crawled out, massaging the water out of the hair at the base of his neck. He knelt in the mud, the damage done to his clothing, and quivered more. He looked to the girl and smiled, showing he wasn't angry.

"Is Moko-chan ok?"

"Mokona's wet and cold." She frowned as her tiny frame began to shiver. Archellevon stood, his shirt wrinkling up to show his pale stomach.

"It's ok… we can go inside of Moko-chan would like?" He said with a softer grin, his own body trembling.

"Mokona wants to go inside!" She said, upset at being covered in mud and outside in the cold. The former angel tried to keep his hand from shaking as he stretched it out for the smaller person.

"Sh-shall we go inside then? We'll have to go in the back d-door so Kurogane won't get angry at us tracking mud through the house…" Mokona nodded as she grabbed his hand and they began to walk, she grimaced at the feel of mud in her shoes as they made their way to the other side of the house.

~Elsewhere~

"Hn? What are these?" Edameonus asked, picking up a bag of candy. They had since moved on from the sport's store, settling on buying a soccer ball and a basketball, finding a goal set that could be nailed to the shed, and were now in a drug store, still on the move for something to keep Edameonus from ripping someone's face off at home.

"Assorted chocolates." Toriho answered as he glanced at the bag the other man was holding.

"What are chocolates?" Edameonus asked while scrunching up his nose, not taking heed of the ladies standing near him who whispered and blushed.

"Are they miniature food?"

"Sweets..." The taller man rolled his eyes, thinking he should explain things to Edameonus before the other looked even stranger to the other townspeople. Edameonus stuck out his tongue before setting down the bag.

"What about this?" He asked, holding up a packet of spearmint. The girls next to him giggled, thinking he was a foreigner.

"Mints." Toriho said amused at his friend's cluelessness, even though he hadn't been any different when he first came to the planet.

"Mints? Isn't there anything that's not sweet? What about spicy or hot?" He asked, picking up a pack of hot tamales candy.

"Those are." Toriho pointed to the flames on the plastic bag.

"… Can we get these?" He asked, sounding like a child. He looked up to behind the counter where the cashier kept things that weren't sold to people under-aged.

"…What are those?"

"Tobacco products and yeah we can get them." The taller of the two said as he looked at the wall lined with cigarettes and other things.

"Tobacco? What's that?" Edameonus said, a slight grin coming on his face when he heard the agreement Toriho gave him for the candy. He set the bag on the counter and pointed to a packet with a mule on it.

"That one. What is that one?"

"People smoke or chew it....and those are cigarettes." He sighed as he watched Edameonus scan over the various labels. "Figures you'd want something that might kill you."

"Cigarettes? How can smoking something kill you? How do you smoke it?" Edameonus asked, wrinkling his nose in confusion.

"Sort of like a pipe." Toriho said as he pointed at a pack to the cashier, knowing it wouldn't hurt for the other to try. Buying the cigarettes, along with a lighter, and Edameonus's candy, the other Ginryan turned to his friend.

"Come on, you can try one outside." Edameonus followed closely, excited to try the new things the other man had got him. He plucked the candy out of the shopping bag, opening up the plastic once they were out of the store.

"This bag is pretty big, did you have to get one this size? I might not like it."

"It doesn't cost that much." Toriho said as he focused on unwrapping the cigarette pack. "If you don't like it you can throw it away or give it to one of the others." Pulling out two cigarettes, Toriho handed one to Edameonus. Said man looked at it curiously, taking it to examine it.

"What do I do with it?" He asked while gripping the bag of candy with his other hand.

"Tell Tsumebe about this and there'll be a fight, got it Ed?" The taller said as he brought his own cigarette to his lips and flicked on the lighter in his hand. Bringing the flame up to the end, the taller man took a drag from the cigarette, only to exhale a second later.

"Not hard, just don't get choked on the smoke." He offered the lighter to Edameonus. The demon blinked and followed the other man's example, allowing his friend to light his. He inhaled, being caught off guard by the reaction, but didn't cough like most would. He pulled it out of his mouth, watching as the smoke billowed away.

"D… damn…" He looked at the cigarette again, blinking once more. "And you do that until it's down here?" He asked, pointing to the brown part.

"You can, that's the filter." Toriho looked disinterested out across the street as he continued to smoke beside Edameonus. "I take it you like them then?"

"It's different. They don't have anything like this back home." He placed the cigarette back in his mouth, breathing in again.

"And humans still make them even if they can kill you?" He asked while reaching in the bag for some candy.

"It has addictive ingredients along with traces of several types of poisons, but most don't care." Toriho exhaled once more, watching idly as the smoke dispersed around them. Edameonus stared at some passersby, wondering why they gave them a disgusted look before continuing on.

"Poisons? I can't think of a reason why'd they be bad for us then." He looked to Toriho. "Is smoking seen as bad on Earth?"

"Not by most people, others think it's a bad habit." Toriho said as he ignored the few people that stared at them. "Are you done looking around or would you like to go to another store?"

"I don't care. We can go home if you're tired of me." He replied with a grin, removing the cigarette from his mouth to try a candy. He bit into it, only to realize it was a hard candy.

"Hn… these are interesting too…"

Toriho chuckled. "How long have I known you? And you ask if I'm bored hanging out with you?" He watched Edameonus eat his candy, thinking the other looked like a child. The demon smirked and offered him a red candy.

"You've told me so many times before that you are. Just making sure you've not grown impatient while living with these primates." He chuckled playfully, placing the smoke into his mouth again. Eating the candy offered to him, Toriho grimaced at the taste.

"You're an idiot. We could always go and set up your new goal; maybe instead of fighting with Youou you can beat him at a game?" The other suggested, not wanting to see both men start fighting once they saw each other again.

"That sounds like fun." Edameonus grinned, careful not to lose the cigarette by smiling. He wrapped the candy bag up and placed it in the shopping bag Toriho was carrying.

"Let's go then."

"Just have to promise, that if you beat him, you won't rub it in his face...at least not when Fay-chan's around." Toriho smirked before he began walking back towards his car. He deposited the pack and lighter back in the bag as both men passed several stores on their way down the street.

"Tch, you're no fun." Edameonus pouted while moving his hands behind his back in a bored manner.

"Hey, why would mentioning us smoking to Tsumebe-chan be a bad thing? Don't you smoke around her at all?"

"I haven't in years and only then I did it rarely." He grimaced at the thought of Tsumebe finding out.

"So she doesn't like it when you smoke?" Edameonus commented, tapping the ashes off of the cigarette briefly before taking another drag.

"No." As they approached his car, Toriho snuffed out his cigarette and threw it into a nearby trashcan.

"Put that out before you get in the car." Edameonus blinked and growled, not liking the requirement his friend laid out for him. He followed the other man's movements, sighing smoke one more time before entering the car.

"You're no fun, Souhi."

"I don't want the car smelling like smoke." Toriho stepped in as well and shut the door before he tossed the plastic bag he'd been carrying in the back seat with the rest of Edameonus's things.

"Besides you have the rest of the pack." Edameonus buckled up, puckering his lips in a defiant pout.

"Whatever." He smiled then, leaning back in his chair. "Thanks for this, Souhi. I had forgotten how much fun it was to hang out with you." His smile became slightly sad. "Now we just need to get Archy with us and it'll be like old times on Ginryuu." Toriho laughed as he started the car and began to drive.

"It won't be exactly like back then, but it'll be close enough." Edameonus continued to smile as his hand went to his cheek while his elbow supported it against the door.

"Yeah…" He watched the town started to move when Toriho pulled out of the parking spot, his frown surfacing once more.

"Hey… Souhi… I gotta tell you something… about your son…" He said suddenly, the guilt of keeping it a secret from Toriho abruptly becoming more than he could handle.

"What about him?" Toriho asked, his eyes trained on the road as they drove out of the town and back towards Kurogane's house.

"Make sure not to crash ok? This will surely take you off guard." Edameonus said slowly, knowing it was against the rules to let it leak before the Court wanted him to.

"I'm also not supposed to tell you, so don't let it get out yet, ok?"

"What is it?" Toriho said as he glanced over at Edameonus, giving the other man a harsh look.

"I-It's got to do with Fay-chan too…" Edameonus said with a feeble smile, not liking that Toriho was assuming it was bad news.

"But… the Court has decided something for them…" He braced himself, before inhaling. Toriho gripped the steering wheel as he glared out at the road, wondering if the other chose now to tell him because he was driving.

"Just spit it out Ed." Edameonus looked to the cup holder and smiled a little wider.

"Well… you see… They're-"

~Meanwhile~

Archellevon smiled and managed to get Mokona into the bathroom without much water dripping onto the floor. He set down the girl to stand by the tub while he went to the door. "I'll be right back, let me get a robe ok?" Mokona nodded as she stood and watched Archellevon leave. Looking down at herself Soel could see her arms and legs smudged with mud. Her dress had patches of mud over it and the girl hoped it could be cleaned. The teenager shivered while removing his shoes, knowing Kurogane would scold him for the mud. He exited the bathroom and made quick work of finding the robe Tomoyo had bought him. He went back into the bathroom, hoping not a lot of water dripped from him.

"Alright, let's get you undressed." Mokona nodded as she shivered and wiggled about to pull her ruined dress over her head. Archellevon set the robe aside and knelt down to be her height. He helped her pull it off, it being heavier with the water still clinging to it. He smiled and made sure to keep his eyes trained to her face in order to give her some privacy in case she wanted it.

"I'll go ahead and start the water for you."

"Mokona's hairs muddy too." She frowned as she looked at the ends of her hair caked with dried mud. The teenager frowned slightly while unbuttoning his shirt.

"W-well, I suppose we can shampoo your hair too." He said, glad that the heat of the house was keeping his teeth from chattering. He moved to inside the shower and grabbed the girl's shampoo.

"Here you are, sweetie." Grabbing the bottle Mokona did as told and began trying to wash the mud from her hair, too cold to put up her regular antics when trying to bathe.

"A-ah! You should get your hair wet before you do that…" Archellevon said weakly, starting the bath water for the tinier member of the room. He checked the temperature of it with his hand and smiled, plugging it up before turning to the girl.

"Ok, you can get in now. Stepping inside the bathtub, Mokona dunked her head underwater before raising and scrubbing at her hair.

"Mokona's muddy." She pouted as the water became deluded as the mud was slowly washed off her. Archellevon nodded and pulled off his shirt, shivering as the cold air hit him. He rung out the water in the shower stall before glancing over to Mokona.

"Do you want me to help you, darling?" He asked, blushing lightly as he thought of how used he was to calling the girl pet names.

"Yes." Mokona pouted, frustrated at not being able to get all the mud from her hair. Tiny hands scrubbed at her face careful of her cheek as she did. Archellevon smiled fondly at the cute nature of the child before tossing his wet garment into the dirty clothing basket. He moved to sit next to the tub, ignoring his own want to bathe.

"Here, let me get that." He cooed gently before massaging the clumps of dirt from the ends of her hair. "Did you have fun? That is, before we fell in the pond…"

"Yes, Mokona had fun with Archy!" She smiled, temporarily forgetting about the mud and grime still covering her. Archellevon grinned as well, glad to see the other smiling.

"Good, I had fun too." He said as his hands moved to lather the soap in her hair. "See? The mud wasn't hard to get out." Purple eyes watched as the dried mud mixed with the bath water.

"The water's muddy now." She said as she looked up at Archellevon.

"And whose fault is that?" He asked with a playful grin, shivering slightly as he felt the pond water on his own body dry.

"Don't worry about it love, we can simply shower you off if you want." He said knowing putting the water back on the girl would keep her dirty. Mokona nodded and kept still as Archellevon finished cleaning her hair. She sighed, being glad for the warm water as she washed what mud was left off her arms. Archellevon briefly looked away from the girl when he heard a car drive up to their home.

"Ah, looks like your father and Souhi-kun are back." He said softly, feeling his heart skip a beat when he thought of Edameonus. Mokona began splashing about excited at the thought of Edameonus bringing back something for her to look at.

"Mokona wants to go see!" Archellevon sighed lightly and shook his head.

"We have to get you cleaned first, ok?" He chided lightly, moving to the shower.

"Here, you can come over here and wash off." He turned the shower on; making sure it was the right temperature for the child. Mokona stood and did as she was told, wanting to hurry and find Edameonus. Archellevon moved the shower door to being barely open so he could keep an eye on her, going to the tub instead. He bent over and pulled the plug, jumping when he heard the front door slam open. Mokona tilted her head to the side, confused at the sound as she stood under the shower. Archellevon looked over to Mokona in worry, hoping it wasn't bad. He moved to stand up but was once again caught off guard by a loud noise. He heard Fay call out his old friend's name in surprise, but it didn't sound bad like it was caused from bad news.

"Toriho!" Fay yelped as he was picked up off of Kurogane by his lover's father. The blonde looked over his shoulder, his face crimson as the other man wrapped his arms around him. Kurogane sat up, growling at his father for interrupting what little alone time he had with Fay.

"O-Oi! Dad! What the hell is wrong with you?!" He barked, not liking the proximity of his parent to his lover.

"I just love Fay-chan is all!" Ignoring Kurogane the older man didn't let go of Fay. Toriho laughed as he hugged the blonde, careful of his stomach. Fay's arms went limp as his face flushed and darkened. Blue eyes looked at Kurogane, confused and embarrassed at the situation. Edameonus poked his head into the door, sucking on his candy like a toddler would.

"Oi, Fay-chan, where's Soel and Archy?" Kurogane stood from the bed, growling at his father before shooting a glare to the man at the door, who glared back.

"..." Fay was frozen, not knowing what to think of Toriho's actions, not to mention the older man's words. Toriho only continued to laugh as he held the blonde.

"Check the laundry room or something Ed." The Ginryan said as he looked over his shoulder to Edameonus. Said demon furrowed his brow, knowing the other was happy over the news he had told him in the car.

"Hey, leggo of Fay-chan. How do you expect them to get on making any more of your grandchildren while you're always coddling him?" Kurogane felt his face redden by the demon's words, another growl exiting his throat.

"I'd have to wait until the first one's born before they can make more, Ed, or did no one tell you how babies were made?" Toriho chuckled setting the blonde down, only to wrap an arm around his shoulders. Fay covered his face with one of his hands, speechless, he glared halfheartedly towards Edameonus from between his fingers. The ambassador shrugged and waved one hand as he looked down to the bag of candy again.

"I'm just saying don't make it a habit. Kurogane might get jealous." He grinned smugly while the well built man growled again.

"Bastard!" Toriho laughed.

"Fay-chan's attractive and all, but I'm married Ed." The older man still had his arm around Fay, who sighed in resignation.

"Come on then, married man, leave the lovebirds alone and help me find my kid." Edameonus said offhandedly while consuming more hot tamales. "Goddamn human candy is good."

"Alright." Toriho hugged the blonde once more before walking out of the bedroom with Edameonus.

"…Kuro-san?" Fay finally said as he watched the other two men leave and then turned around to walk towards Kurogane. Said man looked incensed, his anger subsiding as his parent left.

"What the hell was his problem?" He snapped angrily, still glaring at the door.

"I don't know..." Fay blushed as he replayed what had happened. "He could have at least knocked...instead of just picking me up...." Kurogane pinched the bridge of his nose while sighing in exasperation.

"Do I always have to keep our door locked?" He asked to no one in particular, listening to Edameonus and Toriho search through the house. Edameonus held the open bag of candies whilst tapping the bathroom door lightly.

"Oi, you two in h…" He began but stopped, eyes falling upon a half naked Archellevon. Toriho paused behind Edameonus as he too saw the teenager. Mokona peered from the shower at Edameonus and smiled brightly, wondering she could get out now. Both Archellevon and Edameonus's faces lit up like red traffic lights, the former angel squeaking indignantly before holding the robe up to cover bare skin like a girl would.

"A-ah! E-Ed! S-Souhi-kun!"

"S-sorry! We'll get out!" Edameonus stammered before slamming the door closed, almost dropping the bag. Toriho could hear Mokona complained at Archellevon behind the now closed door. He smiled sheepishly, thinking he wasn't the only one that should wait to be let into a room. On the other side, Archellevon let the robe drop to the floor as he covered his face with his hands, feeling like his cheeks would explode.

"M-Moko-chan, you can get out now…" He said weakly, moving to sit on the edge of the tub.

"Okay!" Mokona smiled as she stepped out of the shower after turning it off. She moved and wrapped a towel around her, remembering how Edameonus usually did. Archellevon didn't look up, though he was usually quick to help her out.

"D-Do you know where to get your night gown, sweetie?" he muttered weakly, eyes closed tightly as his head was bent to the ground.

"Yes." Mokona frowned at seeing the teen upset. She walked towards him confused at his sudden change. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and he looked up sharply, the blush not fading from his cheeks.

"A-ah? Do you need help?" He asked, trying to give the girl a smile.

"Archy's sad?" Mokona asked as she looked at him worriedly.

"No, sweetheart…" Archellevon smiled comfortingly to the girl, removing a hand from his cheek to stroke the wet hair affectionately.

"I'm not sad… I'm… just embarrassed…"

"Archy shouldn't be!" The girl smiled as attempted to cheer the other up. The taller one blinked in surprise and removed his hand.

"W-why not?" He thought back to the way Edameonus's eyes scanned over his flesh and instantly he went redder.

"Because it was only Edameonus and Toriho." She grinned, not understanding exactly why the other was blushing. Archellevon looked to the ground, his expression full of embarrassment and unease.

"B…but it was because… it was E-Ed and Souhi-kun…" He muttered, not really remembering the last time Toriho had seen him without a shirt.

"They're boys too though." Mokona said confused at why Archellevon would be embarrassed about the other two men seeing him half dressed.

"Moko-chan please…" He pleaded quietly, placing a hand over his eyes. He stayed like that for a moment before giving her a smile. "Don't you want to ask how your father enjoyed his trip into town? He might've got something for you."

Soel gasped at having forgotten. "Mokona will go and see!" She smiled and shouted a quick goodbye to the teen before opening the door and heading out of the bathroom to find Edameonus. Archellevon watched her go before letting his head drop to his hands once more, trying to get the image of Edameonus's expression out his mind. He moved to the shower, undressing the rest of the way so he could get clean as well. He listened as Mokona squealed excitedly to her father figure, who chuckled.

"Hey, you, what are you doing taking a bath in the middle of the day?"

"Mokona and Archy feel into the mud!" She said as she clasped the towel in her tiny hand still.

"Mokona wants to see what you brought back!" The girl shouted as she looked up at Edameonus.

"Tsk. Only when you march straight back into the bathroom and get dressed." Edameonus replied, patting her still wet hair while offering her a nightgown with his other hand. Toriho chuckled as he sat, watching their exchange.

"But Archy's taking a bath." Mokona pouted as she grabbed the light colored nightgown from her father figure. Edameonus raised an eyebrow before sighing.

"Fine then. Go to the laundry room and change. Want me to come with you?" He asked her, sitting up slightly in his chair to show he was willing to move.

"Mokona will do it!" Soel smiled brightly before darting off to the laundry room. Toriho laughed as he watched Mokona disappear into the laundry room. Edameonus smiled to himself, leaning back in his chair.

"Hn. I'll never get over her spunky attitude." He said, looking to the ground in thought. "Makes me kind of regret things, you know?"

"You're already starting over again here...things will be different." Toriho said as he sat back in his chair.

"You know he's already remembered the Court. If he contacts them he'll most likely want to go back and we'll be back where we started. Things are more similar than I'd hope for." The demon frowned. He hesitated for a moment before laughing. "I'm an asshole. Keeping him from doing what he wants for my own selfish needs."

"It's not selfish, because while he doesn't know the grief it caused him being with the court, you do. It's only natural that you don't want him to suffer the same as he did before." Toriho frowned as he remembered his last encounter with Archellevon on Edonis.

"I don't fucking get it!" Edameonus busted out suddenly, gripping his chair tightly.

"Why the hell weren't the rules changed?! A court member fucking died because of them, but because it hadn't happened a lot they're overlooking it!?" He picked up the nearest object, tempted to throw it.

"And now Archy's literally handed to me once again and I can't tell him I fucking love the smug little bastard?!"

"Some things were changed. You can't expect such a huge overhaul of everything the court handles...even if the price for what small change happened was so much." Toriho smiled at his friend's outburst.

"You could always try and win him over, that is if you can handle not watching him from the corners of buildings and things." The taller man said, remembering how Edameonus had followed a younger Archellevon. The other demon shot a glare to his friend, not liking how he wasn't doing much to help his anger. He set down the object, not wanting it to be the cause of another fight between him and Kurogane if he did throw it.

"Dammit, you. I'm a member of that stupid court, I should've had some say in how much they changed!"

"No matter what you had wanted it's still a group decision..." Sighing the older man closed his eyes briefly, thinking of all the trouble he had thought had been left behind. Edameonus slumped in his seat, biting his lip to stop himself from complaining about the same things over again. His hands fisted together as he waited for the white haired girl to come back in the room. He pondered over a thought and suddenly smirked.

"…Wonder what he'd do if I _did_ kissed him…"

"Depends on how you go about it I guess." Red eyes gazed over towards Edameonus, curious at the other's sudden lack of anger. One of the clenched fists went to Edameonus's eyes; his head leaning back as he covered his vision.

"His reaction would be priceless… just like the first time we kissed on Jade…" He trailed off, glad that thinking about old times easily calmed him down.

"He's different now, if you just up and kiss him, you might end up scaring him off." Toriho said as he thought back to their younger selves and of the old Archellevon. Edameonus chuckled and relaxed in his chair, feeling the building anger fade.

"Yeah… this one's different… this one's innocent…" He frowned, removing his hand from his eyes. "…This one isn't a dreamseer."

"Means you've got your work cut out for you." Toriho smirked knowing Edameonus hadn't been the best at trying to win over someone while growing up, but he supposed he already knew his lover, he would just have to try.

"You know if you're having trouble you could always ask Youou, from what I understand Fay-chan was fairly naïve about relationships as well." He smirked, knowing Edameonus would never agree to ask Kurogane for advice.

"Fuck that, your son's terrible." Edameonus snorted, watching as Mokona ran back into the room, fully clothed with the towel wrapped around her hair haphazardly. He clicked his tongue and moved forward.

"What the hell did you try to do to that poor towel?"

"Mokona didn't want her clothes to get wet again!" She shouted as she ran up to Edameonus.

"He had to be doing something right to get someone like Fay-chan after only a few days." Toriho laughed thinking of how ill-tempered Kurogane could be. Edameonus rolled his eyes at his friend's comment, his hands going to Mokona's towel. He messed with it a little, drying white locks.

"Lemme wrap this right and then I'll show you what I got, ok Soel?" Mokona nodded her head vigorously, anxious to see what the Ginryan had brought back with him. Amused, Toriho watched the small girl and his friend interact. Edameonus moved the towel nimbly around the white hair, placing it on the girl's head just so. He smirked and plucked a strand of hair out of her eyes to move it to the side.

"There you are." He then leaned over and picked up the bag of candy. The girl watched curious about what the man held in his hand, her eyes wide as she examined the bag.

"What is it?"

"Candy." Edameonus smiled a little wider at seeing Mokona's curiosity and opened the bag, pulling out one for her.

"They're hot though." Picking up the piece of candy, Mokona ate it. Her purple eyes immediately closed as she made a face. The small girl quickly swallowed the candy and stuck out her tongue.

"Hot! Mokona's tongue burns!" Edameonus chuckled and popped one in his own mouth.

"I warned you. Do you not like it?" He asked with a slight grin, ignoring the smug expression of his friend.

"Mokona likes sweet candy better." She answered as she stood in front of the Ginryan. Toriho chuckled being vaguely reminded of Kurogane as a child.

"Well I like hot candy better." Edameonus said, the smile not leaving his lips. He glanced to the bag and frowned, thinking the cigarettes wouldn't be good for the child.

"I also got games to play. They're called soccer and basketball."

"Can we play then?" Mokona said as she watched Edameonus eat another piece of candy.

"I was going to ask you if you wanted to, but you've already taken a bath. These games are outside sports." Edameonus said with a sad smile, noticing the bandages on Mokona's face had held out during the bath.

"Mokona will take another bath!" She pouted, wanting to play outside.

"Maybe Mokona-chan could ask the others if they wanted to play?" Toriho suggested. Edameonus raised an eyebrow to his elder companion.

"How about tomorrow?" He offered, picking up the girl to set her in his lap. "It's getting late anyway; the sun won't be out for much longer." Mokona frowned and crossed her arms, knowing she wouldn't get to play now.

"Alright."

"That's a good girl." Edameonus chuckled as he nuzzled her covered hair. He instantly stiffened when he saw Archellevon move into the room hesitantly, his own blue eyes downcast while his face was completely red. The girl smiled at the affectionate gesture as she sat atop the Ginryan. Toriho watched, wondering if the teen had overheard them earlier. Archellevon moved to the other couch silently, sitting down on it and moving his hands to refold the blanket set to the side for him to sleep with. Edameonus frowned before looking to Toriho, wanting to break the sudden awkward silence before it grew too long.

"Oi, when the hell are we going to work on my house? Isn't the outside done already?"

"Yes, I need to hire some people to put down flooring and fix the interior walls before we can start moving in furniture." Toriho said as he glanced over towards the other Ginryan. The former angel flinched, realizing how close the other man's house was to being finished. He sort of dreaded telling Edameonus that he wanted to live with him now, but he didn't voice it. The demon relaxed in his chair, idly stroking Mokona's cheek affectionately.

"You've already got furniture picked out?" He asked his childhood friend.

"Not really, though once we're ready to move I can just get a set all in one to go." Thinking to what little work was left Toriho smiled; glad that his friend would soon have his own home. Edameonus grunted and laced his fingers together around the child in his lap.

"Alright then. So when will we be able to move in?" He asked without looking to the white haired boy.

"Another week or so." The other man said as he tried to guess how long it would take. Mokona smiled as she leaned back against Edameonus. The demon closed his eyes and sighed, content with his daughter in his lap.

"Hn." Archellevon looked up awkwardly, staring at Mokona in order to keep his blush at bay. Toriho glanced over at the boy, wondering if Archellevon was still blushing because he and the other man had seen him half naked. The short silence was broken by Toriho's cell phone ring tone. Archellevon's eyes retreated back to the blanket in his lap, casually smoothing out the barely visible wrinkles with his hands. Edameonus looked over curiously to his companion.

"What's that?"

"Cell phone..." Pulling it out of his pocket Toriho flipped it open. "Hello?" He asked only to hear his wife's voice on the other end.

"Hello darling." It came through the speaker, the technology loud enough for Edameonus to hear, though said man didn't pay attention to the words being spoken. Toriho smiled brightly at Tsumebe's greeting.

"You're leaving work?" He asked, knowing she had been busy over the past few weeks.

"Unfortunately not, sweetheart." Came a sweet but sad voice. "They need me still, so I won't be home until late. And this week will be like the past few. I can't do anything else until next Monday."

"At least you'll be able to rest for the holidays. Fay-chan and Archy were wanting to bake some with you for Christmas and maybe some decorating." He smiled knowingly, disliking the fact Tsumebe worked as much as she did.

"Oh my! Really? Oh do please tell them I'm sorry I couldn't make it over sooner. I'll come visit them as soon as I get a free moment." Edameonus looked up briefly when Archellevon's name was mentioned, and so did the teenager. The white haired one placed a hand on his chest.

"Is something wrong with Tsumebe-san?" Toriho grinned and shook his head.

"There's no need to rush, I'll come and pick you up Monday. Love, that reminds me. You wouldn't know where exactly all those old home movies and albums of Youou are would you? I was wanting to show some of them to Fay-chan." The man grinned as he thought about showing the blonde. Edameonus snorted at that, unable to contain his hunger for humiliating Kurogane.

"I know where they are yes. Why this all of a sudden?" Came Tsumebe's voice inquiringly. Archellevon pouted slightly at having his question unanswered, but judging by Toriho's cheerful questioning he suspected it wasn't bad.

"I thought Fay-chan would like them." Toriho answered as he leaned back against his seat.

"Especially with our grandchild on the way, I figured we could show them to him." The older man also knew their son wouldn't be too happy, but would get over it soon enough. He heard Tsumebe giggle.

"Alright then. Well darling, I have to go." She said with a sigh.

"I'll see you soon Tsumebe." He smiled as he said his own goodbye to his wife. Edameonus watched as Toriho hung up with his wife, not noticing that Mokona had entertained herself by drawing out the lines on his hand.

"So she's not coming over tomorrow?"

"No, she's still working. But soon she'll have the holidays off so she will be able to visit soon." He sighed and he slipped his cell phone back into his pocket. Archellevon frowned and looked to his lap.

"So we're going to hold off on cooking then?" He asked faintly, the first time speaking since he entered the room.

"Afraid so, though Tsumebe will be her next week, so it's not too long a wait." The other man explained as he smiled at the teen across from him. The white haired one looked up and saw the smile, unable to hold one in at the man's cheer. He smiled dimly and nodded. Edameonus relaxed a little in his seat, staring at the smile while being thankful for seeing the blush mostly gone.

"You and Fay-chan could get some things before she comes though, and then all of us can start putting things up." Toriho suggested as he watched the teen smile as well.

"O-ok… I wouldn't mind doing that." Archellevon replied, moving to set the blanket to the side. He frowned again, feeling like he was always trying to find something to do while everyone else had their hands full.

"It's up to the both of you though, in another week or two Fay-chan might not be able to go to town." Toriho said, wondering what was troubling the teen. Edameonus blinked and looked to Toriho.

"I had forgotten just how far into his pregnancy Fay-chan was…" He admitted skeptically, also looking to the teenager in question.

"I'm surprised he isn't showing more, it's his fourth month." The older man grinned broadly as he talked. The other demon thought for a moment, furrowing his brow.

"Wouldn't it just be getting into his fourth month?" He moved his hand slightly, eliciting a startled squeal from Mokona since the girl had been intently studying the motionless hand.

"Still, there's only two months left." Toriho replied as he smiled and looked over at Edameonus. Said man let out a slight whistle before chuckling at his daughter.

"I wonder how Kurogane's going to act during Fay-chan's birth."

"He'll be nervous as hell." Toriho giggled thinking of himself when Tsumebe had been rushed to the hospital. Edameonus laughed again.

"That'll be hysterical." He looked over to the other male, wondering why he was once again silent.

"And Tomoyo-chan and I will be there to film it." The other man laughed thinking of Kurogane's reaction once Fay went into labor.

"…Speaking of, where are those two?" Edameonus turned his attention to his older friend, placing a hand over Mokona's.

"Probably still fooling around...Youou's corrupted Fay-chan." Toriho couldn't keep himself from smirking, knowing he had interrupted the two earlier with his outburst. Edameonus raised an eyebrow and looked to the hallway which held the door to the couple's bedroom.

"I feel bad for Fay-chan then."

"Yes." Grinning the older man crossed his arms as he sat, wondering if the two would be making an appearance after he had embarrassed both of them.

"Mokona's hungry!" The girl suddenly burst out, startling the man she was sitting on. Edameonus chuckled a little and removed the towel from her hair in order for it to fully dry.

"It is getting to be supper time. Shall we make food for everyone?"

"Mokona will help!" She said as she began to squirm atop the other.

"It is getting late." Toriho said as he looked over to the clock.

"Do you plan on staying for supper?" Edameonus asked as he allowed the girl to jump off of him so he could stand. "We can always make you some if you'd like."

"Sure." The other Ginryan said as he grinned up at Edameonus. Red eyes watched briefly as Mokona darted into the kitchen. The younger demon looked slowly to Archellevon, contemplating something before speaking.

"H-hey… you wanna help?" he asked, noticing the pale cheeks dust lightly when the boy realized Edameonus was talking to him.

"O-okay." Archellevon's face reddened even more as he glanced up at the taller man. Toriho smirked seeing that at least Edameonus was trying. The light haired male moved off of the couch, waiting for Edameonus to lead the way. The Ginryan moved into the kitchen where his daughter was, clicking his tongue when he saw the child trying to reach into a cabinet while standing on a stool.

"Oi! Couldn't you've been patient enough for us to help?" Toriho chuckled to himself as he listened to the other yelled, glad that Edameonus seemed to be acting normal. Red eyes scanned the living room for a moment as he wondered if he should go interrupt the two lovebirds.

Said lovebirds had been in their room the entire time. Kurogane moved to sit up straighter and grunted, noticing a change in the sounds outside the bedroom.

"Sounds like they're cooking." He muttered, looking to the door.

"Yes." Fay said as he sat beside Kurogane. The blonde was still a little embarrassed about Toriho's barging in on them earlier and was glad that the two of them had been left alone so he could try and recover. Kurogane moved his arm to wrap around Fay's shoulders, having been sitting in front of the Valerian before.

"You hungry at all?" He asked, closing his eyes as he listened to Edameonus fret over Mokona falling.

"Not really." The blonde said as he leaned against Kurogane. They simultaneously leaned back, resting against the bed.

"Hn…" The taller man bent his knee slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position while lying on the bed with his lover. He looked to the other man stomach idly, mind clouding with reoccurring visions of a son.

"Kuro-sama's thinking about something?" Fay smiled as he saw his lover lose himself to his thoughts momentarily. Red eyes blinked before looking over to blue. Kurogane shook his head and kissed he blonde's forehead.

"Things I usually think about." The blonde only smiled at the taller man's words. Fay moved his hands to rest on his abdomen as he lay content beside Kurogane. A loud clash from the kitchen startled them both, but scolding from the teenager to Edameonus let them know it was nothing to worry about. Kurogane growled slightly, becoming annoyed immediately by the others in his house.

"If they mess up that room too…" Blue eyes looked to the door before moving back to gaze at Kurogane.

"They'll clean it, you shouldn't worry about it." Fay said as he laced his fingers together as his hands rested atop his stomach. Kurogane looked to Fay again and he continued to frown.

"…You feeling better?"

"Yes, though I'm still a little...surprised." The blonde had wondered about the man's odd behavior, but didn't have an explanation for it.

"I'll beat it out of him later." Kurogane said while planting a kiss atop the blonde mop of hair as a sort of an apology for his father's brash antics.

"It's fine; he didn't hurt me or anything." The Valerian smiled warmly at the kiss. "I was only startled is all."

"Well that bastard had a reason to barge in here. He can explain himself." Kurogane said simply, thinking about how the taller man had hugged Fay abruptly. Sighing, Fay knew he couldn't keep Kurogane from questioning his father later.

"Whatever it was he was excited about it, maybe it was about the baby?" Kurogane shook his head.

"No… that was something caused by being told good news, and he already knew about the kid, so that couldn't have caused it." Fay frowned, not knowing what to think.

"Good news about me?" The only thing he could think of was that Toriho had realized it would only be a few weeks before he would be giving birth.

"Most likely." Kurogane sighed in exasperation and pulled away from Fay to sit up. His frown deepened as Kurogane moved away and he too sat up on the bed.

"Kuro-min?"

"There's something he's not telling us." Kurogane said suspiciously, glancing over to the bedroom door.

"If it was something bad...it would be different, but with the way he was acting it was something good. Maybe it's about this Christmas coming up?" Fay suggested, not wanting Kurogane to start fighting with Toriho. The other man's eyes narrowed and he hummed deeply.

"Dunno…" He listened as Mokona laughed, assuming it was something Edameonus had done.

"Should we leave then?" Fay asked as he heard the others outside their room. Both of them had been in their bedroom for the better part of the day and it was near dark now.

"Guess so." Kurogane muttered, leaning over to give Fay a chaste kiss before they both would move to go into the kitchen. Smiling the blonde shuffled off the bed and stood and stretched his arms above his head after having lain in bed for most of the day. Kurogane stood as well, itching the back of his head casually before placing his hands in his pockets. He then strolled to the door and looked over to the blonde one, waiting for him to follow. Fay smiled and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes as he followed Kurogane out of their bedroom.

The taller man opened a door just in time to see Edameonus leaning over Archellevon's shoulder to help him cut up some vegetables, the teenager's face completely red with Mokona dancing around them mixing something in a bowl almost too big for her to carry. Kurogane raised an eyebrow at the scene, suppressing the urge to laugh at the younger male's shyness. Blue eyes fell on the two in the kitchen and smiled, glad to see both of males weren't acting so awkwardly around each other now. Fay hoped that them being as close as they were now would mean good things for both his friends in the future. Edameonus moved away from Archellevon to stop Mokona prancing around. It was then he looked up to see Kurogane and Fay. He smiled to the blonde.

"Oi. You two joining us for supper?" He asked, not noticing that Archellevon placed a hand over his chest after he had left his side.

"Yes, especially after the three of you went to the trouble of cooking for everyone." Fay replied as he smiled at the Ginryan, glad to see the others spirits were much higher than they had been before he left. The demon grinned and took the bowl from Mokona, patting her head gently before moving to stand next to Archellevon. Said teenager hesitantly glanced over.

"I-I didn't know… Ed knew how to cook…" He muttered and looked to Fay.

"Ah! So you are eating with us?" He asked, the blush becoming darker as he seemed to take on his new personality traits again. Fay nodded at the teen as he tried not to laugh at the other's embarrassment from having Edameonus so close to him. The blonde was happy to see Archellevon wasn't as nervous around the other man as he had been. The teenager looked back to the cutting board and frowned slightly, pondering to himself why Edameonus was giving him confusing signals. He glanced over to the taller man to see he was flipping rice in the pan.

"Give me 10 minutes, Fay-chan, then it'll be done." He said over his shoulder.

"Alright." Seeing that the three in the kitchen didn't need any help Fay pulled Kurogane with him into the living room only to see Toriho sitting there. Kurogane raised an eyebrow at seeing him.

"Oi, what're you still doing here?" He growled, obviously still ticked at being walked in on without an explanation.

"Youou!" Toriho smiled brightly as he lunged at his son while he bolted out of his seat, careful not to hit Fay instead. The older man hugged Kurogane tightly, making the other sputter.

"W-what the hell?!" Kurogane barked, staggering back from being tackled by his father.

"Get off old man! What the hell is your problem?!" Toriho only laughed and wrapped his arm around Kurogane, effectively putting the other man into a head lock as he ruffled his son's hair with his free hand. Fay watched, still thinking the Ginryan's outbursts where strange. Kurogane gripped the taller man's arms and growled.

"DAD!" He maneuvered his way out of the headlock and tackled his father to the ground, beginning their infamous repetitive wrestling match. Fay side stepped both men now fighting on the floor and sat on the couch to watch them.

"Brat, I was only giving you a hug!" The older man said as he tried to pin Kurogane. Kurogane growled again and boxed his father's ears.

"I don't want your hugs, pervert!" He snapped, successfully pulling himself halfway out from under his father. Edameonus peeked into the living room with a scowl on his face, sighing heatedly while thinking it wasn't best to have told Toriho.

"That's no way to talk to your father!" Toriho yelled as he continued to wrestle with his child. Fay blushed at Kurogane's words, thinking back to when the man had held him earlier. Edameonus rolled his eyes and looked to Fay.

"Oi, you wanna come into the kitchen so you don't end up in that?" He asked, pointing to Kurogane and Toriho trying to force each other to give up.

"It's fine, someone will have to keep Kuro-min from playing too rough with his father." Fay said as he smiled at Edameonus, knowing Kurogane was likely to become even angrier at Toriho for both earlier and for the man keeping something from them. Toriho had managed to pin Kurogane down, but it was to no avail, for the younger flipped him off with his feet. Kurogane sat up quickly, watching as his father collected himself.

"Dammit! Explain!" He barked while they had their hands to themselves.

"You're the one that started fighting." Toriho said as he tried to put his son in another headlock. He grinned as he thought of Edameonus's news, knowing he couldn't say anything about it regardless of what Kurogane wanted. Said man let out a dangerous rumble, dodging his father as he moved to the side.

"Asshole! Why the hell did you hug him and then me?!" He snapped, shoving his hand onto Toriho's forehead to prevent him from coming closer.

"And why do I need a reason to hug my son and his lover?" Toriho said as he glared halfheartedly at his son.

"Because I know you; you have a reason to do everything." Kurogane replied, narrowing his eyes at his father in a comeback glare.

"I bought something for my grandson today...and I was wanting to give it to Fay-chan, brat." The Ginryan said as he gripped Kurogane's arm to remove the other man's hand from his head. Kurogane did so, but not before standing.

"Then why the hell did you hug me too?" He paused. "And quit calling me brat!"

"Last time I checked you were going to be a father too in a couple of months." Toriho grinned as he looked up at his son. Kurogane sputtered again and a quick blush spread across his cheeks at the mentioning of his fatherhood, but he growled and looked away.

"Y-you said you wanted to give it to him, not both of us idiot!"

"That's because I know Fay-chan won't throw it away." Toriho stood and straightened his clothing.

"And I'm not the idiot here brat." He grinned as he looked at his son. Fay blushed, glad that the man's odd behavior was because of something as simple as a gift. The other man rolled his eyes and sighed, about to retaliate when a roll of paper towels hit him in the head, the opposite side from where the book had hit him. Edameonus smiled languidly from the doorway, having thrown said item.

"Hey, don't go yelling again, supper's ready."

"BASTARD!"

"Stop yelling at everything Youou." The older man said as he walked by his son, ruffling his hair, as he laughed and made his way towards the kitchen. Fay stood as well and walked to stand beside Kurogane.

"Kuro-min won't start another fight?" The dark haired man grumbled something incoherently before sighing. He picked up the paper towels and walked into the kitchen with concealed anger, having taken his lover's hand to pull him along. Fay smiled; glad to see Kurogane was at least trying not to get into another fight with Edameonus. Stepping inside the kitchen he saw Mokona sitting pates and glasses down on the table for everyone. Archellevon was helping her, smiling to himself about how helpful the other was trying to be. Kurogane slumped in a seat, noticing that there were more people in the room than there were chairs. Edameonus took another seat and patted his lap for Mokona, showing that with her sitting on his knee there would be enough room for everyone.

"Been awhile since I've eaten something Ed helped make." Toriho said picking at his own food as he smirked at the other Ginryan. Fay watched, glad that the atmosphere was still pleasant, despite the angry aura his lover was giving off. Edameonus raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know if that was supposed to come off as pleasant or foreboding." He said with an irritated grin, making Archellevon giggle. Kurogane rolled his eyes and began to eat in silence, fearing that opening his mouth to speak would end up with him yelling in Fay's ear. The blonde chuckled seeing that the others were enjoying themselves.

"Edameonus is a good cook!" Mokona cheered as she ate which only caused Toriho to laugh.

"He's had long enough to learn." Edameonus shot a glare to his companion.

"Shut up, I learned to cook better than you long before my food became edible." Archellevon shook his head and smiled, but paused.

"Wait… You've known Souhi-kun for a long time?" He tilted his head in question.

"You could say that." Souhi smiled sheepishly, wondering if it was a good idea to let the teen know how long his and Edameonus's friendship ran. The former angel looked to Toriho and blinked.

"If that's so…" He looked to Edameonus slowly with a slight frown. "Why don't I remember you? I've known Souhi-kun since we were kids…" Kurogane sputtered on his meal, realizing just how old Archellevon was… er… had been…

"I met Ed when I was a little older, he didn't really travel around a lot to different planets like I did so you might not remember him." Toriho said, trying to think of a way to explain things to Archellevon. Edameonus frowned slightly, remembering how he and Toriho had always been together when they had met Archellevon, and then the three of them had become inseparable. When he realized deep blue eyes were focused on him he offered a smile almost too wide.

"Yeah, I hardly left my home planet of Ginryuu." He informed, handing Mokona her glass of milk. Fay watched, hoping Archellevon's questioning wouldn't bother Edameonus too much, especially since the other man had seemed to be feeling better since coming back from town. Toriho did as well, not knowing what to expect. The teenager looked down at his plate quizzically, seeming to be confused about the given information.

"…I see…" He looked up to Fay then, remembering something. "Oh! You were in your bedroom when Tsumebe-san called."

"Why did she call?" Fay asked, glad that the subject had been changed. Toriho grinned as he ate.

"Seems she won't be able to visit tomorrow, her job won't let her off until next week." The older man said as he looked over to the blonde.

"We're going to wait until then to make cookies and get decorations…" Archellevon added, blushing slightly as he gave the information. He glanced over to Edameonus, hoping the unknown reason he had frowned for wasn't still bugging him.

"That's good then. It should be fun." The blonde replied as he ate. He was curious about the upcoming celebration and wondered what they would all do.

"Mm! Mokona is finished!" Cheered the girl suddenly, making Edameonus look at her plate.

"Hn. That was fast." He commented lightly, moving her slightly to check if she had dropped any food while trying to consume it. Mokona held up her empty plate to show Edameonus before she jumped down from the Ginryan's lap to take her dishes to the sink. Fay stood as well taking his own now empty plate to the sink as Mokona clambered back onto her father figure's lap to sit. Edameonus smiled to her fondly and placed a hand on her back.

"You got your dress muddy didn't you?" He asked remembering what the girl had said earlier. Mentioning the mud made Archellevon's face light up brightly, the teenager sinking a little lower in his seat.

"Yes, Mokona was following a frog and sat in the mud, then Mokona and Archy fell into the water." She pouted remembering her ruined dress in the bathroom. Edameonus raised an eyebrow, listening to the story.

"And just how did you fall into the water?" He asked. Kurogane clicked his tongue, having forgotten about the pond, as he took his plate to the sink as well. Why did it always feel like they were eating now?

"Mokona wanted to hug Archy." Mokona frowned, not wanting to be scolded. Fay watched as Kurogane left the table before he glanced over at Archellevon, wondering why the boy was blushing as Mokona explained. Edameonus smiled gently and nuzzled her head slightly.

"Hn. That's alright. So it was an accident?" Kurogane folded his arms and looked to his lover, nauseated by the demon's open display of affection for the child. Watching Edameonus and Mokona, the blonde wrapped his arms loosely around his growing stomach as he thought of his own child. Fay smiled at his lover as Kurogane looked at him. Toriho smirked and stood, taking his plate to the sink as the others had done. Archellevon stood and followed Toriho to the sink, but didn't go back to the table.

"W-well… it's getting late… we should probably… go…" He trailed off, not looking at Edameonus and Mokona, the two older men walking in on him resurfacing in his mind to make the blush also come back.

"I should be leaving, but first I have to give Fay-chan the gift I bought today." Toriho said as he stood and smiled at the blonde who in turned and blushed faintly, remembering the older man hugging him. Kurogane let out an angry sigh at the other man's previous antics before standing as well. Archellevon turned to face the sink, busying himself with cleaning the dishes. Edameonus stood, lifting Mokona in his arms so she wouldn't topple over from him rising. Toriho left to venture into the living room in search of the bag he had brought in with him. Fay stood up from his chair, walking over to Archellevon.

"Would you like some help, after all you did make dinner for all of us?"

"No, Fay…" Archellevon said with a slight frown, his mind elsewhere. "I'll take care of things here… it's the least I can do." He turned to the blonde and smiled. "You should go see what Souhi-kun's brought for you. I'm sure it's nice."

"Okay." Fay looked at the teen for a moment, worried, before he turned and made his way into the living room. Toriho stood, bag in hand as the blonde entered the room and sat on the couch. Edameonus was standing with another bag, digging through it for something indolently. He smirked to himself when he found the item, pulling out the pack of cigarettes to place them in his pocket. Kurogane raised an eyebrow to that, but said nothing.

"Here you are Fay-chan, just don't let Youou throw it away." Toriho said as he handed the bag to the Valerian and then moved to sit in one of the chairs. Fay nodded and grinned, thanking the older man as he opened the bag. Pulling out the object, Fay saw it was a plastic star that was barely larger than his hand.

"It glows different colors and plays music when you turn it on." Toriho informed Fay, seeing that the blonde was confused. Kurogane stared at the star with a frown that only got deeper.

"…What the hell?" He finally said, somewhat disgusted with the object, even if it was for a baby. Edameonus chuckled a little under his breath, pulling out the lighter as well.

"...Thank you Toriho. I'm sure Toshi will like it." Fay said as he turned the small object on and watched as it slowly changed colors every few seconds while a soft melody played. The Ginryan smiled sheepishly seeing that Fay liked the gift. Kurogane sighed, knowing Fay wouldn't like it if he would sneak throwing the toy in the trash. He looked over to Edameonus again, cautious about letting the other smoke in case the demon was stupid enough to catch something on fire.

"I'll be sure to put it in the nursery." Fay smiled as he turned the small toy off and sat it on his lap.

"I'm glad that you like it Fay-chan." Toriho said as he continued to smile.

"And you brat had better not get rid of it or any other toys for my grandchild." He scolded. Kurogane squawked indignantly.

"Just how many do you plan to buy, old man?!" He barked, making Edameonus cackle.

"We should buy some next time we're out, Souhi." He said idly, knowing it would piss Kurogane off.

"Well there's birthdays and holidays to account for and as a grandfather I can buy my grandchild whatever I want. The same goes for your mother and Tomoyo-chan." Toriho grinned, not mentioning how he had already planned on buying things for the baby.

"I'll need help carrying things." He said as he looked at Edameonus. The student growled and glared at the other men.

"What the hell? I should have some say in it which how much you buy my kid!" He snapped, trying to will down the blush at the comment of being a father again. Edameonus cackled and placed his hands on his hips.

"Oh shut up, you can't control the man when he's on a rampage."

"Well when you start buying toys and things for him then I might not buy as much." Toriho said as he smirked at his own child.

"Kuro-sama hardly picked out clothes." Fay chuckled as he imagined Kurogane actually buying stuffed animals and such for their son. Kurogane placed a hand over his face in exasperation, knowing that even if he did buy their child a lot of toys Toriho would buy too much for him anyway.

"You're troublesome, old man." He muttered as Archellevon walked in the room, drying his hands on his apron Tomoyo had bought him.

"And you're a brat." He said as he crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. Fay chuckled as he sat beside his lover.

"Kuro-rin should let Toriho buy things for Toshi, after all he is his grandfather." The taller of the two looked to Fay with a frown.

"He's going to whether I tell him to or not." He grumbled. Archellevon went over to the couch that Mokona had decided to snuggle on and blanketed her up, seeing as she was falling asleep from having a full stomach.

"He'll just complain regardless." Fay smiled as Toriho spoke, knowing the other man was right. Kurogane growled again, but said nothing. Edameonus gave a smug smirk to his companion before looking at Archellevon, a slight pain swelling in his chest at how motherly the teenager acted toward his child without knowing. He sighed and ran a hand through his long hair.

"Souhi, you gunna wait until Tsumebe-chan gets off work to visit again?"

"Yes, I'm going to go back home. Though I'll hire some people to come and finish up the house and I'll call Tomoyo-chan to see if she wouldn't mind checking on things to make sure everything looks right." The other Ginryan said as he answered his friend.

"Hn. Won't she be busy too?" He asked, remembering her profession as a designer. Kurogane scoffed.

"She's never too busy for annoying me." He added while Archellevon moved to sit by the now sleeping girl.

"Tomoyo-chan works from home mostly and she gets to make her own work hours." The other man said as he stood.

"I suppose I should leave if I'm going to get back." Toriho said, thinking of his wife.

"Thank you again, for the gift, Toriho." Smiling, Fay looked up at his lover's father. Edameonus reached in his pockets and grasped the pack and lighter, though he didn't take them out.

"I'll walk you out then." He said, glancing briefly to the white haired pair on the couch. Kurogane narrowed his eyes and watched as the demon moved to the door.

"Call before you come next time, Dad." Toriho waved off Kurogane as he exited the house.

"I'll see you all next week then and there's no need to thank me Fay-chan." The other man smiled as he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch with Edameonus behind him. The shorter one looked in to Fay for a moment.

"I'll be back inside in a moment." He offered before closing the door. He shivered slightly.

"Damn it got cold out here." Edameonus strolled next to his older companion, taking out the box to shake a cigarette out.

"Hnn… Damn troubles never seem to leave me alone." He mumbled while offering his friend one nonchalantly. Toriho took it without thinking.

"You seem to be acting better around him." He smiled, glad that Edameonus was at least trying.

"Che. He's still clueless… almost…" Edameonus placed the filter in his mouth, between sharp canines.

"Almost as if he thinks I'm throwing signals but overall I'm just trying to be nice and nothing more." He then fiddled with the lighter, still inexperienced with it. Taking the light from Edameonus, Toriho flicked the it on and offered it to the other man.

"I thought you wanted to try and win him over?" The shorter leaned forward, lighting his cigarette.

"Nn…" He inhaled and sighed; smoke exiting his lips with the hot air of his breath. "Yeah, but it's been so long since I was trying to win over my lover instead of trying to be with my lover." He chuckled and took the tobacco stick out of his mouth. "Seems I've forgotten how to go about it."

"It's not like you don't know what to do, you just have to do everything you did before over again." Toriho laughed as he remembered Edameonus's attempts when they were younger. A dark eyebrow raised and the lighter skinned one shook his head.

"Not everything, you bastard. You're just trying to get in my pants again." He said, unable to hide a childish smirk from spreading across his face.

"Yeah, those were good days." He chuckled as he watched Toriho take another drag.

"Yeah." Toriho laughed loudly at the other's words. "You already have a good idea at what he likes and he already seems to like you, he just needs a push in the right direction." Edameonus placed his fingers on the cigarette but didn't take it out, punching his friend lightly in the arm.

"I know, I know. You and your love advice!" he turned a little, pausing before going back to the house. "Hey, Souhi… what if he doesn't want to be with me again… what if he eventually remembers and doesn't like what we were like…" Toriho kept his gaze trained out to the yard as he lifted his hand and brought his fist down atop the other's head.

"Idiot. The two of you were together for a _very_ long time and you think if he remembers it would mean nothing to him?" The taller man flicked the ash from the tip of his cigarette as he spoke.

"You focus on the pessimistic outcomes far too much." Edameonus chuckled, looking to the ground.

"Yeah, you're right." He turned, waving to his friend. "Finish that off before you get in the car. I'll ask Kurogane to teach me to drop you a call in case something bad or good happens."

"Ask Fay-chan to ask Youou, it'll have better results." Toriho said as he threw his cigarette onto the ground while he walked to his car. The dark haired man nodded and walked until he could watch Toriho from the porch, his cigarette partially gone. He waved as the man drove off, his smile slowly becoming a frown as his thoughts ran rampant in his mind.

Inside, Fay sat, leaning back against the couch as he rested. His eyes moved to Mokona, seeing she was sleeping peacefully as he heard Toriho leave. Archellevon had moved from sitting next to Mokona to sitting on the floor, organizing his things Tomoyo had bought him by the side of the couch.

"I'm sure Kurogane will be relieved when he doesn't have all our random things lying about the house." He muttered, making said man raise an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"All the clothes and things lying around, they'll be out of the way when Ed's house is finished." Archellevon said as he blushed, remembering that he was going to be living with Edameonus and Mokona now.

"So you're living with him?" Kurogane asked idly, his arm slinking around the blonde casually. The former angel smiled to himself, before it disintegrated.

"E-Ed said there was an extra room that he didn't ask for, a-and that I could take it… I feel like I'd be in the way if I stayed…" He said with a small frown.

"You wouldn't be a bother to us, though it is good news, you must be looking forward to it?" Fay asked as he smiled and leaned against Kurogane when he felt his lover's arm around him.

"I am, or at least I was…" Archellevon's hands slowed, his frown becoming clearer.

"I-it's nothing though, not like I should be worried over it…" He said, though it was mostly to himself. He offered a smile to Fay and Kurogane.

"But I think sleeping in a room on a bed instead of a couch would work better, don't you?"

"Yes, a bed is much better than a couch." Fay smiled sheepishly as he agreed. He was worried however about what the teen had said, but knew if he had any doubts Edameonus would handle it. Kurogane sighed in aggravation, not liking how the younger man was handling his problems.

"What'd he say?" He asked, knowing the white haired boy wasn't too happy by bottling it up. Archellevon remained silent, staring at the dark haired man.

"Kuro-myu shouldn't be nosy." The blonde pointed as he grinned, knowing Archellevon would most likely not tell them anything.

"You're one to talk." Kurogane said through gritted teeth, his hand going to the mop of hair to ruffle it a little. Archellevon looked to the pale man and smiled, relieved at the small subject change.

"I'm not." Pouting, Fay closed his eyes as Kurogane mussed his hair.

"You are." Kurogane argued, pausing in his teasing to watch Edameonus come in. The Ginryan shoved his hands in his pockets and raised an eyebrow to the couple.

"Oi, you're on my bed." Fay chuckled and stood, grabbing Kurogane's hand while he held the toy star in his other hand.

"I guess we should get to bed then. Kuro-min's grumpy if he doesn't sleep enough."

"You wanna say that again?" Kurogane growled, making Edameonus cackle. Archellevon didn't move from his spot by the other couch, staring at the couple as they made their way out of the living room.

"Goodnight…"

"Goodnight Archy." Fay waved as best he could with his hands occupied. "And it is true, you growl even more when you don't get enough sleep." The Valerian smiled as he dragged Kurogane to their bedroom.

"Tch!" Kurogane turned off the hall light on their way to the bedroom, glancing once over his shoulder to see Edameonus take the pack out of his pocket to set it in a bag to the side. He narrowed his eyes with a frown before closing their bedroom door. Fay laughed and looked over his shoulder as he heard Kurogane shut the door before walking over to the closet to change. Kurogane followed, discarding his shirt on the way. He pulled out a pair of sweatpants from the pile, idly looking over to Fay to see what he was going to wear to bed. Fay stripped, pulling of his clothes and kicking them to the side as he pulled on a small pair of shorts and a matching shirt. He hoped the two in the living room wouldn't be too awkward around each other after spending so much time together.

Kurogane clicked his tongue when he watched the other change, almost forgetting to do the same for himself. He pulled on his sweatpants and gathered his used garments to toss them in the over flowing laundry basket. Taking his own clothes Fay put them away with Kurogane's before he turned and crawled into bed. The dark haired man moved to turn off their bedroom light, flicking it off as he had many a time before. He wondered vaguely if the reason he could see so well in the dark was because of his Ginryan blood. He shook his head and made his way over to Fay silently.

Fay laid down on his back, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. Smiling the lithe man watched as Kurogane joined him on their bed. Said man moved to lie under the covers with his lover, noticing the blonde was staring at him. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing, pulling the Valerian closer to him in order to get to sleep better. Fay chuckled lightly as he was brought closer to Kurogane.

"And Kuro-min says he doesn't like to cuddle..." A slender arm wound its way around the taller man's waist as Fay made himself comfortable in his new found position.

"Would you rather I didn't?" Kurogane growled, threatening to remove his arms despite his want for sleep. Fay shook his head as he grinned.

"...No, I like Kuro-san holding me."

"Then be quiet." The taller man grumbled, leaning his head down to plant a kiss on the pale lips.

"...Kuro-rinta's always telling me to shut up." Fay pouted halfheartedly as he looked up at the dark haired man.

"Most of the time I have good reason to." Kurogane said in agitation, cracking a red eye to look at his lover.

"Go to sleep idiot…" Fay rolled his eyes before closing them. Sighing, the blonde sighed as he rested against Kurogane.

"Goodnight then."

As the blonde dozed off, he found himself lying on the bed alone. He didn't know how long he had been asleep for, all he could tell was that the man next to him was no longer there. From what blue eyes could see, nor were his clothes in the closet. Sitting up Fay moved his hand through his hair as he looked around, wondering where Kurogane had went and what had happened to his clothes. Moving from the bed, the blonde sat up, his eyes scanning the room, not seeing anything else out of the ordinary.

It was then he heard a faint crying, a delicate and sort of unusual crying, too young to come from Mokona. The sound didn't get louder, and he could hear Kurogane trying to quiet it with soft words Fay never thought the half human would say. Stepping outside of their bedroom and into the living room Fay's eyes widened.

Kurogane stood, a small blanket-wrapped bundle in his arms. Blue eyes quickly went to his stomach, his hands moving to touch his abdomen, only to see that he was no longer pregnant. Looking back up, Fay's gaze turned once more to his lover and their child. Kurogane moved his body to prevent Fay from seeing the now quiet baby, red eyes sharply glaring at Fay. The blonde couldn't see Edameonus and Archellevon lying on their couches nor Mokona in a chair. Kurogane slung his backpack, which didn't look full of books, over his shoulder and turned on his heel.

"Kuro-san, what are you doing?" Fay looked at the other man, wondering why Kurogane was glaring at him.

"Getting away from you." Came a cold and vehement voice over the half breed's shoulder. He continued on his trek to the front door, not looking back to the Valerian.

"He doesn't need a mother like you."

"...What?" Fay frowned as he walked forward towards Kurogane, not understanding what his lover was saying. Finally Kurogane looked over his shoulder, standing in front of the door.

"I never wanted to be with you in the beginning. I never needed anyone else. I was just fine on my own. Then you come crashing into my life and flirt like you've been doing it since childhood. Then you put me through shit I didn't need to go through and now you expect me to help raise a kid I never thought I'd have?" He turned around again, Toshihiko whimpering in his arms. "I've had enough."

The blonde's breath caught in his throat as he stared at Kurogane. Blue eyes went wide in shock at the other man's words.

"But I...I don't understand...you're taking Toshi away, you're leaving?" Fay's head swam, wanting to think it was some misunderstanding, that Kurogane really didn't mean he had never meant anything to the dark haired man.

"Of course I'm taking him away you idiot." Kurogane growled, the baby in his arms still not visible. "You really think I'm going to let him stay with you? He doesn't need a dumbass for a parent. You'd end up killing him." He snapped the door open, showing Fay that it was barely dawn.

"You can't, you said you wouldn't leave." Fay stepped forward and grabbed the back of Kurogane's shirt in his fists. He narrowed his eyes, thinking of how the taller man had told him he would be there for him. Kurogane turned sharply, shoving Fay off of him.

"Oh, you think I can't change my mind now!? Think I can't break promises? Just because you've got dead royal blood in you makes you think you can do whatever the hell you please and everyone's just fine and dandy with it?" The taller man snapped, eyes glowing slightly with Ginryan rage.

"You promised..." Fay said, pained at having been pushed away. "And you can't just decide to leave with or without our son, without saying anything or at least explaining why you're doing this."

"Why do I gotta explain myself to you?" Kurogane asked with narrowed eyes. "I'm sick of the shit that happens whenever I'm trying to be the someone-you-love." He said with disgust in his voice. "A person grows tired of something when it never gives them benefits. The sex was good, but even that's boring now."

"You can't mean that...you said you loved me." Fay's breath quickened as he began to panic. Fay thought back to anything he could have done to have angered Kurogane enough for the man to even think of doing something as unexpected as this.

"Tch. Said I loved you?" Kurogane snorted, taking his eyes off of the blonde to cradle their child. He didn't look back to the Valerian. "Wake up and smell the roses, Blondie, I hardly even say your name."

Fay knew that the other man rarely said his name, but he had always known it wasn't because of Kurogane's dislike of him.

"…But you were the one who wanted to have a family..." He stepped forward a determined look on his face.

"You can't leave."

"I can leave if I want." Kurogane corrected, the scowl never leaving his face.

"I never said I wanted a family, I just had the stupid thought I actually cared enough that'd you be alone. Now I see I don't give a damn. I was doing it to make my dad happy."

"I don't have anyone left but you and Toshihiko..." Fay said as he reached out to Kurogane. The feeling of being alone again enveloping the lithe man as he tried to talk his lover out of leaving.

"Then I suggest you find someone else." Kurogane advised coldly, not moving until Fay's hand actually touched his shoulder. The other man growled once again, connecting the back of his hand with the pale cheek in one swift turn.

"Get it through your thick skull; I'm done with you!"

Fay was shocked into silence, his cheek throbbing from the blow. The idea of Kurogane actually hitting him was something the blonde had never dreamed would happen. Tears welled as the blonde brought a shaky hand to his face.

"...Kurogane..." He choked out as he looked up at his lover. A smirk came to the tanned face.

"Finally you say it right." The child still being held began to cry again, soft sniveling coming from the blanket to make the half Ginryan look to him.

"Hey, be quiet. We're leaving now." He said gently, shooting a harsh glare to Fay before once again turning to leave.

"Please don't leave." Fay said as a choked sob escaped past his parted lips. Still cradling his cheek the blonde looked up at Kurogane wanting the other man to reconsider. Kurogane stood on the porch and looked in, a skeptical look on his face.

"Oh please, like you fake crying is going to change my mind." He said gruffly before looking to the fields with wide eyes.

"Shit… they're back…" Fay took a tentative step forward, trying to think of a way to stop Kurogane from abandoning him. His head ached as he thought.

"...please." Kurogane looked over to Fay for a moment, the color draining from his face.

"There you go again, throwing me into shit." He said before he tried to give Toshihiko to the blonde. A shout rang out from the distance and before Fay's eyes the same laser bullets on the prison ship ripped through both the precious people in front of him. Running forward the blonde grabbed Kurogane, who still held the baby in his hands. He felt his chest tighten, unable to breathe as he saw blood oozing from the taller man's back. His eyes glowed brightly as he panicked, his body shaking. Kurogane coughed violently, body quivering at the force from it. The child was silent, secured against the broad chest. Fay was then blinded by a light from the side the bullets had come from.

"Sir Fay Fluorite of Valeria, you are under arrest for protecting criminals." The blonde wrapped his arms around Kurogane as best he could, his eyes wide while tears streamed down his cheeks. Fay's head turned towards the voice, his eyes glossed over, his mind blank. He felt Kurogane go limp in his arms, though the child remained safely in his grip. The blonde heard footsteps walking toward them on the porch.

"Sir Youou Kurogane Suwa, you're under arrest for stealing government equipment and trying to make an illegal pact with an alien race. Your punishment is death." Came an all too familiar voice. Blue eyes moved slowly up to see who it was talking. His mind did not register much of anything else but the feeling of Kurogane against him and the person trying to talk to his fallen lover. Fay could feel a heavy weight settle over him as he sat on the floor his body feeling numb. His eyes widened when the light dimmed, revealing the speaker to be Toriho, Edameonus following behind him. They were both wearing Ginryan armor of supreme governors. Kurogane's head moved to gaze up at nothing. Toriho grimaced and pulled out a gun from his hip pocket.

"Stop fighting it boy. Your child's already gone."

"...Stop..." Fay said weakly, only faintly registering Toriho's words. His eyes stilled glowed while he looked up at both men. Edameonus frowned as he too pulled out a gun as well.

"Sorry, Sir Fay, this is my fault. I'll make sure you go painlessly." He said hollowly, watching Toriho pointing his gun at Kurogane's head. Edameonus walked forward and followed the taller man's example, only placing the barrel against Fay's temple. Fay leaned forward, shielding Kurogane from Toriho. His body shook as he began to realize what would happen to them. A sharp blue light began emitting from his seemingly lifeless body in an attempt to protect at least Kurogane. There was a moment of hesitation before Toriho lowered his pistol. Edameonus looked at him quizzically and the Ginryan shook his head.

"I don't need to waste it. He's already gone."

Another sob racked through the slender man's body at Toriho's words. He tightened his arms around Kurogane, not receiving any response in return. Falling forward the blonde's forehead touched his lover, his body feeling empty as he throat tightened, Fay feeling as if he couldn't breathe anymore. Blue eyes opened slightly, if barely at all, to see Kurogane, hoping that the standing man was wrong. Fay could see red eyes still open, but there was nothing behind them. No anger, no hate, no loneliness, no desperation… just nothing. Nothing but cold. Moving the taller man caused his head to lull to the side, a slow trickle of blood leaving his lips.

"..." No words left the blonde as he stared down at Kurogane, his eyes dulled as his power dispersed. Edameonus tapped his gun against Fay's head.

"Hey, at least you two die together." He said, the trigger clicking as it was pulled.

Fay jerked as he sat up. His hands moved to entangle themselves in his hair as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. His breath came out harshly, his heart rate erratic as he tried to think while he panicked, not registering where he was as the events from before replayed in his mind.

"Oi! Bout time you woke up!" Came Kurogane's voice next to him. He felt the strong arms around him, and noticed his stomach was still swollen, if just barely. Fay's turned his head to the side to gaze at Kurogane. His eyes widened at seeing the man as he shook. Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"You ok? You were throwing a fit in your sleep." He asked awkwardly, pulling away slightly to turn on the light so he could see his lover better. His eyes were still trained, despite the light that assaulted his vision, on Kurogane as he still sat hunched over, his hands still holding his head. The red eyes looked back to Fay and Kurogane frowned. He moved one hand from Fay's waist to pull the pale ones from blonde hair.

"Oi, calm down, it was just a dream."

"...it was terrible..." Was the only thing the blonde was able to utter, his voice sounding hoarse. He turned and moved his hand to graze over his lover's chest, checking for the injuries he had seen in his dream. Kurogane raised an eyebrow again, but said nothing. He moved his hand to hold the other's, clasping it against his chest before pulling the Valerian close to plant a kiss atop the ruffled locks. Fay hugged Kurogane to him, wanting to know that he was truly awake and that the other man was there with him, though his mind kept replaying his nightmare. The tanned one sighed slowly, having been awoken by his lover's harsh gestures. He wrapped his arms tightly around the smaller man, resting his chin where his lips had placed a kiss.

"You were going to leave with Toshi...but then both of you were killed." The blonde shivered as he tightened his hold around Kurogane.

"I saw you die, then they killed me too." He closed his eyes as he tried to will away the images that kept running through his mind. Kurogane twitched slightly, listening to the other.

"…That's a little drastic, don't you think?" He said softly, pulling slightly away to look at Fay. "Why the hell would I leave you? I must've been all forms of an idiot in that dream."

"You told me that you were happy alone, that I would end up killing Toshi because I couldn't take care of him...you said you were tired of me because I didn't give anything back." Fay spoke softly, feeling tears well in his eyes again as he remembered Kurogane hitting and pushing him away. Kurogane's eyes widened slightly, hearing the intensity of the nightmare. He frowned deeper, moving one hand from Fay's back to tilt his chin up.

"Look at me Blondie; I don't like the sound of the dream. It's so far from the truth it's laughable."

"It seemed real...even when you pushed me away and then when you and the baby were killed." Fay's nails dug slightly into tanned skin as he remembered his dream vividly. Kurogane shook his head, ignoring the dull sting of Fay clawing into his skin.

"I've heard enough. It wasn't real and there's no way that'd happen. I wouldn't let it happen." Fay shut his eyes as he leaned against Kurogane, wanting to forget his dream. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself, knowing his lover was right. The half breed settled his hand against the blonde's back, rubbing it in soothing circles subconsciously. He stared into the dull lighting of the room, not being able to believe the blonde had actually dreamed of something like that. They heard a knock on their door then, so soft they barely heard it. Fay turned his face to the side looking at the door his breath shaky as he slowly calmed down. He was grateful for Kurogane's attempt to try and comfort him as he collected himself. The door opened slowly, it having not been locked. Archellevon looked in with scared eyes, timid to enter.

"I-is everything o-ok? I heard Kurogane yelling and thought…" he trailed off, seeing that Fay was still shaking in Kurogane's arms. "O-oh my! A-are you alright?"

"Yes, I just had a bad dream is all. Everything's alright now, thank you Archy." Fay smiled faintly at the teen as he stayed in Kurogane's embrace.

"Go back to sleep kid." Kurogane said gruffly, staring at the teenager. The former angel nodded and closed the door with a goodnight. The dark haired man stared at the door for a couple of seconds before looking to the blonde.

"Oi, you feeling alright now?"

"A little." Fay said as he smiled weakly, his arms still around Kurogane. The taller man nodded, moving a hand to the lithe man's face to wipe away unshed tears. He cupped the pale cheek, leaning down to plant a possessive kiss on Fay's lips. Fay returned his lover's kiss, relieved that it had all been a dream. Slowly he could feel his body relaxing as he leaned into their kiss, his mind forgetting about his nightmare as he focused on Kurogane. Said man moved his hand from Fay's face to slip around the smaller body, bringing him closer. He parted their lips, if only slightly, to speak.

"I promised you I'd be here when you needed me, and I as sure as hell intend to keep that promise, no matter what I say in your dreams." He stated. Fay smiled up at him.

"Kuro-san..." Fay trailed off as he continued to smile warmly at his lover's words. Kurogane gave a very small smile of reassurance, closing his eyes as his nose grazed the other.

"Let's get some sleep." He muttered, his arms still around the blonde protectively.

"Okay." Fay grinned as he took in the feeling of Kurogane's arms around him, his own arms still wrapped around the taller man. The taller moved away to turn off the light, then Kurogane pulled slightly away to lean down comfortably, placing the blonde half way on top of him. He shuffled the blanket to rest over both of them evenly, his hand going to Fay's back tenderly. Smiling, Fay shifted, getting comfortable against Kurogane. His arm draped over his lover's stomach, hoping he could go back to sleep without having another nightmare. The taller of the two closed his eyes again, holding his lover close as he felt the other become languid against him. He frowned slightly to himself, hoping Fay wouldn't imagine him doing such dreams, even on accident. Sighing, Fay closed his eyes as he tried not to think of his dream. Slowly the blonde fell asleep against Kurogane, his breathing evening out as he did.


	27. It was harder than I thought

**Mirika-rin:** WOO FINALLY OUT OF SCHOOL 8D -dance- but I'm going to China in less than a week, FOR two weeks, so I won't be able to post a chapter until I come back. I'm still debating on whether or not to wait until then to post one or to just go ahead and post it now. XD I'll decide later. But hey~! Almost halfway through this arc. Yes, I know, it's very angsty for everyone, but fear not, it'll end just like the last arc, lol. and Kurofay's second arc will be up after this 8D Stick with it guys, it'll happen soon~!

**Ashine-chan:** We have some fluff to make up for the angst in the last chapter since some people were having trouble with it ^^; though there will be angst still to come, but it will get better.

* * *

~The next week~

"Oi, I'm on my way home." Kurogane announced into his phone, making his way across the campus to his motorcycle. He had been reminded by the blonde's dream a week ago that he had yet to give the Valerian a way to contact him at school and he had given Fay a cell phone of his own and taught him how to dial numbers to get a hold of the people they knew. Over this week's time, other things progressed as well. Edameonus's house was almost complete; the flooring was finished and the paint on the walls were done, they just needed to get the furniture and decorations for their house. Unfortunately, Edameonus wasn't focusing on this. Instead his mind was set on trying to get Archellevon's attention, and the poor teenager wasn't making sense of the hints. The white haired one had started to avoid the demon, so Edameonus reverted to smoking and shooting hoops more often than not.

"Alright Kuro-san, I'll see you soon." Fay smiled on the other end of the phone. His hand moved to his stomach, which was now more pronounced than it had been the previous week.

"Hn." He heard Kurogane grunt, meaning 'ok love ya bye', before the click of him hanging up came to Fay's ears. Archellevon smiled to Fay, having heard that it was Kurogane who had called.

"Is Tsumebe-san coming over today? Are we going to get the supplies before or after she gets here?"

"She should be and I suppose it wouldn't hurt to wait for her, that way we won't miss something she might need and have to make another trip to town." Fay said as he put the cell phone away. The white haired teenager smiled before setting down the sheet he had folded. He looked out the laundry room window and frowned, seeing Edameonus jump slightly to make a basket. He couldn't help a giggle escape his throat when he saw Mokona pick up the ball to give it back to him.

"It looks like it might snow today… the first of this year."

"Yes, it's getting cold enough for it." The blonde replied, having noticed the weather earlier.

"Hopefully the others won't be sick from being outside." Archellevon looked to the taller man and moved his hair out of his eyes.

"Well… he's a Ginryan too, right?" The teenager asked slowly, the smile fading slightly off his face. "Souhi-kun was never really affected by the cold on Jade, even though his planet's climate was never as cold as winter."

"Still, you never know. All we need is having them sick during the holidays." Fay laughed imagine Kurogane sick in bed grumbling. The teenager giggled and nodded, pulling out another sheet. He shivered slightly and sighed.

"Does it feel ok in here to you, Fay-san?" Archellevon asked, having grown slightly uncomfortable using Kurogane and Fay's names without honorary titles.

"I'm used to much colder weather." Fay offered as he helped the teen with the laundry.

"That's right…" The former angel said slowly, his smile returning. "I keep forgetting we're all not from here." He blushed a little then.

"It's like we're an awkward family after all…"

"Yes." The blonde smiled. "Except two of them like to constantly bicker like children." Fay chuckled as he folded a sheet absentmindedly. Archellevon smiled in agreement and set the blanket aside. He closed the dryer then and leaned against it with a sigh.

"Well, that's all the laundry we needed to do today."

"That's good." Fay said in reply as he crossed his arms. "What should we do now?" He asked, looking at the teen. The white haired one placed a finger at the bottom of his chin.

"Well, we can see what ingredients we have for cookies and start a list of things we'd need to get if you'd like."

"That sounds good, that way we won't have to rush when Tsumebe comes." The blonde said as he walked out of the laundry room, making his way to the kitchen. The other followed close behind.

"Yes, and Kurogane-san said he'd be home soon too." Archellevon added, pulling at his sleeves slightly as he shivered again.

"You're cold Archy?" Blue eyes saw the teen shiver as they walked into the kitchen.

"I could always turn the heat up or maybe you could wear a sweater?" He suggested. The former angel shook his head and offered the taller man a wide smile.

"It's alright; this happens to me every year when the weather gets colder. I think it might've had something to do with the fact I was born on the opposite season." He chuckled lightly opening the first cabinet to look inside.

"If you're sure then." Stepping forward Fay went to look through the cabinets as well, seeing what they had.

"Looks like Kuro-rinta doesn't keep much for us to bake with."

"Yeah, I've already scanned through here and it looks like he just buys what's used for main meals and not desserts." Archellevon hummed before pulling out a large unopened pack of flour.

"We should stalk up on most of this stuff he already has too."

"Yes." Fay said as he scanned over the cabinet's contents. He shouldn't have expected any less, seeing that his lover wasn't fond of sweets in the first place.

"Alright, I'll get something to write with." Archellevon offered as he set the flour down on the counter, turning to walk out of the kitchen swiftly. He returned with a notebook page and pencil, smiling sheepishly.

"I hope Kurogane-san doesn't mind me using these…"

"It's only a sheet of paper, Kuro-min won't complain about it." He said, reassuring the teen as Archellevon began to write. The other flinched slightly when he heard the front door close rather loudly. He looked up to Fay before casting his gaze to the door.

"Oi, m'home." Fay smiled at Archellevon, showing that there was nothing to worry about as he left to greet his lover.

"Kuro-tan must have been driving fast to get back home so soon." Kurogane set his backpack in a chair and walked to Fay, placing one hand on the blonde's hip.

"Not that fast. You know how I drive." He grumbled, bringing their lips together sweetly. Fay returned the kiss with a grin, though it didn't last long.

"Then you weren't driving faster than you normally do." Fay smiled as he looked up at Kurogane, glad that the other was home. The taller smirked slightly, grunting in agreement. He lowered his lips to the other man's again, this time a little softer. Hands moved to Kurogane's cheeks as Fay returned his lover's kiss.

"Che, you guys have a room you know." Came Edameonus's voice from the hallway, having come in the back door.

"It's love, it's love!" Sang Mokona, who danced around her father's legs. Fay broke their kiss again and smiled at Edameonus, only blushing slightly from Mokona's song.

"You make it sound like we're doing more than just kissing, Edameonus." He stated. The other man rolled his eyes, though he smiled playfully.

"Any more than kissing and I'd vomit." He said. Kurogane growled, though he bit his tongue, knowing if he said what he wanted to say Fay would more than likely hit him.

"Hmm..." Fay chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Kurogane's neck. "That's not very nice to say."

Edameonus scowled slightly, placing a hand on Mokona's head to make her stop dancing without looking.

"Would you rather I say I wanna watch you two make some more kids?"

Kurogane frowned deeper. "Your voice is annoying; don't say anything at all."

"Kuro-wan shouldn't argue." Fay said as he looked up at Kurogane. "Archy's in the kitchen making a list for things we need when Tsumebe visits, I should go back and help him." Unwrapping his arms from his lover Fay glanced over at Edameonus. Said man was still facing the couple, though his eyes were glancing behind him toward the kitchen. "...Soel, are you coming with us to town, or are you too tired to?" He asked, moving his attention to the girl as he picked her up.

"Mokona's not tired!" She answered as she waved her arms about before wrapping them around Edameonus's neck. The man smiled warmly to her, patting her back gently.

"Alright then, you'll need to do some heavy lifting though. Can I count on you to do your part in carrying things?" He asked her as he moved to sit on the couch, knowing good and well she wouldn't carry much of anything. Kurogane sighed and rolled his eyes, taking his backpack to the bedroom. Fay watched the two on the couch before making his way back to the kitchen.

"Mokona will carry things!" The girl said excitedly as she sat on the man's lap. Edameonus ruffled her hair.

"Good." He said with a smile before watching Fay go. Archellevon looked up from his list as the blonde entered. He smiled and stood straight.

"I've gotten most of the things we need written down… it's kind of a lot though…" He said, a small blush moving across his cheeks.

"It's for everyone so it won't matter." The Valerian replied. Leaning forward against the counter, Fay smiled as he looked over the list, excited about celebrating with his new family and friends.

"Is everyone going to town then?" Archellevon asked with a slight frown. Though he didn't want to make it feel awkward, he couldn't help but wonder how shopping with Edameonus would be like.

"I don't know...I could ask." Seeing the small frown on the boy's face, Fay wondered what was bothering him. He knew if everyone went they would have to take two cars again.

"…W-well if we are all going…" Archellevon asked as his hands moved to his slightly longer hair to mess with it gently, eyes looking away from Fay's.

"It wouldn't be too troublesome to ask Fay-san and Kurogane-san if I could ride with them, would it?"

"Of course not, it's no problem at all." Smiling the blonde looked at the teen wondering about his odd request. He had hoped the pale haired boy wouldn't still think of himself as being such a problem to the rest of them now that he had spent some time living with all of them. The teenager relaxed somewhat and smiled again, bringing his vision to Fay.

"Thank you. I hope I won't anger Kurogane-san by doing so… do you think he'll mind?"

"There's no reason for him to be. You should know by now he grumbles about everything even if it doesn't bother him." Fay was glad to see that Archellevon didn't seem as upset as before.

"Well… I suppose you're right…" The white haired man said with a smile, flicking his hair out of his eyes. "I'm almost done writing it, so you can go to Kurogane-san, if you want…"

"He's putting his things away." He watched as Archellevon brushed his bangs aside. "Maybe you should get a haircut, if your hair's bothering you?"

"Ah, no, I think I'd like to grow it out." He blushed a little, trying to think of some fond memories. "There was someone I don't remember who liked it long, and that person was dear to me." He grinned wider. "Who knows? Maybe if I act like my old self more I'll remember more, maybe I'll even remember that person."

Fay stood surprised for a moment at what the other had said, though it didn't last long. "Maybe, but you shouldn't force it, we wouldn't want something bad to happen." The slender man smiled, wondering if Archellevon would remember Edameonus.

"Oh I'm not trying to force it, I'm just… experimenting." The other said, laughing awkwardly. "I'm only trying to see what will help."

"As long as you don't hurt yourself." The other man said, smiling at the teen. Archellevon nodded, turning back to the refrigerator to look inside. He hesitated for a moment before writing something down. Fay leaned his back against the counter, watching as Archellevon rummaged through the refrigerator, his mind wondering over what all they would be doing in the next few weeks.

"I wonder why I never saw you…" The former angel said slowly, scanning vaguely over an item of food before glancing over to Fay.

"You know, back in our cluster of planets…"

"I stayed by myself." The Valerian offered his friend a smile as he answered.

"But you went to the academy I often visited." The teenager replied, closing the fridge door. "I went there for business trips mostly; I did that for a lot of Education places."

"I only left my dorm or the library when I had classes or if I was dragged to a social event, but that was only the past few years when I went to those." Fay frowned at the memory of being taken to meet high officials and upperclassmen at said gatherings and how he had been left alone more often than not at them. Archellevon frowned as well.

"Oh, sorry." The teenager looked down to the ground, not wanting to have brought up a touchy subject with the older man.

"Don't be, you can ask as much as you want." Fay smiled, not wanting the boy to feel as if he was mad at him. The other smiled faintly, but didn't speak, still not looking up.

"O-ok… I'll make sure to remember that…" He played the edges of the paper he was holding, slowly ripping off the paper that was meant to come off. He still didn't look up when Edameonus walked into the room, making a beeline to the cup cabinet. Fay looked at the pale haired teen, worried that he had upset him. His watched briefly as Edameonus grabbed a cup as he continued to lean against the counter. The demon narrowed his eyes when he noticed the other two's silence, narrowing them more when he saw that Archellevon looked extremely uncomfortable in his presence.

"What?" He snapped, making the teenager flinch.

"N-nothing! I just remembered I have to… do something…" He muttered, walking rather quickly out of the room. Fay sighed as he saw Archellevon leave, knowing he hadn't helped matters. Frowning, he looked to Edameonus, wondering what had happened between them now to have caused the boy's nervousness. Said man was staring after the younger, eyes slits as he growled in aggravation.

"…What the hell? He's been doing that for two days now…" He grumbled to himself, setting the cup down gently in order to not break it. "Was he like this before I came into the room?"

"Yes..." Fay crossed his arms as he looked at his friend. He had hoped that Archellevon would have felt more comfortable around them than when he first arrived.

"What the hell's wrong with him then?" Edameonus asked, placing a hand on his hip.

"He's reverting back to the person he was before he got his memories…" The taller man said, a sinking feeling in his stomach growing larger.

"Maybe one of us should ask him what's wrong?" Fay suggested, not knowing what to do. Edameonus ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"He always runs when I enter the room, and I bet he'd avoid any questioning anyway." The demon shook his head and went to the fridge to get milk for Mokona. "Maybe leaving him alone would be better for him."

"Then he'll just continue. If he knew it bothered you it would at least push him to try to face whatever it is he's having problems with." The blonde replied as he stood straight.

"I think I'm the reason he's got problems." Edameonus said sharply, looking over to Fay with a scowl.

"Me talking to him could make it worse." He closed the white door and moved to the counter where the cup awaited him.

"I could talk with him." Blue eyes followed the other man as he poured Mokona's drink. Edameonus tilted the carton away from the glass, looking at the blonde hesitantly. He sighed again and closed it.

"I would say no, but I can't control what you do."

"I don't have to, but it might help for him to talk to someone about what it is bothering him." The blonde said as he walked passed Edameonus.

"I don't know how this new Archy will act to it, but if you want to talk to him I can't stop you." Edameonus set the carton back in the refrigerator. "Do what you want."

"I will once he's calmed down." Fay smiled before walking outside the kitchen and into the living room. Mokona was sitting on the couch, humming to herself as she looked at the book in her lap in confusion. She smiled wider when Fay entered.

"Is Fay going to read me the rest of the story!"

"Isn't Edameonus reading to you?" He asked as he walked up to the girl and looked down at the book she was reading over. It was a fairy tale book, one that had larger pictures than the ones Edameonus had read to her before. Mokona pouted and looked down to the book.

"Yes, but he left." The demon sighed as he strolled over to them.

"Oi, stop making that face. You asked me to get you something to drink so I got it for you, twerp."

"Maybe next time I could read a story to Mokona?" He smiled fondly at the girl as she took the drink Edameonus had brought for her. The girl hummed enthusiastically in agreement before sipping the milk delicately. Edameonus sighed and took his seat next to her, looking up to Fay with a sheepish smile.

"For some reason she's really into these fantasy stories."

"Just means she has an imagination." The blonde replied before he moved away from them to sit on the other couch, not wanting to get in the way of the Ginryan from finishing the story for Mokona. Edameonus smiled and stroked the girl's hair.

"That's good… if she has an imagination, means she can think on her own. I don't think her makers expected that. After all, you're a prototype." He said affectionately while nuzzling her head.

"Mokona has imagination!" She cheered as she returned the man's affection. Fay chuckled at the scene before him.

"Yes, Mokona's developing quickly living here."

"Yeah, she's like a human being." Edameonus said, closing his eyes. "Makes me not want to give her back. But hell, I don't think I'm going to go back too often, so I can avoid doing so."

"Yes." Fay agreed thinking the creature was very much like a child. Mokona giggled, before setting her glass down on the table before grabbing her book once more. Edameonus watched her do so.

"So you ready for me to continue?" He asked nonchalantly, smiling indolently at their way to pass time.

"Yes, Mokona's ready!" She smiled brightly; handing the book over to her father figure while Fay relaxed against the couch and watched them. The demon smiled wider, ruffling her hair lovingly before flipping to the right page.

"You scanned ahead again you little brat!" He squawked, tossing the book aside to pick the girl up, beginning to tickle her. Mokona laughed loudly as she struggled to get out of Edameonus's hold. The blonde across from them watched amused, wondering if the Ginryan had experience with children before. Edameonus didn't relent, pulling her into his lap so he could keep his hold on her.

"You've done it now." He chuckled and continued, not noticing that Fay was watching him play with his child. A smile graced the slender man's lips as he watched, not wanting to disturb the other two as Mokona continued laughing and squirming in Edameonus's hold. The dark haired man smiled, seeing as he had tortured the child enough. His hands moved to clasp the small sides, picking Mokona up to sit next to her.

"Now then, you know the consequences of reading ahead. Are you going to do it again?" Mokona wiped at her face, her cheeks heated as she caught her breath.

"Mokona won't skip ahead." She smiled brightly as she looked up at the dark haired man.

"Good." The man grinned as he pulled the book in front of both of them. Archellevon moved to hover on the entrance way, staring at the two before looking over to Fay with a slight blush.

"A-ah… I thought you were in your bedroom…" He said, moving to make his leave back to the laundry room.

"Wait, you can come sit in here, there's no need to stay away from all of us." The blonde stood, smiling at the teen. "I need to find Kuro-min anyways; it's unusual not to hear him growling at something." Fay moved towards his bedroom, wondering where his lover had wandered off to. Archellevon frowned deeply and nodded, not making eye contact as he moved to sit where Fay had left. Edameonus paused in reading, but didn't look up. He planted a kiss atop Mokona's head before he continued.

Fay's expression matched that of Archellevon's as he opened the door to his bedroom and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him as he heard Edameonus reading once more. When silence hit Fay's ears from Kurogane, the Valerian had to turn around. The tanned man was lying on their bed, a book folded over in his lap as his head lulled to the side, asleep. There was a pencil in his hand, showing that he had dozed off in his studying. The shorter man couldn't help but smile at his lover as he stepped forward to remove the book and pencil, sitting them both on the nightstand so Kurogane wouldn't be too uncomfortable. The half breed's brow furrowed slightly, somewhat disturbed by the book being lifted from his legs. He muttered something incoherently before becoming still again.

Covering his mouth, Fay stifled his laughter as he walked over to take a blanket out, seeing how he didn't want to disturb Kurogane by making the other move. Seeing that it would only make things more awkward if he went back to the living room, Fay crawled into their bed, careful not to move too much before covering himself and Kurogane up. He smiled as he looked at the taller man, knowing he needed the sleep. Kurogane instantly pulled Fay closer, showing the other that even in sleep he liked to hold the blonde close. Rubbing his cheek slightly against the light tresses the taller man became still once more in his soft nap. Again the blonde had to force himself not to make any noise as he felt Kurogane's arms around him. Even when asleep it seemed his lover was able to comfort him when he was troubled.

Softly sighing Kurogane twitched when he felt the other react to his touches. He didn't wake when a faint knocking came to the front door, telling Fay that Tsumebe had arrived. Fay laughed softly, wondering if he should go greet his lover's parents. He would, after all. be leaving shortly now that Tsumebe had arrived; he just hoped it wouldn't be strained around them with Archellevon acting oddly around him. He heard Tsumebe laugh when Archellevon opened the door, obviously seeing Mokona and Edameonus sitting together with the book in his lap. It was a few moments before he heard her call both for him and Kurogane, making the dark haired man grumble in his sleep.

"Kuro-min?" Fay spoke softly, moving his hand behind him to rest against his lover's cheek. Kurogane grunted, moving against the touch lightly.

"Kuro-daddy's parents are here." Fay laughed at Kurogane's unwillingness to wake up. Red eyes peeked open and the man groaned softly. He blinked twice before moving.

"Hn…? Why am I even asleep?"

"You fell asleep studying." Fay said as he removed his hand only to bring them to rest against the arms wrapped around him. Kurogane blinked again and frowned.

"…Then what are you doing here? I don't remember you sitting with me…" He muttered dumbfounded. Again, his mother called for them.

"I found Kuro-min asleep and thought you could use a nap." Fay sat up reluctantly as he looked down at Kurogane. The other man rubbed his eyes with a hand, taking a deep breath before he too sat up.

"Hn… I'm either interrupted by that asshole yelling or fall asleep when I'm studying…" Kurogane grumbled, a little peeved that he never seemed to get his work done.

"We'll just have to go to sleep earlier then." Fay said as he removed the blanket off them.

"Hn." Kurogane moved to the side of the bed, still combating sleep. He moved to stand and ignored the want to stretch as he watched Fay move off the bed.

"All of us might be going to town... Archellevon and I are supposed to be cooking with Tsumebe tonight." A slight frown marred the blonde's face, not wanting things to be odd around the teen seeing that they would be spending most of the day together.

"All of us? Again? What for?" Kurogane asked as he straightened his clothing, having been tousled from his nap. He ran a hand through his hair to get rid of bedhead, though that was nearly impossible.

"You don't have enough ingredients and we might buy decorations." Fay walked over to the closet, searching for something to wear that would effectively hide his growing stomach. Kurogane frowned deeper.

"Then why the hell am I coming?" Kurogane followed his lover, knowing it would be getting colder. A knock came swiftly to their door before Archellevon peeked in. "Kurogane-san? Fay-san? Before you two get dressed, I-I think you might want to come see something…"

"Okay." Fay looked over at Kurogane curiously before following the blonde outside their bedroom and towards the living room. Tsumebe smiled from her seat on the couch.

"Ah, there you are." She said smoothly, standing up from her husband's side. Kurogane mumbled a 'hello' groggily, making Toriho laugh.

"Did we wake you?"

"Kuro-kun wasn't asleep for very long." Fay smiled down at Toriho before he looked at Archellevon.

"What was it you wanted to show us Archy?" He smiled, wondering what the teen wanted them to see. The white haired one gave a weak smile.

"Oh, uhm, it wasn't me who wanted to show you something… Tsumebe-san said that their car was having difficulties…" He muttered, looking to the woman. Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"So?"

"I brought a few things from home for us to use, mostly pans. There's also a few things for Fay-san as well." Tsumebe said as she smiled brightly, not answering her son's questioning gaze. Fay wondered what could have happened to their car as he looked between his lover's parents. Toriho stood as well, grinning to his son.

"Unfortunately the car's not working." Again, Kurogane gave his not-giving-a-damn expression, and Toriho sighed.

"Meaning you're going to have to help me with it." He said with a grin, making the other man growl.

"It can wait for a bit, we just arrived. But it seems we might not be able to go to town today." The woman said as she smiled at her son and husband. Archellevon's shoulders slumped slightly at hearing the news, but he smiled.

"Oh, that's ok…" He said slowly, looking to Fay. "I mean, we can go tomorrow can't we?" Kurogane snorted, turning on his heel.

"You woke me up for that? I'm going back to sleep."

"If you don't want to help me with the car, you could always drive the others to town so they can at least get started on cooking." Toriho suggested as he smirked at his son. Kurogane looked over his shoulder, pausing in his tracks. He contemplated taking his father's offer, but he remembered his car didn't seat a lot of people. He sighed and continued his trek to his room.

"Fine, lemme get changed…" Edameonus cackled at Kurogane's falter, though he knew he would get dragged into helping.

"While Youou does that Ed can at least help me get started on the car." Toriho grinned at seeing the amused look on his friend's face. Fay turned and left as well to change, smiling at Toriho. Edameonus sighed and stood.

"Yupp, I knew it." He said as he leaned down to kiss Mokona on the forehead above her gem.

"You can be patient for your story can't you?" He said with a grin, making Tsumebe smile gently.

"Mokona will wait!" She smiled cheerfully as she set the book down. Tsumebe giggled at the girl's enthusiasm. Toriho chuckled as he waited for the Ginryan to finish saying goodbye to the child. Edameonus stood straight and smiled widely.

"Good girl." He moved to take off his light jacket, seeing as they would be getting dirty.

"Alright then, what's the trouble with it?" Archellevon blinked.

"E-Ed knows about cars?" The taller man looked to his past lover, surprised he was curious about him.

"Not really cars, but it should be close enough to the transports I worked on back home." Edameonus replied as he smiled sheepishly, not expecting the teen to be interested. Archellevon smiled feebly, looking away.

"I see…" The demon paused before looking back to Toriho.

"Are you going to take me to your car or what?" He asked, making the man smile.

"Yeah, come on."

Tsumebe smiled as she turned to look at her husband. "Dearest, could you get the things from the car?"

Toriho nodded and smiled to Kurogane when he came back in.

"Is it alright if we spend the night? I know you two don't have a lot of room, but I don't think we can go anywhere while the car's down." Edameonus froze.

"W-what?" Fay followed close behind his lover, now wearing a long sweater that stopped below his waist while its sleeves reached well past his wrists. He was surprised at the request, but smiled all the same.

"Sleepover!" Mokona shouted from her seat on the couch. Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"Why the hell couldn't you take my car to a hotel?" He asked, pulling on a light jacket over his muscle shirt that he had used to work on Yuui the first time. Toriho smiled as he opened the door.

"You don't like it when I drive your car or motorcycle, remember?"

"Kuro-pipi's being rude, wanting to throw his parents out." Fay grinned as he walked past his lover. Tsumebe stood, hiding her laughter from her son. Kurogane rolled his eyes and followed his father out the door. Edameonus, having recovered from the shock of Toriho announcing their stay, followed as well, wanting to ask the older man questions. Archellevon sat back down on the couch, having pulled out a book to read.

Fay stepped out onto the yard, a chilly breeze blowing his hair about. He grinned thinking it would be snowing soon with how cold it was becoming. Kurogane sighed, suppressing a shiver.

"You came out to watch didn't you?" He asked his lover, watching as his father opened the lid of the car. Edameonus folded his arms, contemplating over sleeping arrangements.

"Of course." Fay answered as he turned to smile at the taller man. Toriho opened the hood, revealing the engine. He smirked as he looked over at the couple as he waited for Kurogane. The spiky haired man sighed and looked to the inside of the car.

"Ok, what's wrong with it?" He asked, making Edameonus snap out of his ponderings. He bent over to look inside, examining the work of humans.

"Hmm… they're working on some primitive stuff, but I recognize it well enough…"

"It might be primitive, but it's still a pain to work on." Toriho said as he checked over the car. Edameonus smirked, reaching in to touch some of the polished metal.

"Hn, sounds like home." He felt over the material and closed his eyes with a sigh. "Damn, I haven't worked on transports in forever." Kurogane raised an eyebrow, slightly creeped out.

"Do you get off on working on cars or something?" Said comment received a glare. Fay sent a glare towards his lover at the comment, knowing he wasn't close enough to hit the taller man. Toriho grinned, seeing that his son was going to be scolded later. Edameonus stood straight and gave a quivering grin.

"I could let Fay-chan hit you, or I can hit you myself." He threatened, making Kurogane growl. Toriho shoved his hand in both their faces.

"Come now boys! We're supposed to be working on the car!" Fay walked closer towards them smiling innocently as he strolled up to his lover.

"Toriho's right, he and Tsumebe need their car fixed." The blonde stated. Kurogane grumbled and smacked his father's hand away. Edameonus pulled Toriho's hand out of his face and gritted his teeth, not saying anything as he gave up and went back to looking at the car's insides. The blonde rolled his eyes at their childishness as he moved to lean against the car. Toriho shook his head before he began checking to see if it wasn't simple wrong with the car.

Inside the house, Mokona hummed from her seat on the couch, having watched the men outside.

"They don't seem bothered by the cold." She said, sticking a finger in her mouth slightly. Tsumebe smiled and placed a hand on the girl's back.

"My husband and Youou were never really bothered with it, though Youou often got colds from being stubborn."

"Fay will have to take care of Kurogane if he gets sick." She laughed to herself as she thought abut Kurogane catching a cold and having to stay in bed. Archellevon smiled from the other couch, listening to the woman and the child talk. He looked down to his book, not really reading it. His mind wandered back to the long haired man, a slight frown marring his face.

"Is there something troubling you?" Tsumebe asked as she smiled softly at the teen. Mokona sat beside her still thinking of the others outside. Archellevon looked up from his book, slightly surprised at being shaken from his thoughts.

"H-huh? O-oh yes… I mean no! Nothing's wrong." He said abashedly, his eyes faltering to the ground.

"If I've learned anything from raising Youou, it's when a boy is upset and doesn't want to bother others with his troubles." She grinned affectionately towards Archellevon, knowing she couldn't force the boy to say what was bothering him. The white haired one flinched, having been caught. His frown deepened and he bowed his head.

"Tsumebe-san… I… I don't know what to do…" He admitted, not being able to hide anything from the kind face and words. Mokona continued to hum, oblivious of the others in the room chatting.

"There's no need to be formal dear." The woman smiled fondly as she looked at the teen.

"What's been troubling you?" Archellevon looked up in hesitation, his hands fidgeting along with his feet.

"I-I…" He blushed and looked down. "…It's E-Ed… Edameonus…"

"The two of you haven't been getting along?" She asked, knowing from Toriho what Edameonus had been trying to do recently, though she knew it was best for the boy to come to terms with things himself and talking to her could help. The teenager bowed his head lower, long bangs shielding his eyes from her.

"No…" He shivered slightly, his hands moving smoothly together to create a warmth. "I… I don't know what he's… t-trying to do…"

"From what I've seen, it looks as if Edameonus is trying to be your friend, though he might be trying too hard." Tsumebe offered, realizing the boy was more confused than she had thought. Archellevon shook his head.

"N-no… It's not that… he's…" He looked up, blue eyes slightly watering. "I think he's the person I'm forgetting." He bent his head to wipe his eyes.

"I-I'm… He's not giving me signs that he was though. I-I can't look at him now because I always get confused."

"It's perfectly alright to be confused; regaining the memories of a past life must be difficult, but if you think he might be this person you could always ask." She said; being worried about Archellevon, seeing that he was having a hard time of things.

"You could also just wait to see if you don't remember this person on your own. Though it's your decision."

"I've asked him before…" Archellevon hiccupped, though he tried very hard to suppress it. "He w-wouldn't answer me, and he gave me this mean look… I-I don't know what to do… Everyone's telling me not to h-hurt myself by t-trying to get my memories back, but nothing's helping me anymore…" He brought both hands up to wipe his eyes fervently. Tsumebe smiled before standing and moving to sit beside Archellevon.

"Then maybe it means you're not supposed to remember anything else." She brought her hands up to cup the teen's reddened cheeks. "You shouldn't live in the past, it won't help anything, even though you know something from your past self it would be best to move forward. It's only hurting you to try and remember...you have friends and family here now and none of us want to see you in pain." She smiled warmly at Archellevon as she tried to comfort him. Archellevon looked at her in shock; a tear slipping passed his hand from pausing to listen to her. His face contorted with sadness after hearing her words and he leaned forward to rest his forehead against her shoulder, body shivering freely as he let out some pathetic cries. Mokona looked over and gasped, not knowing that the teenager was crying. Tsumebe wrapped her arms around the boy and smiled as she rubbed the teen's back soothingly.

"Everything will be alright Archellevon; you just have to trust in yourself and know that we all care for you and want what's best." The boy nodded feebly, his hands fisting the bottom of her shirt for comfort.

Outside Edameonus stood up straight, staring at the house with wide eyes. He frowned painfully and looked down, assuming something that hurt worse than he could've imagined. Kurogane looked up from his position under the car and raised an eyebrow. "Oi, what's your problem?"

"Kuro-san shouldn't be nosey." Fay said, leaning against the car, as he looked at Edameonus, curious as well at the other man's expression.

"And you shouldn't be so commanding!" Kurogane spat, moving back under the car to tighten something. Edameonus tightened his grip on the wrench he was holding before he let out a growl and lifted it up.

"SHIT!" He cussed vibrantly as he threw it to the ground, the dirt bending by the force of it. He turned and paced, fuming with his hands in his hair.

"Ed?" Toriho said as he leaned up to look at the other man confused. Fay stood up, worried now more than he had been as he saw Edameonus throw the tool to the ground. The demon didn't answer and continued to pace, shifting through his pockets to find something. Kurogane looked up as Edameonus pulled the cigarette pack from his pants, lighter with it.

"Oi! Don't smoke around Blondie, even outside!" He snapped, but Edameonus didn't look over as he lit it. Fay smiled sheepishly before moving to the other side of the car, not wanting Kurogane to start arguing with Edameonus when the Ginryan seemed upset about something.

"What's wrong?" Toriho asked, not liking the other man's sudden change. Edameonus's now faintly glowing eyes looked over to Toriho, the cigarette burning quickly as he inhaled. He sighed out the smoke, once again running a hand though his hair.

"…Your wife's telling him not to remember." He said lowly, almost inaudible even to Fay. "… And he's agreeing…" He inhaled it again, listening to Archellevon cry inside. Toriho stared at Edameonus, not liking how the other man was getting agitated. Fay frowned as well, his body tense, not knowing what to do.

Edameonus removed his cigarette for a moment and then brought his hand up to his mouth. He growled and then bit it, something he had developed to get rid of aggravation. Toriho flinched at this, shocked his friend would do something like that.

"O-oi! Stop that! You'll draw blood you moron!" He barked in a Kurogane-esque manner.

"Edameonus..." Fay said not believing what the other man was doing. He frowned deeply, worried about his friend as Toriho tried to talk to him. Kurogane got out from underneath the car as his father moved to Edameonus, going to pull his hand away from the other man's mouth. The half blood scowled and stood next to Fay.

"…We were lucky…" He muttered to his lover, watching as the Ginryan turned away from Toriho, obviously trying not to cry from frustration. Fay nodded and moved close to his lover, not wanting to know what it would have been like for them to have never remembered each other.

"Ed, stop doing that." Toriho said, he didn't want to see his friend hurt himself. The shorter of the two still refused to look at his friend, his cigarette now being mashed between his teeth in silence to replace his hand. He jerked away from Toriho, though he didn't walk far before the man grabbed him again. Kurogane moved his arm around Fay, casting his gaze away for the sake of the other man's dignity. Fay looked away as well, uneasy about the idea that Edameonus might strike out at any of them in frustration.

"Calm down Ed, you don't want to worry everyone, do you?" Toriho said sternly, not knowing what to do.

"Fuck it, Souhi!" Edameonus spat, the already spent cigarette falling from his mouth. He looked up through his frayed hair to his friend, eyes narrowed from anger.

"Fuck it all! I've got other reasons to live now! I've got too many of them!" He barked, tearing himself away from the older one. "Soel still needs me! The court still fucking needs me!"

"Idiot, stop yelling the others inside the house will hear." Toriho said as he grimaced at the other's shouting. Fay winced at hearing the Ginryan's words, knowing it must be painful for the man to say them. Kurogane frowned, holding Fay tighter when he felt the blonde wince. Edameonus let out a vehement roar, throwing a fist to the ground. Him being full Ginryan and having brutal strength left a small crater around the impact. He slumped against the house wall, his breath coming short and somewhat loud.

"Let them hear. Let the whole world hear I'm VITALLY FUCKING PISSED!"

"You're angry because Tsumebe was trying to comfort Archy?" Toriho said as he frowned, ready to pin the other if things got out of hand. Edameonus snorted, placing his hand over his eyes.

"No you idiot… Archy doesn't… he doesn't want to remember me… he thinks I'm the person he's trying to remember, but… he's crying… he's crying because he's afraid…" Edameonus slipped down the side of the house. "He's afraid I was a mean person to him... so now he doesn't want to remember…"

"Dumbass, stop moping around." Toriho said as he kicked the other none too gently. "Even if he doesn't remember you it doesn't mean you can't start over. Does nothing I say to you get through that thick skull of yours?" The taller man sighed, knowing that both of his friends were beating themselves up over a big misunderstanding because neither wanted to talk to the other about it. Edameonus grunted from the impact, moving slightly to the side. He glared up to Toriho and hesitated from speaking. He sighed and looked to the ground, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Kurogane smirked at his father's method of convincing, knowing where he'd got his violence from.

"Now are you going to stop acting like a brat and actually try or am I going to have to knock some sense into you?" Toriho said as he offered a hand to the other man. Fay sighed in relief, before gently punching his lover's arm, scolding him silently for being amused at seeing Edameonus getting hit. Kurogane raised an eyebrow in question from the hit, but didn't say anything, turning to watch Edameonus continue to pout angrily for a moment. The man sighed and lifted his hand to his friend's, thus being lifted from his position on the ground.

"Damn you, you asshole…"

"I swear, it's like I'm raising another kid sometimes, and we're almost the same age." Toriho said as he helped the other up and began his trek back to the car. Edameonus frowned at his friend's comment before looking to the ground. He let out a soft growl before following Toriho, giving up on throwing a tantrum. Kurogane pulled away from Fay and moved to get back under the car to continue working on it. Fay watched, glad that Toriho had dissolved what could have been a serious fight between him and Edameonus. The older man in turn moved back towards the car engine trying to figure out what was wrong with it once again.

Inside Mokona had moved to sit on her knees in front of Archellevon, resting her head against his knees as she looked up in worry to him. The boy had cried out what he had been holding in and was now resting against the couch, exhausting himself to the point of almost sleep. Tsumebe smiled gently at the small girl, seeing that she was still upset about the teen's crying.

"Mokona-chan is such a sweet girl to be so worried about Archellevon-kun." Purple eyes slowly tore away from the former angel's still face, looking to the woman. Mokona smiled faintly, rubbing her nose a little.

"Mo…Mokona just doesn't like people being upset…" She retracted from the teenager's knees to place a hand over her heart.

"Edameonus and Archellevon hurt here… Mokona just wants things to be better for both of them…"

"Both of them have to work things out on their own, all we can do is lend a hand whenever they might need it." She said as she continued to smile at Soel. Mokona smiled a little wider and nodded her head in determination, once again placing her hands against his legs. Blue eyes opened groggily and the white haired boy leaned slightly forward. "Hnn…"

"I hope you're feeling better." Dark eyes looked at the boy sitting beside her as Tsumebe watched Archellevon wake. Mokona smiled brightly as she watched the teen's eyes open. He blinked momentarily before squeaking and waving his hands in front of him in panic.

"A-Ah! I'm so sorry, Tsumebe-san! I-I didn't mean t-to…! That is, I didn't-!" He babbled, a blush growing rosy on his cheeks. Tsumebe brought her hand to her lips and laughed softly.

"It's alright, there's no need to apologize. I'm glad I could help even a little." Archellevon's face was still red, but he lowered his hands and bowed his head.

"S-still… I shouldn't be troubling you… a-and Moko-chan! I'm sorry!" He whined, leaning forward to give the other white haired one a hug.

"You weren't troubling me, I'm a mother; I'm happy to help a child in need, especially if it's someone that's a part of our family." She said as she put a delicate hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Archy wasn't doing anything wrong!" Mokona said as she hugged Archellevon back. The boy smiled faintly in relief, glad to have the two there with him. He blinked and the smile faded, thinking of something that bothered him. He pulled away from Mokona then and looked to Tsumebe.

"Oh no… what… should I say to him? How should I act?"

"Just be yourself, though if you keep trying to stay away from him he'll take it as you wanting nothing to do with him." She smiled, knowing the boy was having a hard time trying to resolve his issues with Edameonus for the better. Archellevon's small frown grew slightly, but he nodded.

"Ok…" He blushed a little and looked away from the two females in the room.

"I-I just… if we…" He started to fiddle with his hands.

"I-if we… might work on something like… my past life…" He blushed a little more. "I j-just hope it doesn't go too quickly…"

"You should tell him that, I'm sure he would appreciate it." Tsumebe said as she watched the teen fidgeted beside her. Mokona smiled glad to see Archellevon feeling better. From outside they heard the engine rev from the car and then Toriho holler in happiness. Archellevon smiled again, placing a hand on Mokona's head.

"Seems they got the car working."

"Sounds like it." She laughed softly at hearing her husband.

"I wonder if the car's able to make it to town now." The older woman said as she stared out the window.

"It might last long enough to get to town to get to a repair shop, or maybe they fixed it ok." Archellevon added as he too regarded his adopted family members clean up the mess they had made by trying to fix the car.

"Toriho and Youou won't take the car to a garage. They're both too stubborn about letting anyone else work on something of theirs." She had to stifle her laughter at the thought, knowing both her husband and son would protest. The boy laughed out loud though it was airy, moving so he would be sitting on his legs.

"Hn, that sounds really true. Knowing how they argue it must be a hassle to take them to a doctor or something like that." He watched as Edameonus snuffed out another cigarette, sticking a finger in his ear as Kurogane barked at him.

"I work sometimes with hospitals so it's not so bad, but when it comes down to it I can usually get them to go. Youou is especially bad for not wanting to listen, more so when he was younger." Tsumebe giggled remembering how she would have to scold both men to stay in bed from colds and injuries. Mokona laughed as well before she turned her attention to the others outside.

"I see… I hope they don't get sick from being in the cold then." He said with a wider grin. The boy watched as Mokona went from the door to the window when she saw that Edameonus would be the first to come inside.

"If they keep roughhousing outside when it snows I think all three of them will have to spend Christmas in bed." She smiled warmly as she saw the others walking back towards the house. Archellevon offered her a kind smile before gluing his vision to the floor when Edameonus opened the door. Mokona tried to pounce on him, but his hand shot out to stop her.

"Oi, don't do that. I'm dirty." He said, moving aside to allow Fay to enter after him. The Valerian smiled as he walked past Edameonus.

"I'll be surprised if Kuro-rin doesn't catch a cold." The blonde said as he moved to sit on the couch across from the others. Tsumebe smiled and put a hand on Archellevon's shoulder briefly, trying to reassure the boy, before she smiled at seeing her son and Toriho entering the house as well. The teenager looked to her briefly in hesitation and then to the youngest Ginryan when he entered.

"Oi, I don't catch colds easily! Why the hell do you keep instigating that?" Kurogane snapped as he entered, wiping his hand on his shirt to show he had been the one to do most of the fixing. Archellevon chuckled slightly behind his hand, finding it funny that they had been talking about the same subject.

"Because Kuro-san doesn't wear a coat out into he cold like a normal person would." Fay looked over at Kurogane grinning as he spoke. The other man's eyes narrowed.

"Yes I do, I just took it off because I didn't want to get oil on it!" The half breed walked passed his other parent in the room and headed for his bedroom, going to change. Toriho laughed lightly and closed the door.

"Either way you're still stubborn."

"Kuro-chan's just grumpy because he didn't get to finish his nap." Tsumebe laughed at the blonde's words, thinking their arguing was cute. Kurogane looked out of his bedroom and growled.

"I was napping since those guys took forever to get here!" He snapped before closing the door with a click. Edameonus smiled down to his daughter before going over to his clothing pile.

"We had car trouble and that's no way to talk to Fay-chan brat!" Toriho said as he moved to stand beside his wife. Chuckling Fay watched as Toriho crossed his arms and smirked. They heard Kurogane grumble something from the other room, silenced by the closed door. Edameonus laughed a little to himself before moving to stand by the bathroom.

"Well next time you don't put a 'yes sir' after all your sentences I just might have to teach you to sweet talk." This brought Kurogane out of the room, tackling the demon into the bathroom. Toriho rolled his eyes at the two before taking a few steps towards them in case he had to pull them apart.

"Honestly." He grumbled. Fay smiled as he stood to look down the hall and towards the bathroom, hoping they wouldn't get into too serious of a fight. They heard things being thrown and a few grunts before Kurogane walked out, rubbing his head and grumbling something before he went back into the bedroom to continue changing. Edameonus was silent before letting out a cackle, followed by a softer scold from Toriho. Archellevon looked up.

"…Are they ok?"

"If Toriho didn't have to break them up, then it was anything serious." Fai said with a smile before sitting back down. Toriho sighed and shook his head.

"Both of them are like children." Tsumebe smiled up to her husband.

"It's ironic for you to be saying that." She said with a giggle. Archellevon smiled over to her as well and made room on the couch for the child to sit next to him.

"Youou's the one that usually starts it." He smiled sheepishly at his wife, knowing she was right. Mokona grinned as she climbed up onto the couch to sit beside Archellevon, while Fay chuckled.

"Kuro-rinta is the one to usually hit first." Kurogane came into the room then, pulling on a different shirt.

"Tch, only because the other person deserves it!" He barked passed his collar.

"Doesn't mean you have to tackle everyone that jokes about you." His father said while Fay turned his head away from his lover so Kurogane wouldn't be able to see him laughing. Said man growled again and slumped in a chair close to Fay, a set frown on his face.

"Maybe they shouldn't piss me off then…" he muttered as Edameonus came out, wearing a new shirt as well.

"Not my fault you can't take a joke." Toriho smirked as he stood beside his wife. Fay smirked, still not looking at his lover, so he wouldn't rile the taller man. The sharp red eyes looked over to Fay and he growled yet again, sinking into his chair more as he tried not to get heated over such simple matters. Edameonus sat on the other couch, not looking up to the other one.

"You shouldn't tease Youou." Tsumebe gently scolded her husband, seeing that Kurogane was at least trying to not start yelling again. Toriho laughed again and nodded to his love, sitting down on the armrest next to her.

"Yes, ma'am." He said sweetly, making Edameonus snort. The older woman smiled, her cheeks dusted a rosy pink as she looked at her husband.

"As his parents we shouldn't embarrass him too much in front of his lover." Kurogane placed a hand on his face, not liking that his parents were being affectionate in front of him. Edameonus cackled lightly, enjoying the subtle torture even as Kurogane reached over to him and pinched his cheek for doing so.

"I suppose. That reminds me; we brought a few things for Fay-chan." Toriho said, smiling broadly as he remembered. Fay watched as Kurogane began picking at Edameonus.

"Kuro-rinta's going to teach the baby bad habits." Smiling, the blonde leaned on the couch's armrest towards Kurogane. The half demon grinned slightly.

"I'll teach him what he needs to know, if he picks up bad habits it's not too fatal." He said irritably as Edameonus grabbed his hand with sharper nails than human. The long haired man smirked back.

"What a way for a father to speak…"

"Kuro-daddy just wants Toshi to be like him." The blonde pouted halfheartedly, trying to keep himself from smiling. Toriho stood making his way towards the door, leaving to get the things they had brought with them. Kurogane smacked away the other man's hand, growling before looking to his lover with a cocked eyebrow.

"So? What if I do?" The teenager on the other couch giggled a little.

"It's nice to know you'd admit that… Kurogane-san." He said warmly, causing the spiky haired man to blush faintly.

"Youou will have to learn how to change diapers and feed the baby when he arrives." Tsumebe smiled warmly at her son.

"Kuro-min's blushing." Fay chuckled as he pointed at his lover's cheeks.

"I do not blush!" Kurogane barked, though his face lit up brightly at the thought of doing what his mother said. Edameonus turned himself away, chuckling into his hand.

"Kuro-chu shouldn't lie." Fay said as he smirked at his lover just as Toriho came back in, a large bag in one hand while he carried a couple of books tucked under his arm. The older man laid them down beside Tsumebe. Kurogane paused in his comeback to see what his father had brought in. He gaped like a fish when he saw the books under Toriho's arm.

"WHAT THE HELL!" He roared, pointing to the books.

"Fay-chan said he wanted to see them, so your mother thought it would be a good idea to bring them." Toriho said, giving his son a pointed look. Tsumebe sat up from the couch gathering the books to sit beside Fay on the opposite couch. Fay watched, wondering what it was the woman held as she smiled. Kurogane glared at the book, wondering if he should be rude to his mother and snatch it away or retreat to a different room to be saved from the humiliation. Edameonus stood to make room for her, going to sit by Archellevon, though he made sure to do it far enough away to be comfortable to both of them.

"We'll look through this one first." She said as she took a deep red album and set it atop her lap, flipping open the heavy cover and going past the beginning few pages until she stopped at the first page that held any pictures on them.

"Here's Youou when he was just born, he was scowling even then." Fay laughed as he looked over the pictures the woman pointed at while Toriho smirked. Kurogane groaned and placed a hand on his face, contemplating suicide, either that or burning the books when his mother was sleeping. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that sooner. Mokona ran over and placed her hand on the woman's knees.

"Mokona wants to see too!"

"Of course." Tsumebe lowered the album so the white haired girl could see the pictures as well.

"Let's see… here's another of Youou at home, Toriho bought him a stuffed animal to sleep with." She giggled at the picture as Fay smiled wondering if he could get Kurogane to do the same for their child. Kurogane glared at Mokona for being interested, which in turn made Edameonus scowl at him, but the red eyed man stood up.

"Ugh, this is torture, mom. Couldn't you have waited until I wasn't home to show him that shit?" He asked, moving to the hallway.

"I'm going to work on Yuui…"

"You won't get to see what else we brought Fai-chan then." She smiled cryptically as she turned the page and showed both Fay and Mokona more pictures. Toriho tried to suppress his laughter at his wife's comment while Fay looked between them curious. Kurogane peered out from behind the hallway, narrowing his eyes at his mother.

"The hell?" He muttered before shaking his head. "Whatever, I'm sure he'll run around and come get me if he appreciates it." He continued down the hallway into the computer room before closing the door. Tsumebe just laughed before continuing.

"Here's one with Toriho trying to bath Youou in the sink, both of them kept splashing water everywhere." She said a delicate finger pointing at a picture of an infant Kurogane smiling at the camera, puddles of water on the kitchen counter around him, as his hair was covered in bubbles. Fay laughed, filing the image away to tease his lover about later. Mokona giggled as well, struggling to sit next to Fay without trying to break her gaze from the picture. Toriho chuckled and let a little blush cover his cheeks, thinking fondly of the past. Fay shifted to the side, helping Mokona to sit beside him as Tsumebe gave them small tidbits and stories about the pictures she showed them.

"Toriho always had a camera on hand." Tsumebe smiled fondly as she flipped through the albums pages.

"Yes, I'm glad I did too. We made sure to tape a few videos too, of certain occasions that were more important." Toriho said with a look to the ceiling as he recalled screaming at the top of his lungs as he filmed Kurogane winning his varsity soccer game in high school.

"Next time we'll have to bring those to show you." Tsumebe said, smiling softly.

"Here's Youou at his first birthday, the cake didn't last long before he was playing in it." The woman said as she laughed lightly. Fay grinned as well, wondering if Toshihiko would be the same.

"Mokona wants cake!" The girl cheered from the side, raising her arms as she laughed. Edameonus lifted his arm over the back of the couch with a chuckle.

"You can't have the cake from the picture; it's not there anymore." He explained, knowing the girl was foreign to it. Archellevon blushed a little at his gesture, knowing the arm was now around his head.

"We'll bake some cakes for Christmas and New Years." Mokona looked up at Tsumebe who smiled. Blue eyes scanned over the pictures as Fay's lover's mother continued to go through the album. They heard a slight shout come from the computer room, followed by a light cussing. Toriho raised an eyebrow and looked down the hallway, curious to see if Kurogane was being too stubborn to call for help. Mokona looked to one picture.

"What's this of?"

"This is when Youou was hurt in the garage from playing with his father." Tsumebe smiled as she stared at the picture of Kurogane with a cast, remembering how worried both of them had been after they had taken Kurogane to the hospital. Toriho whined then on the other couch, shielding his face in Edameonus's shoulder.

"Oh! I felt so terrible for that!" He whimpered, making his fellow Ginryan blush and growl at the contact.

"Oi, oi! Get off, you pussy!"

"There are others here with delicate ears Ed." Toriho said as he swatted at his friend. The older man shuddered as he remembered the look his wife had given him after they had gotten Kurogane back home.

"I remember Kuro-myu telling me about that." Fay said as he looked over at the two across from them. Toriho gave him a ghastly look.

"He did! You must've thought I was a terrible father then!" He wailed again and squeezed Edameonus's neck in a hug, making the demon choke.

"No, he was warning me that there would be accidents with Toshi." Fay smiled sheepishly as he looked over at the other man.

"Dear, I forgave you years ago for that." Tsumebe giggled as she brought her hand to her lips. Toriho looked up from his friend's shoulder, a fake tear begging to be released from his eye.

"Really?" He muttered cutely before Edameonus shoved him off, causing him to fall off the armrest and onto the floor.

"Damn, Souhi, either come out of the closet or stop clinging to me whenever you feel like it!"

"You're a terrible friend!" Toriho shouted as he glared halfheartedly at Edameonus. Tsumebe continued to laugh while her husband stood and moved to her side smiling brightly.

"Darling." He took her hand into his own. Edameonus scoffed and leaned on his hand by the armrest, looking to the ceiling.

"Not my fault if you were taking up the armrest." He smirked to his friend, who was now on the other side of the room.

"Bastard, that's why you wanted me to leave?" He shouted, unable to keep himself from smiling when he heard Archellevon and Mokona laugh at his antics. He peered down at the album resting in his spouse's hands before grinning deviously.

"Here's another one with Youou naked!" Toriho laughed as he spoke loud enough for his son to hear in the other room. Fay blushed seeing yet another picture of a much younger Kurogane being bathed. They heard the subject matter in the other room drop something.

"DAMMIT DAD!" He shouted, making Edameonus cackle loudly. The angel beside him seemed to have relaxed, though he was leaning to the other side now. Mokona pointed to a picture.

"This one! Why is he wearing that?"

"It's a uniform he had to wear on his first day of school, though he got it dirty playing outside." Toriho said smiling at the girl.

"If you wanted to eavesdrop you could be more discreet brat!" Toriho called. Chuckling, Fay looked at the picture of his lover dressed in a tidy looking outfit. Mokona giggled and placed a hand over her mouth.

"That would explain his scowl! Poopy face! Poopy face!" She sang, again making her parental unit chuckle.

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOU TO SHOUT IT DOWN THE HALL!" Kurogane yelled in response to his father.

"Toriho would you get the bag please? I wanted Fay-san to try on the things I brought in case I needed to take them back." Tsumebe asked as they looked at the last pages of the album. Fay looked, curious about what they had brought for him. Toriho smiled to his wife and went to the bag to get it. He pushed Edameonus's feet away as a sort of friendly gesture, but the demon returned it by placing his boot on the other man's back as he bent over.

"Ah, much better than a coffee table." He stated with a leisurely smile. The other Ginryan grinning was the only warning Edameonus received before Toriho grabbed one of his legs and pulled, causing the other to nearly fall off the couch. Toriho laughed as he stood, bag in hand. Edameonus sputtered, a blush on his face as his hands barely caught him.

"Bastard!" He spat, shambling back up next to Archellevon, who had successfully dodged Edameonus's groping hands as he was pulled.

"Next time you'll think twice before trying to use me as a footrest." Toriho said while skipping to his wife. Tsumebe took the bag, pulling out its contents.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to go out much in the next few months so I brought these for you to wear. They're much more comfortable and far less restricting when pregnant." She said as she unfolded the top garment on her lap. A delicate, plain red kimono greeted Fay as he stared. Mokona squealed at the pretty clothing, instantly wanting to touch it.

"Soel." Came Edameonus's voice sharply, making the girl retract her hand.

"Don't touch things you're not given the permission to." He chided, but Toriho laughed.

"Oh stop that, Ed, it's ok if she feels it. They're durable, so they'll last long." Mokona looked at Tsumebe before running her hands over the cloth.

"Maybe Fay-san could try one on? I wasn't sure on your height so they might be a little short." Fay stood, smiling, thankful for the gifts as he took the kimono fro the woman.

"It's just like a robe, just take the sash and tie it around you for now." Toriho offered, knowing the blonde wouldn't know how to put it on. Nodding, Fay turned and left towards the bedroom to slip on the kimono. Edameonus clicked his tongue, moving to rest his arm around the back of the couch again.

"Thought you were going to try to help him, you pervert." Mokona hopped down from the couch and ran to the other side of the room, moving to wiggle in between the teenager and demon.

"I'm married thank you, and besides Fay-chan's like a son to me." Toriho said as he sat down and wrapped an arm around his wife.

Fay smiled and shook his head as he shut the bedroom door and began changing out of his clothes. Slipping on the kimono, the blonde saw that it did resemble the robes he had worn before only much thinner. Collecting the sash, Fay quickly wrapped it around his waist, knowing it probably wasn't right before gathering his clothes and setting them on the bed and he walked out of the room and back towards the living room. Mokona squealed again when she saw Fay enter, alerting the others in doing so. Edameonus blinked and knew he was blushing and Archellevon gasped pleasantly.

"Fay-san, that looks wonderful on you, even if the sash isn't tied properly!"

"I'm used to a lot more layers than this." Fay blushed.

"You were right; the color does suit him well." Toriho said as he smiled at his spouse.

"Fai looks pretty!" Soel cheered from her seat between Archellevon and Edameonus. Archellevon nodded and hugged Mokona for her adorableness.

"I agree! Fay-san looks wonderful!" He announced, and the girl sang it next to him before they both giggled. Edameonus absentmindedly smiled at them before nodding to Fay.

"It looks great. I bet Kurogane wouldn't mind seeing you in it either."

"Kuro-rinta's busy with Yuui right now." Smiling sheepishly, there was no doubt to Fay that he was blushing now. Toriho smirked.

"Oi, brat, come in here for a second or we'll break out the movies!" Fay covered his face as he sighed, thinking he should have known better. They heard him drop something out of aggravation and a growl from the other room before stomping.

"What the hell do you-" Kurogane stopped in mid-sentence and mid-step when his eyes landed on Fay, face instantly going scarlet. Edameonus snorted and looked away, trying not to laugh loudly. Fay frowned slightly, his face matching Kurogane's. The Valerian shuffled in embarrassment as he stood in front of everyone.

"Your mother picked out some kimono for Fay-chan to wear when he's further along in the pregnancy." Toriho smirked as he watched his son.

"Y-you… picked… a what?" Kurogane asked, his eyes never leaving Fay as they traced his lover's body. Mokona pouted as she placed her fists against her father figure's leg.

"Kurogane isn't even paying attention!"

"Kimono, so Fay-san will be more comfortable." Tsumebe said as she tried her hand at getting Kurogane to pay attention. Fay continued to blush as he felt Kurogane stare at him.

"Comfortable… Comfortable? For what?" Kurogane asked, snapping out of his somewhat daze to look at his mother.

"The baby!" Mokona shouted as she frowned. Toriho sighed and placed a hand on his chin.

"Great. He sees Fay-chan in a kimono and his brain flatlines. Looks like we can't doll him up in anything too spectacular or the boy won't be able to talk right." Fay covered his face once more with one of his hands, blushing furiously.

"Now dear, don't tease them too much." Smiling Tsumebe watched the two in front of them. Kurogane glared at his father, though the blush deepened on his own face as well.

"Sh-shut up dad! No one asked for your opinion!" he barked, making Edameonus perk up.

"Yeah, but we asked for yours." He said with a wry grin, knowing it'd embarrass both the lovers more than enough. Fay glared through his parted fingers at the Ginryan, wondering if there was a way for him to get back at him while he continued to blush.

"Doesn't Kurogane like Fay's outfit?" Mokona asked as she sat on the couch. Kurogane stared at Fay again, blushing all the more scarlet.

"…He… doesn't look half bad…" He muttered before Toriho tackled him and gave him a head lock while standing.

"Say what you're thinking boy!" He growled, and Kurogane yelped at the shock of being tackled.

"Say it, stupid!"

"Dad!"

"I SAID SAY IT!"

"BEAUTIFUL!" Kurogane shouted, shoving his dad off. "Ok?... You look beautiful, Blondie…"

"Toriho." The woman smiled warmly as she called for her husband. Fay's blush darkened as he looked away from the others, not wanting them to see the faint smile across his lips. Kurogane looked away too, his face just as red as Fay's. Toriho squealed in a very girly manner and tackled his son, pinching the younger man's cheeks.

"Oh look at you two! So adorable in all your blushing!"

"DAD! GET THE FUCK OFF!" Edameonus cackled from his seat, staring at the two now fighting on the ground. Tsumebe smiled warmly as she looked at her husband.

"Dear won't you come sit with me? After all you don't want them to be too bashful around each other." She said, not wanting both men to be completely embarrassed by her spouse. Fay mentally thanked the woman, noting he would have to return the favor somehow. Toriho looked up like a little dog would and stood above his son like they hadn't been fighting.

"Ok!" He said cheerfully, still happy about his son's confession. Kurogane growled and also stood, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"You're annoying dad! I'm going back to work…" He trailed off, almost running into the hallway to hide his blush. Fay turned, not knowing what to do as Kurogane left. He sighed and thinking over his options decided it best to sit on one of the chairs. Tsumebe hugged her husband, as she smiled at her son's retreating form. Edameonus raised an eyebrow to Fay.

"You plan on staying in that?" He asked indolently, resting his chin on his upturned palm. Mokona giggled and leaned her head against his side.

"Fay looks pretty!"

"It won't hurt to wear it for a little longer I suppose." Fay said as he smoothed over the fabric, his blush still present as he looked over to the three sitting on the couch. Mokona cheered happily and grabbed Edameonus's shirt in her hands to bury her face in his side. He made a slightly distorted face to show it somewhat tickled before putting a hand on her head.

"Did you have more than one, Tsumebe-chan?"

"Yes, several some of them have patterns, while others are plain like the red one." She replied, her hands going to the other kimono she had brought folded on her lap while she leaned against Toriho. Edameonus smiled to himself before nodding forward.

"I guess you made them all in the same size?" He turned to Mokona, who had escaped his grasp and continued nuzzling.

"Hehe… stop that you twerp…"

"Yes, they're a bit loose it seems, but that's to be expected." She said warmly as Toriho grinned, wrapping his arms around her. Fay stood and smiled at his lover's parents.

"Thank you for the gifts, I can put them away now to get them out of the way." He suggested, knowing he had yet to recover from earlier.

"I'm glad you like them." Tsumebe said as she handed the garments over to the blonde who in turn left for the bedroom. He saw Kurogane open up the computer room and move down the hall a little bit before freezing again to see his lover. He blinked and then walked up to him, knowing he was headed for the bedroom. Fay smiled, his blush still spread across his cheeks as he stood in front of Kurogane, curious as to why his lover suddenly stopped. The taller man opened up their door, gazing into the living room briefly before letting his lover enter first. Fay glanced curiously at Kurogane before walking inside their bedroom.

Laying the kimono on the bed, he wondered if he'd be able to hang them up as he did his regular clothes or if he would have to find another place for them. Kurogane entered as well, closing their door before turning around to go to their closet silently. He picked up one of his nicer looking shirts that looked long even for him and moved to stand next to Fay by their bed. He paused, dropped the shirt, and wrapped his arms around his lover, planting a kiss on Fay's neck.

"Kuro-pon?" Fay asked as he moved his hands to grip his lover's arms. He blushed at the kiss while he smiled gently at the gesture.

"Hn." The other man replied, not offering and explanation for his actions. He pulled away and smirked slightly, wrapping his arms tighter around the blonde. Chuckling, Fay tried to look behind him at Kurogane curious about his lover's behavior, the blonde's hands still onto the taller man's arms even as Kurogane tightened his embrace.

"Ignore it." Kurogane muttered, bending his head slightly forward to kiss Fay's cheek that was turned to him as he unraveled his arms from the slender body.

"Kuro-san likes my new clothes then?" The Valerian asked as he smiled at the second kiss his lover gave him. The other blushed slightly but shrugged.

"Believe that if you want." He said, moving to pick up the shirt he had tossed on the bed. Fay gathered up the rest of the kimono and laid them in the closet, figuring he would find a better place for them later. He blushed about thinking what Kurogane had said earlier about him. His hands moved deftly untying the sash around his waist as he went about redressing into his old clothes. Kurogane thought briefly about watching his lover get into his old clothing but shook his head, knowing if he did that it would delay yelling at his father for some reason. He moved behind the blonde and kissed his tattoo once exposed.

"I'll be back in the living room in a moment." Fay smiled as the kimono fell from his shoulders.

"Kuro-kun's being affectionate; you must really like these kimono?" The blonde laughed to himself as he looked over his shoulder at Kurogane.

"Hn. I told you what I thought already." The dark haired man replied, waving his hand at the other before he moved to the door. Pulling the garment the rest of the way off, Fay quickly folded it before slipping his pants back on, followed by his sweater. He grinned as he thought about the other's words. He heard the bedroom door close, the taller man making his way down the hallway to dress his android in something similar to a dress.

Putting away the red kimono, Fay closed the closet before stepping outside of the bedroom and walked back towards the living room where everyone awaited them. Mokona had once again fallen asleep first on Edameonus, his hand resting delicately against her back. Toriho grinned at Fay when he entered, gesturing to the seat between the couches against the wall.

"It's getting a little late. Our little friend seems to be tired. Should we all call it a night even though we haven't eaten supper?"

"Yes, it seems it has been a long day, even though we weren't able to go to town like we had planned." Fay said as he took the seat Toriho had offered him. The taller nodded, watching as Kurogane entered the room as well.

"Oi, kid, what are we going to do about sleeping arrangements?" he asked him, making the other raise and eyebrow and scoff.

"If you're asking for my bed, it's a 'no'."

"You mean you won't offer your room to your own parents?" Toriho asked, one of his arms wrapped around Tsumebe's shoulders. Fay watched the exchange, wondering where all of them would sleep. Kurogane held up three fingers.

"One, it's _my_ house, two, Blondie doesn't need to be sleeping on a couch, and three, that couch is a fold out, so it's like sleeping on a bed anyway. You're a big boy; it won't kill you to tolerate it." He said, making Edameonus laugh.

"Then me and your mother will be forced to sleep on the couch in our own son's house." Toriho pouted as his wife tried to hide her amusement. "Tsumebe, we have such a cruel son." Fay sat chuckling at his lover's parents. Kurogane rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

"I can always kick you out. Wouldn't hurt my feelings at all." He casually looked over to Edameonus and Archellevon, only to be startled by both their faces suddenly being drained of color. The demon stared at him wide eyed.

"B-but…"

"See even Ed thinks it's unfair, we're guests and how often do we spend the night?" Toriho said as he teased his son. Fay watched the couple on the couch, having an idea about why they were shocked. The former angel bent his head a little, trying to will away the blush.

"W-well… there'd be no problem… B-because Fay-san and Kurogane-san would sleep in their bed a-and Souhi-kun and Tsumebe-san would sleep on that couch… Mokona-chan and E-Ed would sleep here an…and I'd take a chair or something…"

"A chair would be uncomfortable." Tsumebe said as she smiled at the teen.

"She's right; you won't be able to sleep like that." The man beside her said. Fay glanced at the older couple, seeing that they were planning something. Archellevon's face went a brighter red.

"B-b-b-but Mokona-chan sleeps in a chair usually, s-so I see no problem with it a-and…" He trailed off, eyes not moving from the floor as everyone else's danced across his bowed head.

"Mokona-chan's a lot smaller than you too." Tsumebe smiled as she was watched Archellevon while Toriho grinned as he looked over at the two, knowing they wouldn't be able to argue too much. Edameonus frowned morbidly, not liking where this was going when not long ago he was extremely pissed off for listening to Archellevon cry about how he was afraid to remember. The teenager clutched his hands in his lap, biting his lip.

"Th…then w-w-what are we g-going to do?" He asked, knowing what the answer would be.

"You and Edameonus will have to share the couch; Mokona-chan's will already be sleeping in the chair." Toriho reasoned as he looked over to the other Ginryan. Fay watched, seeing that the there wasn't much of a choice for Archellevon and Edameonus. The demon placed a hand on his face to muffle his complaining, his other hand stroking his daughter's back though it was more to comfort himself. Archellevon's eyes darted around the floor, looking very similar to a baby rabbit. Kurogane scoffed, finding all of this rather unnecessary.

"They could just sleep at each end of the couch, seeing that that one doesn't pull out into a bed?" Fay suggested, not wanting the other's embarrassment about the situation to drive them any further from each other. Archellevon's shoulders seemed to relax a little at the idea.

"Th-that could work…" He muttered, moving to stand. Kurogane clicked his tongue when he remembered how needy his parents were.

"Oi, do you two need any more blankets and crap?"

"Whatever you can find, it is winter and you wouldn't want you parents catching a cold would you?" Toriho said as he smirked at his son.

"I couldn't give a rat's ass if you got a cold, but you'd complain too much." Kurogane said mockingly to his father before turning to get more sleeping materials from the laundry room. Edameonus picked Mokona up easily, moving her to a chair so she would have more room to stretch out.

"Ungrateful brat, I've not gotten sick in years." Toriho barked back in aggravation. Tsumebe laughed as she rested against her husband, used to their back and forth bickering. Archellevon moved to his clothing pile and picked up his sleepwear before going over to Fay. He bowed slightly.

"Goodnight, Fay-san…" He said softly, before doing the same to the older members of the room.

"Goodnight." Fay said, surprised that the teen wasn't trying to avoid him still. The older couple stood, Toriho moving the sofa cushions to the side and pulling the coffee table out of the way as he pulled out the couch. Edameonus moved to help, having had to do this for a while now. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Archellevon retreated to the bathroom to change. Kurogane entered again and tossed the blankets and two pillows onto the couch once it was folded out.

"Here."

"So rude." Toriho said as he looked at his son as Tsumebe went about unfolded blankets. Fay stood from his chair stepping out of the way of the others as he moved to stand beside Kurogane. Absentmindedly the taller man looped his arm around Fay's waist. He watched as Edameonus moved to sit back down on his own bed, debating on whether or not to sleep without his shirt like he always did due to the circumstances.

"I suppose we'll go to sleep now, hopefully we wont wake up tomorrow with the flu." Toriho said pointed an accusing finger at Kurogane as Tsumebe laughed and moved to sit under the covers.

"Shut up, old man! You're the one with a freakin old car!" Kurogane barked, moving with his arm still around Fay's waist to the side of the hallway. Edameonus pulled Archellevon's cover up from the side of the couch he sat on, setting it down. He then went silently over to the next couch where he had placed his own blanket and pulled it up.

"Says the one who has pieces of two perfectly good cars lying around his garage!" Toriho barked back in argument. Tsumebe laid a small hand atop her husbands arm, silently telling him to join her before Kurogane got too angry. Fay smiled sheepishly as both men argued. Kurogane growled and pointed at his father.

"You know good and well that I was putting them back together after YOU decided it might be fun to play 'who can find the pieces of my cars in two hours'! If you'da done that with my convertible I would've GRILLED your ass!" He barked, making Edameonus click his tongue.

"You should be smart enough to have fixed them by now." Kurogane's father said as he moved to sit next to his wife.

"And last time I checked you wouldn't have those cars or motorcycle if it wasn't for me and your mother." The older man said as he lay down, resting his head atop his folded arms while he looked up at Kurogane. The younger man rolled his eyes.

"I would have them fixed, but something more important came up and I just happened to forget about them while I was in that stupid court." Kurogane snapped, moving out of the way so Archellevon, now dressed in a loose t-shirt and some surprisingly short shorts, could make his way to the other side of the other couch.

"Maybe once you're out of school I can help you with them." The other man said as he smirked.

"We should let Youou and Fay-san go to bed, I'm sure they're tired." Tsumebe said as she sat beside her husband, smiling. Kurogane growled at his father.

"I can do it myself, old man." He grumbled before looking to his mom. "Night mom." He narrowed his eyes to his father again before turning on his heel, extracting his arm from his lover's waist so he could get away without his father tackling him for a goodnight as well.

"Goodnight Youou, Fay-san." Fay nodded towards Tsumebe as he left for their bedroom.

"Disrespectful brat, won't even say goodbye to his father." Toriho teased as he moved to lay on his side, his back to Kurogane. Said man scoffed, opening the door to his bedroom. He didn't look back to see Edameonus stand up to turn off the light in the room nor to see the others get comfortable. He moved to the side and allowed Fay to enter first. Stepping inside their bedroom, Fay moved to their closet, gathering his usual shirt and pair of shorts he wore to bed.

"Maybe Kuro-rin should have offered his parents the bedroom?" He said as he pulled his shirt off, thinking that the older couple was guests after all.

"Nah, they'll get over it." Kurogane replied, pulling his shirt off and tossing it in the direction of the hamper. He clicked on the lamp light before going to the doorway to turn of the main light. Slipping on his other shirt, Fay unbuttoned his pants, knowing that his lover's parents didn't mind the sleeping arrangements despite Toriho's teasing. Kurogane made his way back over to the bed, making sure his studying utensils were all out of the bed from his earlier napping. He didn't want one of them to roll over and lie on a pencil or something. Pulling on his shorts, Fay gathered his clothes and put them away in the hamper as Kurogane had done with his own.

"I guess we'll all be going to town now that their car's fixed?" The Valerian said as he walked over to the bed, watching idly as his lover put away his books.

"Hn. It should be fine now. It just needed an oil change and some other things connected back into place…" The taller man said, moving the blanket aside for them to sleep under. Fay nodded as he crawled into bed.

"Is Kuro-min coming with us?" He said as he lay down and looked over at the dark haired man. Kurogane sighed and took his place next to his lover.

"You'd drag me along anyway." He muttered, pulling the blanket over him before turning off the lap, leaving them in a familiar darkness.

"Kuro-wankoro doesn't have to. I don't mind going with your father, or Edameonus, or any of the others." Fay smiled cheerfully as Kurogane went about settling in beside him. The other man twitched and was silent for a moment. He sighed again and turned to lie on his side facing Fay.

"If those idiots are going I'm going too." He muttered, thinking of the things they would influence the Valerian to do if he didn't go.

"Kuro-chan doesn't trust them?" Fay said as he turned his head towards Kurogane to look at the other man.

"Not if they're going Christmas shopping." Kurogane admitted, a set frown on his face.

"They're horrid when they're picking out gifts…"

"They pick out bad gifts?" Fay asked as he smiled at the idea of presents.

"No, they never stop picking out gifts." Kurogane informed as he pulled his lover closer.

"Hn, we'll be shopping until late if something or someone doesn't tell them to stop."

"It's unusual to think about shopping for gifts." Fay said as he rested his forehead against his lover's chest, smiling softly. Kurogane blinked in question before he felt his body tense. That's right; Fay hadn't had any gifts like he did. At least not after childhood. He felt his grip on the blonde tighten.

"Che… You'll get used to it, mom'll be sure to ask your opinion on more than one thing." Fay grinned, thinking Kurogane wouldn't be the only one that would be busy tomorrow.

"Soon I won't be able to go into town." He chuckled softly at the thought that he would soon be giving birth. Kurogane blushed a little and nodded, looking to his lover.

"…Oi… I've been meaning to ask… how do you go about doing that…?" He questioned, slightly embarrassed by it. He knew for sure their race was still fucked up, but he needed clarification to make sure his imagination was getting the better of him.

"You mean give birth?" Fay said as he moved to look up at Kurogane. He laughed at the other's expression. Kurogane growled at his lover for laughing at him.

"Yeah, I mean that! What else could I possibly mean?"

"Seeing that I don't have the parts for giving birth like a woman, I would have to have a few incisions along the bottom of my abdomen." Fay answered still amused at Kurogane's reaction. The taller man was about to snap at Fay for the look he was being given, but the thought of the lithe man's stomach being open made him slightly queasy.

"…N…hn… I thought so…" He muttered, trying to banish the thoughts from his mind.

"Kuro-chu?" Fay asked as he smiled, wondering what his lover was thinking about. Kurogane shook his head and planted a kiss on Fay's forehead.

"Go to sleep idiot. Mom and dad'll want to start early in the morning since we didn't go shopping today…"

"Thinking about me giving birth then?" The blonde said, figuring Kurogane was thinking about what he had said just as he had when Fay explained his ability to even become pregnant. He smiled at the kiss while he draped an arm around the taller man's waist. Kurogane grumbled in aggravation.

"Shut up…" he growled, placing his chin atop the blonde locks.

"Kuro-san's not going to watch?" He laughed, knowing Kurogane would be uncomfortable doing so. "You know, I'm the one that should be nervous about it, not the other way around."

"Are you not nervous about it?" Kurogane asked, closing his eyes as he tried to will himself to sleep then and there.

"A little, though I'm more worried about something happening to the baby. I can heal quickly from most things, so actually giving birth doesn't bother me that much." Blue eyes closed briefly as Fay thought. Kurogane opened his to stare at the wall in front of him, his mind turning the thought over in his mind.

"…What could go wrong with him?"

"I don't know specifically, but you never know what could happen. Especially when I don't have any experience." Sighing the blonde rested against Kurogane, as he thought of their child. The dark haired man narrowed his eyes and the grip around his lover tightened.

"…It should be ok…" He muttered, letting his eyes fall closed. "Though I can't help but wonder where it'll happen… going to a hospital here wouldn't be the best idea…"

"It would be too risky to go to one here and I doubt I'd be able to travel safely somewhere else." Fay frowned, hoping things would work out for them in the end. Kurogane sighed and thought about the woman in the other room.

"My mom's a priestess; she's got some knowledge in the medical field… maybe she can help out…" He grumbled, suppressing a yawn. Smiling the blonde closed his eyes as he shifted closer to his lover.

"We should ask about it." They still had time left before they really had to worry about what Fay would do when the time arrived, the blonde thought as he hugged Kurogane to him.

"We will. Now go to sleep." The other growled irritably, moving the blanket slightly higher on their bodies to keep the colder air from hitting their bodies. Opening his eyes for a moment, Fay chuckled before burying his face against Kurogane.

"Kuro-daddy's always so bossy."

"Hn." Kurogane retorted, not feeling up to continuing another conversation before slumber. Fay smiled briefly before he settled against the taller man, letting sleep overtake him.

They didn't hear Edameonus give a slight grunt from the living room, himself trying to get comfortable against his side of the couch. Archellevon couldn't help but feel guilt swell in his stomach that the other was uncomfortable, and moved to stand.

"R-really, it's no trouble for me to sleep in a chair…"

"You're being more trouble when you worry about such a simple thing." Edameonus said as he lay on his side. "If I didn't want to share the couch with you I would have said so, so just lay back down." He was glad for the darkness hiding the faint blush across his cheeks as he swore mentally at Toriho and Kurogane. Archellevon looked down to Edameonus and stared at his face for what felt like the first time in a long time. He remained silent as he sat down on the other side, curling into a ball.

"…I-I…" He looked away from the demon. "I heard you shout outside… did something bad happen?"

"Damn Souhi kicked me." He shot a death glare over to the man cuddled against Tsumebe for good measure before looking back to Archellevon. The former angel's eyes stared at red before they faltered and went to the ground.

"I-I see… I… I'm glad that we're all going to town tomorrow…" He timidly looked to Edameonus. "A… Are you coming with us?"

"I guess...from the way things are looking you guys will be buying a lot and could use some help." The Ginryan said softly, not wanting to wake the rooms other occupants or startle the teen. Archellevon smiled faintly, his fingers tracing the edge of the blanket.

"O-ok…" He frowned again, sinking into the couch. "I…I've asked to ride with Kurogane-san and Fay-san… the last time was… a little crowded…" The other man kept his face neutral as he listened, not wanting to give any wrong signals to the teen by frowning as he had wanted to about the news.

"Yeah, though they'll probably be carrying most of the stuff everyone buys." Archellevon blinked twice, seeing the other's stoic nature, before turning his head away to bite his lip.

"Y-yes… I know this…" He whispered, pulling the blanket back on him.

"I-I just wanted to let you know… in case… well…" He trailed off, blush glowing against his cheeks in the dark.

"You can always ride with the rest of us...so you're not buried under all the bags and stuff." Edameonus suggested, not wanting to sound like he was forcing the pale haired boy to join them. Archellevon shook his head.

"N-no… it's ok… I don't take up a lot of room, but I-I think it'd be better to ride with the bags than…" He stopped himself, not wanting to say anything rude. "B-besides, Mokona can enjoy the window seat then…" Edameonus bit back his anger as he frowned. He had a feeling that Archellevon was doing this because of him and the knowledge made his stomach churn.

"Maybe Fay-chan can at least get Kurogane to slow down if there's going to be other's riding with them." The other blushed faintly again, touched that the dark haired man was worried about him possibly being hurt if Kurogane were to wreck from driving too carelessly.

"M-maybe..." He bit his lip again. It had been a while since he talked to Edameonus, and now that he was he didn't really want to stop. The Ginryan smiled faintly.

"Dumbass shouldn't anyways, especially when he's driving others around." The other looked to him, shaking his head slightly to get the hair out of his eyes.

"W-would Ed… drive safely, if you could?"

"Yeah." The edges of the dark haired man's lips curved into a small smile, glad that Archellevon was willing to talk to him. The shorter one smiled a little wider, his eyes closing cutely.

"Th-then Ed should learn to drive… I-I…" He blushed and looked down.

"I wouldn't… mind… if I could ride with Ed…" He frowned to himself, not knowing why he was saying what he was saying. "B-but I wouldn't have to…if you… well... that is… I-I mean…"

"You'll be living with me and Soel, so it'd only natural for me to drive you around if I learned how to." Moving his pillow around, Edameonus shifted to get comfortable as he talked to the teen. Archellevon closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his legs.

"…I think… I think I'd also like to learn…" He didn't move his head but shifted his vision to Edameonus. "To drive…"

"We could always learn together, granted Souhi doesn't end up killing us first trying." Edameonus blushed faintly, wondering if he should throw something at his friend. Archellevon placed a hand over his mouth to prevent his giggling to get too loud.

"Souhi-kun… he only wants the best…" He looked up to his older friend.

"…There must have been some really important reason why he left my side… but I'm happy he did…" He froze, looking down. "I-I didn't mean to say that! I was just-! I didn't mean-!" Edameonus paused for a moment before smiling faintly.

"Don't worry about it. Even if he is a complete moron, he does know how to help people. I'm sure he had a good reason." It was strange for him to talk with Archellevon like this and the other not remembering him when he remembered so many other things. The former angel looked at him forlornly before sighing.

"Yes…" He tightened his grip and opened his mouth to ask Edameonus about knowing Toriho, but what Tsumebe had told him earlier flashed through his mind and he looked away.

"Dumbass, I should beat the hell out of him." Edameonus murmured as he closed his eyes. He glanced at Archellevon, seeing the boy was wanting to say something.

"What is it?"

"…" The white haired boy shook his head and continued to look away.

"…I… It… We…" He looked back to Edameonus and gave up, knowing he'd have to apologize to Tsumebe for not following her advice.

"Tell me… please… about you…" He shivered against the room's temperature and pulled the blanket tighter around himself.

"I…want to know…"

"W-what would you like to know?" Edameonus said as his eyes widened, surprised by the other's request. Archellevon blushed and looked away again.

"…" He looked to Mokona and felt himself frown.

"Y…your child…" He heaved a small sigh. "I've never seen someone with white hair as I have…" he paused. "…You're from somewhere else right? Is this hair color popular?"

"She's not mine; she was made, not born. The hair color on Ginryuu is dark; usually black like mine and Souhi's, white would be extremely rare." Edameonus explained as a small smile crept onto his face as he thought of Mokona asleep not far from them.

"I thought so… I've been to Ginryuu before… I was making sure I remembered it clearly…" The teenager smiled as well, thinking fondly of the people he had seen on that planet.

"So… she wasn't made after anyone? You didn't travel to Jade where Angels had natural light hair?"

"No, I didn't make her, so I don't know if her human form is modeled after anyone." Edameonus said as he remembered being with Archellevon and Toriho back home. Archellevon studied the other man's face, noticing it became sad.

"But… you love her all the same… don't you? She's still your daughter…"

"...Yeah." He rubbed at his face to try to rid himself of the blush across his cheeks as he smiled. The teenager giggled and grinned.

"Then it doesn't matter does it?" He asked, casting his gaze to the girl. "If you love them, it doesn't matter what they are or where they come from… Because you love them for them…" He looked to the ground. "That's what sensei… he told me that…"

"You're right..." He smiled dimly as he watched the other. "It doesn't matter."

Archellevon didn't say anything for a moment, moving his vision to the other. There was a silence in the room before the teenager's face went red and he had to turn his head completely around.

"A-ah! It's getting late a-and I'm chatting like we haven't got something t-to do tomorrow!" He babbled, fidgeting more than necessary.

"Don't worry about it. I sleep all the time anyway, though if you're tired you should go to sleep. You'll have a lot more to do than me." The Ginryan said as he looked over at Archellevon. The teenager didn't look over but he nodded settling into the blanket. He knew he probably wasn't going to get to sleep from the fact that the room had gotten colder, sorely reminded of this by a shiver.

"G-goodnight then…"

"Goodnight." Edameonus said as he blushed, glad to have at least talked to the pale haired teen. Archellevon smiled to himself, closing his eyes as he let his mind wander in the darkness of the room. The Ginryan stayed awake thinking over their talk. He smiled to himself, wondering if things would be better between them, even after what he had heard earlier in the day.

He didn't know how long it had been, though he could tell it was a couple of hours, but he was jarred from his ponderings when an icy cold foot touched his side where his shirt had been hiked up from moving around a lot. The foot belonged to Archellevon, who had reverted to constantly shivering even in his sleep. Edameonus sat up partially, running his hand through his hair to try and keep it from sticking up as he looked at the teen. Frowning, he saw Archellevon and wondered if he should move to see if he could find something to cover the boy, even though it was unlikely he'd find anything.

Archellevon didn't move, other than his fitful quivering, his eyes closed tightly as his body tried to keep him asleep. The blanket was tight enough around his body to be called clothing, showing other than the leg that had touched Edameonus that he was curled into a tight ball. Watching the other, Edameonus removed the cover off himself before gently pulling the teen towards him. He blushed at the idea, hoping the other would stay asleep as he moved him. Archellevon whimpered something disjointedly as Edameonus touched his cold flesh with his warm hands, instantly leaning into the touch with a soft noise.

Frowning at the noise, as he didn't want to wake the others across from them, Edameonus moved Archellevon until the teen was comfortably resting against him. Wrapping an arm around the thin figure he could feel how cold the other was compared to himself. The other hummed in appreciation, his thin hands resting against Edameonus's clothed chest. The teenager curled up slightly against the taller man's body, bringing back memories of the former angel to the demon. Pulling his own blanket back over them Edameonus knew he was blushing darkly as he felt Archellevon against him. He could feel his heart rate picking up at the strange yet familiar weight atop him.

"Hn… hm? Ah?" Archellevon grumbled as he felt the blanket being pulled over top of him. He couldn't get his eyes to open, but he didn't really care. After all, he was sleeping right? He smiled to himself and rubbed his cheek against the taller man affectionately, his body had stopped shivering and he was grateful. Edameonus froze, afraid he had woken the other, but seeing Archellevon settle back into sleep he let out the breath he had been holding. Stretching his legs out across the couch, the Ginryan relaxed, as he looked at the pale hair in front of him.

He could only see two differences in the Archellevon in front of him now in comparison with the one he had known for so many years. In the boy's slumber it made him no different; just as peaceful, just as beautiful. His hair was not draped over both their bodies like before, nor were his wings, but those two things missing didn't seem to bother either of them. Edameonus tightened his hold a little more as he took in the feeling of his once lover atop him asleep. Closing his eyes, the Ginryan found it much easier to fall asleep with Archellevon in his arms.


	28. Because you were still there

**Mirika-rin:** HOLY FUCKING SHIT. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE ME TO UPDATE THIS SERIOUSLY? Goddamn. anyway. China's amazing, Japan's better (yeah went there too -pose-). Go visit other countries. Seriously, it's a life changing event. I'm going back next semester. AAAAAAAAND THE BEST NEWS OF ALL: **I'm with Ashine-chan right now. As I post this, she's sitting right next to me. omg. it's... just so amazing. -sob-**

so anyway, this is the next chapter, I think I'll post another one by her birthday XD more angst, more family fun, the good stuff. You know. getting close to the climax of this arc, so expect something dramatic soon~!

**Ashine-chan:** another chapter were not anything too big happens, but it's building up to it. More fluff and some angst for everyone for now. XD also check out our rp facebooks! and the clamp kink meme, which can be found by going to my livejournal.

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~Morning~

Toriho rose from the bed, muttering something about purple puppies not eating the mice people. He looked over to his wife, who had woken him, with a slightly curious pout. The woman place a finger over her mouth and make a 'shh' sound before giggling and pointing to the other couch. Toriho stared and was about to laugh before his spouse covered his mouth in time. Instead, he smiled widely as he saw Edameonus asleep with Archellevon wrapped up and sleeping just as soundly on top of him. Tsumebe smiled to herself as she watched the two fondly, wondering how they had gotten to sleep in such a way. She moved the blankets off of her, standing soundlessly. The Ginryan continued to smile as he stood as well, careful not to make any noise. Tsumebe left towards the kitchen preparing to cook, knowing they hadn't eaten last night and would need something before they went out later in the day.

Toriho couldn't help but stare at the two, trying not to snort passed his hand as he imagined their faces when they both woke up. Thinking of such made him wonder if the other couple in the house was awake. As if on queue Toriho could vaguely hear the bed shift down the hall signaling at least one of them was awake. He shook his head as he waited for one of them to leave the room, wanting to warn them not to be too loud due to the two still asleep on the couch.

The door opened to reveal Kurogane walking out lazily, his hand resting against his bare stomach as he gave the bathroom door a nauseous look before opening it. Fay walked out soon after, his eyes still glazed over from sleep as he tried to smooth down his hair. Seeing Toriho the blonde moved to greet him a good morning, but seeing the other man holding a finger to his lips made the Valerian pause. Walking closer he looked to see what the other man was looking at only to see the two men on the couch. Toriho giggled behind his hand, almost strangling himself to keep it quiet as he watched Archellevon move slightly in his sleep, a cute whimpering coming from him. Fay smiled as he watched and waited for Kurogane, knowing that his lover would probably end up waking the two if he wasn't told otherwise.

As if being summoned Kurogane opened the door and flicked the light off. He blinked when he saw his father almost doubled over from having a silent giggle fit and looked at Fay questionably. Fay walked up to his lover smiling mimicking what Toriho had done with him before as he grabbed Kurogane's hand and led him into the living room. Kurogane raised an eyebrow at this, only to raise the other when he saw the former couple sleeping on the couch. He blinked once before looking at Fay skeptically, wondering why he was being quiet for them. The blonde looked at his lover, hoping he wouldn't wake the two before pulling him towards the kitchen where it would be less likely to disturb the others and they could talk. The half breed growled, not liking being pulled around like a dog. He was greeted in the kitchen with a kiss on the cheek from his mother.

"Good morning you two, what would you like for breakfast?" She said in a gentle voice.

"I'm sure anything you cook will be fine." The blonde smiled at the woman before turning to look at Kurogane.

"Kuro-rin shouldn't be growling so early in the morning when I didn't do anything."

"Except lead me around like I was on a leash." Kurogane said grumpily, sitting in his usual chair as he watched his mother go back to the sink. He could see his dad leaning against the wall, trying not to laugh too loudly.

"You would have come to the kitchen anyways regardless if I was holding your hand." The other man said as he took a seat beside Kurogane.

"Tch… what the hell is dad laughing about anyway? That wasn't a big deal." Kurogane muttered, folding his arms.

"You know how your father is." Tsumebe said as she began mixing things.

"Hopefully he won't wake them." Fay added as he looked towards the door.

"If he won't that transformed meat bun will…" Kurogane growled, making Tsumebe look to the door in quiet surprise.

"Oh dear, we forgot about Mokona-chan…"

"I'm sure Toriho will take care of Mokona." The blonde said as he sat beside Kurogane, frowning at the thought of the other two being interrupted. The child of their mentionings stirred on the chair lightly rubbing her eyes as she sat up. She remembered being asleep next to Edameonus, so why was she in the chair?

"…Mm? E…Ed?" She called lightly. Toriho walked over to her picking her up. Instinctively she wrapped her arms around his neck as she looked around the room.

"Mokona-chan will have to be quiet so she doesn't wake the others up." The dark haired man whispered to her. The girl nodded sleepily before gazing around the room to check who else was asleep. She was about to let out a squeak of surprise before she caught herself, purple eyes gazing at her father figure cuddling with the teenager. Smiling at the girl, Toriho was glad she had kept herself quiet as he carried her into the kitchen where the others were. He just hoped they didn't wake up while he wasn't there to greet them, Mokona waved her hand in salutation.

"Good morning!" She cheered happily, ignoring her bedhead that was very obvious. Kurogane looked over his drink and raised an eyebrow, wondering why people could be so chipper in the morning. Toriho chuckled as he lowered her into one of the chairs before walking to Tsumebe.

"Mokona's happy this morning." The blonde said as he watched her, amused. The girl nodded.

"Mm! I got to see 'mommy' and 'daddy' being lovey dovey. I would've sung, but Uncle Toriho told me to be quiet." She said sweetly, giggling behind her hand at the thought of the other two again. Toriho snorted as he listened to Mokona while his wife laughed lightly, both knowing the men still in the living room would blush madly if they had overheard.

"We should let them sleep some more then." Fay said as he rested his chin on top of his hand. Kurogane growled and folded his arms again.

"They'll wake up if you keep talking about them." He grumbled, watching as his mother moved their breakfast onto plates. Mokona cheered.

"I wanna go to town! They should wake up!"

"We will, but Mokona-chan shouldn't rush things, everyone still has to get ready, so it won't hurt them to sleep a little longer." Toriho said as he helped pass plates around to the others.

"Kuro-san's will wake them if he keeps growling like that." The slender blonde said as he looked at his lover.

"Me?" Kurogane asked skeptically, wondering if his companion had noticed that the girl was almost singing at the top of her lungs. Toriho chuckled and leaned against the kitchen door frame, watching his sleeping friends in the other room.

"You don't have to be so grumpy in the morning. Are you not feeling well?" Fay asked as he had seen his lover's expression earlier when they had woken up.

"Yeah I'm fine." Kurogane turned his head away, though his mother giggled against as she handed out silverware.

"Oh, Youou, dear, if something bothers you, you should tell someone." He looked to her with a raised eyebrow, knowing she knew something was up.

"You don't have a cold do you?" The Valerian persisted, figuring Kurogane had caught a mild cold from working outside yesterday. Toriho looked at his own lover confused as he sat at the table.

"No I don't have a cold, I said I was fine." Kurogane replied, closing his eyes. "My stomach was upset, that's all." Tsumebe smiled a little wider and sat down by Toriho.

"Nothing else is wrong?" The woman asked as she looked to her son. Frowning, Fay ate in silence, not wanting to start an argument with Kurogane so early in the morning.

"Yeah, nothing else is wrong. Why are you all worried? Afraid I'm gunna die or something?" He asked a little roughly, but the woman merely shook her head with a smile. Mokona looked up to Kurogane questioningly, wondering why he was so defensive.

"Kuro-rinta's the one who wasn't being truthful." Fay said, knowing that Kurogane was being stubborn about the matter.

"You shouldn't worry your mother or Fay-chan, it's not good for them." Red eyes peered over at Kurogane as Toriho spoke.

"How am I not being truthful?" Kurogane barked, setting down his fork. "I woke up, felt nauseous, went to the bathroom, now I feel fine!" He growled, watching as Mokona lifted the cup almost too big for her face to her lips.

"First you said you were fine and now you're saying you felt sick." The blonde replied as he looked over at Kurogane.

"You've not been sick in years." The older man said as he pondered the reason for his son's sudden sickness.

"I'm not sick!" Kurogane corrected, glaring at his parent. "I told you; I. Feel. Fine." Mokona giggled at his enunciation, setting her drink down carefully.

"Stubborn brat." Toriho said as he continued to eat. Sighing, Fay returned to his own meal, knowing if their roles were reversed Kurogane wouldn't just let the idea of him being sick rest. Kurogane shot one more glare his father's way before he too returned to eating. Toriho noticed in the other room that Archellevon moved slightly, his pale hand going up to rub his eye delicately.

"I'm sure if Youou feels any worse he'll at least tell one of us." Tsumebe said as she followed her husband's gaze and smiled at the scene unfolding.

The teenager mumbled something to himself before pressing down on Edameonus chest. Blue eyes flashed open and Archellevon cautiously brought his face to look at the demon who was still sleeping. Toriho had to suppress his laughter at the realization dawning on the teen's face. Fay smiled as well seeing that at least one of them had woken up. The white haired one pulled quickly away from Edameonus's body, moving to sit on the other side of the couch swiftly. The movement caused the other to startle awake, the demon blinking as he remembered what had been warm above him. He looked to Archellevon and blinked, noticing the blush that was creeping up on the former angel's face.

The blonde turned away from the couple, not wanting to embarrass them anymore than necessary once they realized they had an audience. Toriho chuckled while beside him Tsumebe continued to eat. The taller man on the couch moved to sit up, rubbing his frayed hair free from bedhead. Archellevon continued to stare at him, ignoring that while moving to the other side of the couch he had removed the blankets from him.

"W-why was I on you like that?" He asked hurriedly, his hands balled into fists in front of him.

"I woke up and saw you shivering, I was going to get some more covers, but there weren't any. It was the only thing I could think of to keep you from getting sick." Edameonus said as he explained their sleeping arrangements. Archellevon turned his head sharply when he heard Toriho snort at Edameonus's explanation. The teenager's face went even redder, if possible, his eyes watering from not blinking.

"S-Souhi-kun!"

"Sorry Archy...breakfast is ready if you'd like some." The older man said as he smiled sheepishly at having disturbed the others. The white haired boy stared at him for a moment before placing his hands over his face. Edameonus looked to the ground, a blush tinting his cheeks as well. Kurogane rolled his eyes at their childish nature, putting his fork down to get something to drink. Toriho continued to smile seeing both men were blushing now from not only waking up together, but also from everyone knowing about it. It didn't help when Mokona squealed at seeing them, jumping out of her chair to tackle her father figure's legs.

"Mokona saw 'mommy' and 'daddy' being lovey dovey! It's love! It's love!" She sang, making Archellevon wrinkle into himself while Edameonus just stared at her in a mixture of irritation and embarrassment. Fay blushed, feeling the other's embarrassment. Edameonus stared, not knowing what to do as Mokona hugged him innocently, unaware of her words impact on him and Archellevon. The former angel next to him mumbled something in his hands to the girl, and Mokona tilted her head to the side.

"What did you say?" The hands removed themselves, the boy's eyes tearing up from embarrassment.

"I-I… I'm n-not… your m-mother…"

"Archy is supposed to be your uncle, Soel." He petted the girl's hair, unable to say much as he saw how upset the teen was about the title. Mokona blinked and looked up to Edameonus, confused.

"But… 'daddy'…said… when we first became related that… I looked like Mommy…" She looked over to Archellevon, who was now staring at Edameonus.

"Th-that's because it would be easier to explain both of your appearances to anyone that asked and I never said he was your mother." Edameonus said a blush creeping over his face as he tried to explain. Mokona pouted.

"But you did!" Archellevon flinched visibly, finding their conversation somewhat ironic since they had talked about it just the night before. He reached up and rubbed his eyes, both from irritation at being open for so long and to wipe away unnecessary tears.

"Y-you actually t-told her that?"

"No, I didn't...Soel I told you it would be easier to be related to him, the story was that your mother wasn't here, but Archy was." The Ginryan kept his eyes turned from the pale haired teen. Toriho walked forward, bending to place a hand on Archellevon's shoulder.

"Hey now, don't be so upset." He cooed, watching as blue eyes looked up to him. The teenager frowned a little deeper before casting his eyes to the side.

"…I… I'll be fine…" Mokona whined and clung to Edameonus's pants more.

"Mokona wants Archy to be my mommy!" She announced.

"That's not my decision, and you shouldn't force something like that on others." Edameonus chided as he looked down at the girl. He was thankful for Toriho stepping in, knowing he wasn't handling things very well. Mokona continued to pout but she nodded. Her big purple eyes watched as Archellevon stood, albeit a little shakily, from the couch to follow Toriho into the kitchen.

"Come on." Edameonus said to the girl as he lifted her into his arms, only waiting until the other two were already in the kitchen before moving as well. Mokona gripped his shirt while being lifted up.

"…If Archy remembers Edameonus, will Archy be Mokona's mommy then?" She asked softly, looking up to him in pure curiosity.

"There's nothing for him to remember, so you shouldn't say things like that." He scolded, not wanting Mokona to say anything more about the subject. The girl stuck out her bottom lip as they entered the kitchen. Kurogane had moved from his seat to lean against the counter so Archellevon could sit down. The teenager was staring at his plate, the blush refusing to leave his face. Fay stood then as well to give the others a seat and to take his empty plate to the sink. Kurogane stopped the blonde from going anywhere, wrapping his arm around the Valerian's waist as he stood by the counter. Toriho took the pregnant man's chair, knowing Archellevon wouldn't want Edameonus sitting next to him at the moment. Toriho looked to his wife.

"So… We're going to by decorations and gifts or just decorations? Maybe do some window shopping?" Mokona looked up from Edameonus's lap.

"Window shopping? What's that?"

"Sounds like fun." Fay smiled as he moved his hand to the hand around him.

"It just means we'll be looking at the things in windows and if anything catches our eye we can go inside, instead of going to each store." Tsumebe said as she explained to the child.

"And I don't know about the others, but I wouldn't want them to know what we're getting them, it should be a surprise." She smiled warmly at her husband. Toriho laughed lightly, watching Archellevon out of the corner of his eye as the teenager slowly picked up a fork to begin eating.

"Well then, it could be best that we split up when we get there? Or we can save shopping for gifts until later."

"Depends, Youou might not want to go shopping with his parents and one of us might see something to buy for the others." The woman said as she smiled gently, glad at least to see that the boy was eating. Toriho crossed his arms and looked to the ceiling in a contemplative way.

"Hmm… well, I guess we can see what to do when we get there." He smiled over to his son.

"Unless that would embarrass you." Kurogane growled.

"The only thing that embarrasses me about you is your IQ."

"I'm smarter than you are brat, just because I don't act stoic all the time doesn't mean I'm stupid." Toriho said as he smirked over at the couple. Tsumebe laughed as she stood and gathered her and her lover's dishes. Kurogane rolled his eyes.

"Say what you want. Doesn't change my opinion." He watched Mokona cautiously, the girl handling that damned big glass again.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say kiddo." Tsumebe giggled as she sat the dishes into the sink and turned the water on to let them soak.

"Now we wouldn't want to embarrass Youou in front of Fay-san too much." She said, smiling to herself. Kurogane raised an eyebrow to his mother, his grip on Fay subconsciously tightening. Edameonus reached forward and set Mokona's glass down, using a napkin to wipe the dribble from her chin. Returning to her seat, Tsumebe smiled as she sat beside her husband.

"Ungrateful brat shouldn't start then." She smiled wider as Toriho pouted mockingly. Fay chuckled as well at the couple's antics.

"Start? The hell did I start?" Kurogane grumbled, placing his free hand on his hip as he glared holes in his father's back. Archellevon looked up to Tsumebe, smiling faintly at her as he listened.

"You're the one always wanting to start a fight." Toriho said as he leaned forward and rested his chin in his hands. Mokona laughed as she continued to eat.

"And who tackles me every time he visits?" Kurogane snapped, thinking about the random hugs he and Fay received before. Edameonus smirked a little, swallowing his own food.

"That's a love tackle, not my fault you start swinging." Red eyes looked over at Kurogane while Tsumebe had to try and suppress her laughter.

"Love tackle my ass. Besides you taught me to throw punches when you decided it'd be fun to pounce on me when I was younger, old habits die hard you know." He scowled as Edameonus cackled lightly.

"What? Have you no will power?" The demon asked, making Kurogane glare at him.

"I only try to defend myself and besides if you weren't so hostile I wouldn't have to tackle you to give you a hug." Toriho laughed as he looked at his son and Fay. Kurogane raised an eyebrow.

"Like hell I'd want them, even if I wasn't the way I am." He shrugged.

"Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like to have had a girl instead." Toriho sighed as he looked at his wife.

"You mean Kuro-wan doesn't like to be hugged?" Fay asked as he looked up to his lover.

"Not from that guy." Kurogane replied, looking down to Fay.

"You would've known by now if I didn't like them at all." He smirked, thinking of the first time Fay had tried to hug him when they first met. Fay smiled, wondering if Kurogane would feel the same about the matter once their own son was born.

"Kuro-san will just have to learn to like them more in the future then." Kurogane chuckled lowly and looked to the clock.

"Whatever, Blondie." He grumbled. Archellevon stood and walked to the sink, placing his plate in with the rest of them.

"Thank you for the food, Tsumebe-san, it was very good."

"It's no problem, I'm glad you liked it." She said as she grinned up at the teen.

"Don't worry Fay-chan, I'm sure Youou will think differently on the matter soon." Toriho chuckled knowingly as he looked over at the two. Kurogane scowled at his father but bit his tongue to keep from yelling in Fay's ear. The youngest male in the room turned to look at everyone but Edameonus.

"W-well… should we get ready then?"

"Yes, it would be best so we're all not out late. It looks as if it might snow as well." Toriho said as he stood, going towards the living room to put the furniture back. Edameonus stood as well, placing Mokona down so he could go help Toriho. Archellevon smiled at Tsumebe and offered her his hand.

"I can do the dishes since you cooked…" Tsumebe nodded.

"Thank you." She said, taking his hand to stand. Fay smiled at them before looking up at Kurogane.

"I suppose we should wash and change as well?" He suggested seeing that everyone else were busy. Kurogane nodded, removing his arm from around Fay's waist so the blonde could go bathe. He watched for a moment as his mother left the room to go badger his father about something.

"Kuro-san's just going to stand around then?" Fay smiled as he walked away from Kurogane and towards their bedroom.

"I'm not standing around…" He argued, staring at his lover's back. The taller man growled and followed Fay, listening vaguely to Archellevon start the water in the sink. Mokona laughed at the couple as they left before she finished up her own breakfast.

"Now you're not." The blonde said as he smiled and walked into their room.

"I wasn't before either." Kurogane exhaled inwardly and went to their closet. He picked out warmer clothes for the day, looking over to Fay.

"Oi, you got a coat?"

"I do, but I'm not sure if I could wear it out." Fay said as he sat on their bed, watching his lover.

"Hn…" Kurogane turned and placed a hand on his hip. "You gunna take a shower?"

"Yes, why?" Fay asked as he leaned back on his hands, resting. The taller man shrugged and set his clothes to the side before picking up the kimono that had been haphazardly placed in the closet. Noticing the clothes held in his lover's hands, Fay knew he'd most likely be wearing the kimono Kurogane's mother had brought him in just another month's time. He smiled to himself as he remembered his lover's reaction.

Said man folded the kimono in a way that Fay got confused over before placing it on the top shelf where some other intricate clothing sat. He bent over to retrieve the other two, blushing a little as he thought of what Fay would look like in them. Smiling, Fay watched as his lover blushed, having an idea about what the man was thinking of.

"Does Kuro-min wear kimono?"

"Hn? No." he replied, setting the other two, now folded, with the first one.

"I usually wear a hakama when the occasion calls for it. Though they do make kimono for men."

"I would like to see Kuro-sama in one sometime." He smiled at the thought. Kurogane snorted and set his clean clothing over his shoulder.

"If dad forces me into one again, you'll get the chance." He looked over to Fay and raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you bathing yet?"

"Needed clothes." Fay answered as he sat up to look at his lover.

"And you couldn't do that while I was standing there?" Kurogane questioned, slightly amused.

"You were busy, I didn't want to interrupt." He explained smoothly as he crossed his legs. Kurogane sighed and shook his head, setting his heavier clothing on the bed.

"Well if you're gong to be a lounge lizard I'll take my bath first." Standing, Fay stood from the bed and moved to gather his own clothes.

"Kuro-min always calls me lazy." He smiled as he picked out a sweater and pair of pants to match.

"Because it's true." Kurogane added, watching his lover shovel through the hanging clothing.

"Kuro-chu just thinks that." The Valerian said as he looked over his shoulder to smile at Kurogane. Said man cocked his eyebrow and scoffed.

"You haven't done much to prove me wrong." Fay's smile faltered before he turned back and shut the closet. With his clothes in hand, the blonde left for the bathroom.

"Whatever you like to think then." He smiled once more before opened their bedroom door and stepped outside. Kurogane paused, thinking it odd that Fay didn't put up much of an argument to his insult like he would before and watched his lover go. He shook his head, passing it off on either irritation from tossing and turning all night or baby side affects.

Fay shut the door behind him, making sure to lock it as he frowned. Sighing, he went through his usual routine of laying his clothes on the sink before removing his night clothes and tossing them into the hamper. Stepping in the shower Fay washed his hair and bathed, thinking back to Kurogane's words.

Said man was sitting on the bed, staring at his school book that he had opened. He decided to try getting what little work he could done, but found it almost impossible as he wondered about why Fay had been even a little bit offended over his statement.

After a little while, Fay turned off the water and stepped out; shivering slightly from the cold the blonde hurried to grab a towel and began drying himself. Draping the towel around his shoulders, Fay slipped on his pants onto his damp skin. Grabbing his sweater, not wanting to get it wet from his hair if he put it on now, Fay opened the door and stepped out, walking back to the bedroom. He almost ran into Mokona, who was squealing and running from Edameonus. The demon paused when he saw Fay and looked away.

"Damn brat, come back here and put your dress on!" Fay laughed as he watched his friend dart off back towards the living room after Mokona, a dress clutched firmly in one hand as he chased her. Opening the door to the bedroom, the blonde stepped inside, closing it behind him in case Mokona decided to run in. Kurogane looked up and closed his book.

"Hn, you're making your showers quicker. Seems you're used to Earth's system of washing." He muttered, standing.

"Yes, they're a lot different than the baths back home." Fay said as he threw his sweater to the bed. Kurogane picked up his own clothing and looked to Fay. He found it odd that the blonde would refer to Valeria as home even though he said himself there was nothing left for him on that planet. He shrugged it off and went to the door, opening it in time to Edameonus tackle the girl in the kitchen. Fay watched as Kurogane left before turning his gaze away. Removing the towel from his shoulder, the Valerian began drying his hair, not wanting to risk catching a cold.

It wasn't as long as it had taken Fay before Kurogane reentered, rubbing the side of his head to get that patch of hair dry. He had left his shirt off for similar reasons as Fay, making the faint scar tissue around his fake arm visible. Fay watched his lover enter the room, his eyes scanning over the scar left on Kurogane's arm, glad to see that it had healed after the other's accident weeks ago. Kurogane frowned slightly when he saw blue eyes on him, or rather his arm. He turned his body and began to finish getting dressed, not liking the staring Fay was doing. Snapped out of his thoughts with Kurogane moving, Fay took his towel to the hamper in their room before he pulled his sweater on.

Once finished, Fay sat on the bed, not having anything else to do. The other man pulled on his long sleeved shirt over the t-shirt he wore before moving to the basket like Fay had done. He placed a hand on his hip, regarding his lover idly.

"…Somethin' on your mind?" He asked, wondering why the other was so quiet.

"No, everything's fine." He smiled brightly at Kurogane as he sat, looking up to the taller man. Kurogane grimaced lightly and walked over to the bed to sit next to the blonde.

"Something's bothering you." He said before looking at his lover. "Is it shopping for gifts?"

"No, the gifts don't really bother me." Fay said as he answered Kurogane He thought briefly, however, about how he would get the others gifts when he had no money here. Kurogane narrowed his eyes and frowned deeper, feeling like there was something bothering his lover. When Fay gave him the impression that he wasn't going to answer, or rather, that the man himself didn't know what was wrong, the taller man folded his arms and sighed. Fay fidgeted as they sat in a somewhat awkward silence as he saw that Kurogane was upset with him.

The student didn't move until they both jumped from hearing Mokona 'kyaa', apparently from playing with Edameonus. The spiky haired one growled to himself, glad that he and his lover would be away from all that when riding in the car.

"Dammit, they're so noisy."

"Soon they'll be moving out." The blonde said as he sighed. He realized that once the three others occupants of their home moved out there wouldn't be much in the way of silence for long since their baby would be born soon enough.

"Not soon enough." The dark haired one smirked to himself at the thought, glad that Edameonus's house was almost done. He thought about the way the long haired alien had taken over his couch, glad that the lazy ass wouldn't live there anymore.

"Kuro-min doesn't like our friends?" Blue eyes looked to the door, hearing the others moving about as Fay asked the taller man beside him. "Besides they won't be far away and will still visit."

The smirk vanished as soon as it had come. "I don't like that asshole. I don't give a damn if he's a member of some stupid court, either." Kurogane growled, thinking back to the time he had been hit very roughly with a slightly stronger than normal fist. Thinking back to Edameonus's position caused the blonde's smile to falter as memories of his first encounter with the Ginryan resurfaced. Fay blushed faintly at the thought remembering how the other man had forcibly kissed him, even if now he had known the real reason behind it. Kurogane caught the other blushing and raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"…Why're you blushing?" He asked, not liking how the subject matter had been about Edameonus. Fay brought his hands to his cheeks briefly, feeling that they were a little warmer than he had expected.

"No reason Kuro-rinta." He turned to look at his lover, knowing it wouldn't help matters to say anything about it. Kurogane gave him a bland look before growling.

"Don't lie to me, Blondie." He unfolded his arms and placed his hands on either side of him, ready to stand if need be.

"Why would you assume I was lying?" The blonde said as he glanced over at Kurogane.

"I'm not assuming. I can tell you are." The other said with a frown. "What's up with that guy that made you blush?"

"Just remembering something... it's nothing to be angry over." Sighing in defeat Fay moved to lie down on their bed, staring up at the ceiling waiting for Kurogane to start yelling. Said man watched his lover's actions cautiously.

"And this something is?"

"It really wasn't anything, it's in the past." Fay said as he looked away from Kurogane, knowing if he told the other man what had happened, even if he explained it to him, his lover would storm off and start another fight. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, wondering why his companion looked away. This was something he _definitely_ couldn't overlook.

"What was it, Blondie?"

"Nothing, Edameonus was just the one that examined me to make sure I wasn't pregnant when we first arrived." Fay explained as he turned to look at Kurogane, seeing that the other was gazing down at him now. The half breed's eyebrow twitched, unable to control a flood of images from sweeping over his poor, unprotected mind. His cheeks grew red with sudden fury, moving to stand from the bed.

"Ima kill the bastard!"

"Wait, it's not what you think!" Fay sat up grabbing Kurogane's arm. "To check, the only thing he did was touch my stomach."

"And? That's it?" Kurogane growled, his imagination too vivid for his liking.

"I had to put my hand on a scanner, though it didn't work." Fay said as he frowned and stood from the bed, his eyes trained on Kurogane while he spoke. The taller man stood as well, his anger neither subsiding nor growing.

"…Then why the hell did you blush?" He asked, knowing Fay wouldn't have been embarrassed over his stomach being felt.

"You won't be mad?" The Valerian asked as he looked at Kurogane, knowing it was probably futile on his part to ask such a thing. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, curious beyond belief and already angry from the blonde asking him.

"Will it piss me off?"

"Yes, but you have to promise me you won't cause another fight, because he didn't do it for the reason you'd think." The other explained being vague about it for a reason to Kurogane. Said man hesitated from answering, before his throat elicited a growl.

"Fine, whatever." Smiling faintly at his lover, the blonde wrapped his arms around Kurogane's arm.

"In order to take a sample of DNA from me to run through one of the machines he kissed me, briefly." The blonde's arms tightened their hold in case Kurogane decided to not listen to him and went after Edameonus. Kurogane flinched, another entourage of images parading across his mind.

"W-what the hell? How did he kiss you?" He barked, his fist clenching at his side.

"A short one, I pushed him away though and he was just as embarrassed about it as I was after." He explained as he flinched at the dark haired man's voice. The half Ginryan glared at the wall vehemently, contemplating going into the living room with some sharp object to disembowel the demon.

"…"

"I shouldn't have said anything..." The shorter man said as he looked down to the floor, his arms still around Kurogane's arm. The other man sighed and relaxed a little, moving his arm around the smaller one.

"Forget it. Not like you wanted to do that." He said, trying to relinquish the thought about using a strip of sandpaper to castrate the cackling fool.

"No, I didn't. The only one I like to receive kisses from is Kuro-san. Even if it wasn't really a kiss." The blonde said, grateful that Kurogane was able to restrain his anger. The student didn't say anything, feeling if he removed his teeth from digging into his tongue he'd ramble something off angrily and then go after Edameonus. His thoughts were brought to a sudden halt when his father knocked on the door and called for them.

"We're coming." Fay said a little loudly as he looked up at Kurogane. The taller man looked back down and sighed inwardly, nodding.

"Let's go then. They'll complain if we stay in here any longer."

"You do know I love you right? That I wouldn't willingly let someone else kiss me and that it really didn't mean anything to either of us?" The blonde asked as he moved to stand in front of Kurogane. The other looked away with a frown, glaring at whatever crimson eyes landed on.

"Yeah…" A small stream of images flashed in his mind again and he scowled.

"You do know that, don't you?" Fay frowned as he wrapped his arms loosely around himself, his eyes moving to the floor.

"I do…" Kurogane said rather hurriedly, looking to his lover with a slight frown. "…I'm… I-it's just a little… irritating, that I didn't know about this until now…" He placed his hands in his pockets. "That stupid court didn't tell us anything we needed to know…"

"I didn't give it much thought; it didn't mean anything so I didn't say anything." Blue eyes moved once more to look up at Kurogane, a small smile on his lips. "And it doesn't matter what they did or didn't tell us now."

Kurogane's expression softened, ruby looking into sapphire. He bent a little, bringing his lips to Fay's as a sort of apology and a way of telling the other he'd try to forget it. Gently he moved his arms to wrap around his lover's neck. Fay smiled as he returned the taller man's kiss, happy that Kurogane was a least trying not to be angry for him. The half human sighed into the kiss, placing one hand on Fay's hip. He felt his eyebrow twitch when he thought about Edameonus cackling, knowing if he saw the man he'd want to rip him apart despite what he and Fay had said. He hoped that he wouldn't have to hang out with the demon that day, at least not for long. The Valerian felt himself relaxing against Kurogane, enjoying their kiss while slowly forgetting about what could have been another argument between them.

Another sharp knock caused Kurogane to growl against him. "Oi, you two comin or what?" Came his father's voice followed by a snicker. Kurogane pulled away from Fay to shout at the door.

"Shut up old man! Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"Maybe we should go; it seems we're keeping everyone." Fay said as he reluctantly pulled away while he grinned.

"Yeah." Kurogane nodded, allowing his lover to move to the door. He subtly wanted Fay to exit first in case Edameonus was in range of tackling. Opening the door, Fay stepped out of their bedroom, to see Toriho had already left, and walked towards the others in the living room. The other followed, pausing only to close the door. He stepped into the living room, seeing Edameonus with Mokona in his arms by the door. The demon looked over and flinched.

"W-what's with that face, Kurogane?" He asked hesitantly, grinning nervously as he got the feeling it was something to do with him. The taller just looked away, teeth carving into his tongue to keep himself from bitching.

"Sorry we took so long." Fay smiled nervously before he looked behind his shoulder at Kurogane. Tsumebe waved her hand to dismiss the blonde. Toriho clicked his tongue.

"Don't bother with it, Fay-chan. We know Youou couldn't keep his hands to himself." He teased, receiving a punch in the shoulder from his son.

"Shuddup."

"N-no it wasn't..." The blonde tried to explain, but he sighed, knowing it was a losing battle to try and say otherwise to the man.

"Now that everyone's here shall we be leaving?" Tsumebe asked as she stood, smiling brightly. Edameonus nodded before opening the door. Archellevon moved subtly over to Fay and reached out timidly to his sleeve with his eyes downcast.

"Uhm… a-am I still…?" Fay turned looking at Archellevon in surprise before he smiled at the teen.

"Of course." He said, making the white haired one give a slightly relieved look. Toriho smirked at Kurogane, rubbing his shoulder as he followed his wife outside. Kurogane paused from following when he saw Archellevon sort of clinging to Fay.

"What're you doing?" He asked the teenager, making the former angel's face turn slightly red.

"I-I asked Fay-san i-if I could ride w-with you guys…"

"Kuro-daddy shouldn't look so scary all the time." Looking back to his lover, Fay grinned as he grabbed hold the teen's wrist and walked out the door. Kurogane growled but said nothing, wondering if the teenager was doing this because he knew Fay would help him.

Kurogane was the last out, locking the door before watching everyone file to their right cars as he made his way to his own. Edameonus helped Mokona in before staring at Archellevon, somewhat taken aback when Fay and the teenager went to the other vehicle. Releasing the boy's arm, Fay stood waiting for Kurogane to unlock their doors so they could get in. He watched his lover walk towards them.

"Hurry up, Kuro-tan, it's cold out!" Fay shouted as he waved happily at his lover. The taller man rolled his eyes and went to his side, turning the key twice in the door to make the others unlock. Archellevon looked over briefly to the other and swiftly looked away, realizing Edameonus was still watching him. He shuffled into the back seat, looking around.

"This one's smaller than theirs, but it's nice too." He said with a faint smile as Kurogane closed his door.

"Kuro-rinta's not going to drive with the roof down again is he?" Fay asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

"Nah, it's too cold for that." Kurogane said idly as he buckled up as well. Archellevon followed suit, staring out the window as he fell quiet. He wondered if Edameonus would be angry or hurt by the fact he didn't ride with him.

"You mother said earlier it might snow." Blue eyes scanned out of his window and towards the sky, smiling faintly at the idea, his arm subconsciously moving to wrap loosely around his stomach. Kurogane grunted as he started up his car. He flagged his father on to go first, knowing that he'd continue driving instead of stopping if his parents' car decided to act up again.

"Mom's usually right about stuff like that."

"It'll be odd to see snow after so long." Smiling to himself, the blonde turned to look at Kurogane. "Are there usually bad winters here?"

"Sometimes, not every year." The other shrugged, allowing his father to drive down the road somewhat before he began to follow him. "Sometimes it hardly snows at all, other times we're stuck inside our houses for a week or so. It's more drastic since I live in the country rather than in town."

The blonde smiled at the answer, hoping it would snow at least a little so they could all enjoy it.

"Do you like winter Archy?" Fay asked as he looked behind him to the teen, not wanting to leave him out of the conversation. The boy started a bit at being talked to, but he eased slightly in his seat with a small smile.

"I'm not sure. Whenever I went to Valeria or Hanshin where there was winter snow I always…" He trailed off, being lost in thought. He shook his head.

"I don't remember. I got sad for some reason whenever it snowed, but I don't know what it was." Kurogane looked at the former angel through the rear view, wondering if something was off.

"What about the planet you came from?" The blonde asked about the planet this new Archellevon had been born on. He didn't want the teen to feel as if everyone only cared about his past self instead of him. The other set of blue eyes closed as his smile grew.

"Winter… It was always nice when there was someone with me." He placed a hand on his chest while the other curled in his lap.

"No matter how bad the storm was, I was always warm if I was with others that I loved… my mother or father… or a few of my friends…"

"Yes, it's always nicer to spend it with family." Fay said as he thought back to his own childhood with his family. "I'm sure it'll be fun this year as well."

"I know it will be!" Archellevon said in slight boldness, timidly looking to Kurogane with a smile.

"…D-do you think it'll be fun, Kurogane-san?" He asked quietly. The dark haired man didn't take his eyes off the road.

"I dunno. I usually deal with mom and dad and Tomoyo. This year's different…." He shrugged lightly. "Might be interesting."

"That's Kuro-speak for 'yes, we'll all have lots of fun'." Fay laughed as he poked his lover's cheek. "It'll be exciting to learn about this Christmas."

Kurogane's grin twitched angrily and he batted Fay's hand away. "Don't do that when I'm driving." He snapped, watching his father ahead of him. "As a matter of fact, don't do that at all." Archellevon leaned forward, smiling to the two adults.

"Christmas is exciting even when you already know everything, Fay-san."

"That's good; Kuro-min will have to explain it to me." The blonde replied, not deterred from Kurogane's remark.

"Tch. Troublesome." The taller man growled, not looking over to his lover or the teenager. Archellevon blushed a little and frowned.

"W-well, I could tell you what I know about Christmas, I mean, if that's not a problem…"

"Not at all, Kuro-pipi wouldn't explain everything anyways." Grinning, Fay turned to look at Archellevon. The boy smiled again, sitting forward more.

"W-well, Christmas is different wherever you are on this world, or at least it was at home… but from where I grew up it came from the tale of Santa Claus and his reindeer." Kurogane's expression sank a little, obviously not liking the fairytale of it all.

"People on Valeria usually have deer, along with other animals, pull carts and things." Fay said as he looked at the teen, interested in the story. Archellevon nodded enthusiastically, happy to help explain things to the other.

"Yes, well Santa Claus used his reindeer to help him pull his sleigh of toys all over the planet. They were magical reindeer, and Santa Claus was magical too, so he could do it all in one night. That's why people get presents under the tree on Christmas morning."

Blue eyes lit with wonder as Fay smiled. "Such an interesting story. The deer on Valeria couldn't fly, but we did have other animals that did. Some were a little more dangerous than others though." The slender man said from experience as he looked at the boy. Archellevon blushed and looked to the floor, flattered that Fay was interested in what he had to say.

"Y-yes, I've heard many different versions, but I like that one the best. People though can exchange gifts around Christmas time instead of just on Christmas day, and in some places is just considered a day where you spend time with loved ones and bake treats."

"Sounds fun then." The blonde replied as he smiled at the thought of doing all of those things with his new found friends and family. Kurogane clicked his tongue at the thought of the old stories.

"Most of those tales are made up to keep the kids interested." He informed blandly, making the teenager look up slowly.

"I-I know, but I think some of the stories are… well… besides, if it helps keep the children entertained, then what's wrong with it?"

"Kuro-pon's a stick in the mud; you wouldn't want Toshi to hear them then?" He smiled knowing Kurogane would think otherwise. "Besides I like it, makes me think of watching people ride over with their drawn wind craft when I was smaller, it was always something to see a pair of phoenixes or others fly over head, especially when they were decorated for parties." The blonde smiled to himself as he thought of how his parents would point out the sleds over them going by. Kurogane glanced over with a weird look, as if Fay had said something incredulous. Archellevon giggled at the face and looked out the window.

"My home was beautiful too, especially when the snow fell around the lightings of the house… I hope this place is just as fantastic."

"I'm sure it will be." Fay returned the other's smile with his own before glancing at his lover. "Kuro-myu?"

Kurogane shook his head. "Dunno why that took me off guard. We are talking about your home planet anyway." He shrugged it off, thinking of some of the things he had seen on Edonis Moon. Archellevon sat back in his seat staring at the clouds.

"We should get Fay-san some Christmas story books."

"What did I say?" The blonde looked questioningly at Kurogane, confused. Fay glanced at Archellevon briefly smiling, "I always enjoy reading."

Kurogane sighed, returning his full attention to the road in front of him. The teenager grinned at the taller man.

"Then we should definitely get some. Mokona-chan would like them too… ah! Look! They've started decorating town with Christmas lights!" He cheered, his hand moving to point at the people on ladders in front of buildings as they approached the city. The blonde followed the others finger seeing numerous wreathes and plastic decorations hanging everywhere.

"Does Kuro-tan decorate like that?" Fay asked still not liking how Kurogane had ignored him.

"On certain years that Tomoyo and my parents decide to crash at my place." The other slowed, relieved his father's car had held out for the small trip.

"But I usually don't put anything up." He glanced to Fay. "Seems that's changed from now on."

Fay couldn't help the smile that formed at hearing Kurogane's words. "And next year we'll have the baby and I doubt Toriho wouldn't pass up the chance to decorate."

Kurogane groaned slightly and slumped a little forward in his chair. "Dad'll go nuts over it." He grimaced, making Archellevon giggle.

"It's not that you don't look forward to having your child squeal over presents is it, Kurogane-san?" He asked, making the tanned man blush faintly.

"Kuro-daddy is, he's just embarrassed to admit it." Fay laughed as he looked at his lover. "It'll be cute."

"Sh-shut up, Blondie." Kurogane stammered, trying not to let his vivid imagination destroy his driving skills. "He better not pick up on most of your habits." He grumbled, mostly to himself. Archellevon giggled again and watched ahead of him as Kurogane pulled into a parking spot next to the others.

"If Kuro-pyon wants to start that again, maybe I really will reconsider the hairclips?" The Valerian said as he smirked at Kurogane while the car came to a stop.

"Like hell you will!" Kurogane snapped, turning off his car and removing the key from the ignition. Archellevon stifled his laughter with his hand before unclipping himself from the seat.

"Then you shouldn't say you want the baby to not act like me." He grinned as he unbuckled and opened his door.

"Not like that's gunna happen anyway. You'll make sure he acts even a little like you." Kurogane waved his lover off, following his motions to get out of the vehicle. Archellevon got out as well, closing the door before stepping up to Fay.

"Maybe his hair will be long?" The slender man said to himself as he looked around the town, taking in the decorations.

"Maybe not." Kurogane replied, going around the car to stand next to Fay as his father and the rest of the others came over to greet them.

"You never know." He smiled up at his lover as the others approached them.

"It would look cute though..." Fay trailed off, knowing it would rile Kurogane. The other shook his head, growling slightly. Archellevon reached over and placed a hand on Kurogane's arm.

"Don't mind it, Kurogane-san, I'm sure Fay-san can wait until you have your daughter, either." He said with a smile, though the taller was taken aback.

"W-what?" He squawked while Fay blushed as he looked at Archellevon.

"What's this I hear about a girl?" Toriho said as he approached them, followed by the others. Kurogane looked to his father.

"N-none of your damn business!" He sputtered, his face going slightly red. Archellevon giggled and hid slightly behind Fay.

"Maybe for once I've said too much?" Kurogane turned to him.

"How the hell did you know that anyway?" The teenager shied away even more.

"U-uh…" He smiled weakly.

"I may have told him." Fay answered sheepishly while looking at Kurogane. Toriho frowned as he looked at his son, wanting to know what they had been talking about.

"I'm your father, so it is my buisness, brat!"

"Like hell it is!" Kurogane brought his attention to his lover.

"What?" Edameonus frowned and stepped forward, reaching forward to touch the half breed's arm.

"Hey-" He was cut off by a fist landing on his cheek. The blow had sent him to the pavement with a grunt. He looked back up to Kurogane while placing his hand on his cheek.

"WHAT THE HELL!" He barked, already feeling his cheek complaining. Kurogane blinked and looked at his hand.

"Heh, oops. Guess I subconsciously wanted to get back at you."

"You promised you wouldn't start a fight." Fay said as he glared at Kurogane. Toriho and Tsumebe both paused as they watched Edameonus glare up at their son. Kurogane didn't move his eyes from Edameonus as the demon sat up, still holding his cheek.

"My body acted before my mind could stop me." He said with a shrug, earning a glare from the Ginryan.

"Bastard. I'll get back at you for this." He stood, dusting himself off.

"Wait, get back at me for what? What the hell did I do!"

"Doesn't matter." The blonde said as he crossed his arms.

"Oi, brat you can't just go picking fights, do you want to spend a night in jail for starting a fight in public?" Kurogane's father said as he gave his son a stern look. Kurogane glared back, but he didn't say anything, knowing his father was right. Edameonus folded his arms and looked away, glad that if his cheek started to swell it would be hidden by his long lock of hair. Mokona ran forward and gripped his trench coat in the front.

"Ah! 'Daddy'! Are you ok?" She asked with a slight pout. Fay continued to frown at his lover, even if Kurogane didn't look at him while Edameonus reassured Mokona that he was alright.

"You're an adult now brat, you can't just go around punching people for no reason." The older man said as he gazed at his child. Archellevon once again stepped forward.

"Souhi-kun… Kurogane-san… E-Ed…" He smiled weakly. "Let's not create a tension here… He looked to the ground. "Sh-shall we split up to buy certain gifts?" Kurogane folded his arms and turned away, similarly to Edameonus after the demon had pulled the girl into his arms.

"That's a good idea." Tsumebe said, noticing that all three men had caused a few people to stare. Fay didn't speak, still upset at Kurogane while Toriho sighed in resignation and nodded. Archellevon smiled and returned to stand by Fay.

"I-I'd like to go with Fay-san and Kurogane-san…" He said, seeming to have gotten courage to speak up from riding in the car with them. Edameonus's eyes glanced over to him, a set frown on his face. Smiling, Fay nodded at the teen, not looking at Kurogane as he did.

"It would be nice to have someone to talk to." Toriho smirked, seeing how the blonde was giving his son the cold shoulder and grabbed his wife's hand. "We'll be off then, I'll call when we're done."

Kurogane grunted to him, knowing Fay had left his cell phone at the house. Edameonus placed Mokona down, the girl having whined to be set down.

"Mokona wants to go with Great Uncle Toriho!" She called going to them. Edameonus raised his eyebrow at the girl.

"What if they want to buy you something?"

"Mokona will hide her eyes!" The girl said as she smiled brightly at having answered so quickly. Fay smiled at the girl as he watched Mokona. Edameonus smiled faintly, waving his hand to her.

"Then be good for them, I don't want to have to ground you if you act up." He chuckled, seeming to have gotten over being punched by the brightness of his adopted child. Archellevon felt his lips curl slightly at this before taking Fay's arm.

"Where to first? Presents or groceries?"

"Presents I suppose, groceries might spoil." Fay said as he smiled at the teen before they began to walk away from the others. Toriho snorted as he looked at the two left behind. Kurogane shoved his hands in his pockets and followed after the two others, Edameonus blinking before he went after them. Mokona giggled and took Tsumebe's hand.

"Think they're going to make up?"

"I'm sure they will." The woman answered as she smiled down at the girl. Beside them, Toriho shook his head as he watched Kurogane and Edameonus trail behind the two others. He turned his face to look at the two girls beside him.

"Now, ladies where are we off to first?"

"Gifts!" Mokona cheered, throwing her free hand up into the air.

"Mokona wants to buy things for everyone!" She skipped next to Tsumebe, causing ladies passing by to giggle at how cute she was.

"Careful now, we wouldn't want Mokona-chan to fall." Tsumebe said as she smiled at the girl's antics.

"Alright then, gifts it is." The Ginryan said as he lead the way.

"Mokona won't fall, Mokona's got great balance!" She laughed, swaying to the side as she sang. Her purple eyes looked up to Tsumebe.

"Kurogane and Fay are going to have more than one baby then? Archy said something about a girl…"

"Maybe, Edameonus did say he'd be surprised if they didn't." The older man said as he looked to his wife who simply giggled.

"I'm sure they'll have a little girl one day for Mokona-chan to play with."

"Yay!" The young one said, laughing brightly.

"Mokona will be happy with baby-chan even if it's a boy!" She hummed as she slowed her skipping to a walking pace next to Tsumebe as the sidewalk became more crowded.

"Both of them are sure this one will be a boy," Toriho gripped his wife's hand smiling at the thought. "but that doesn't mean we won't see a girl in the future."

"Does Great Uncle Toriho want more baby-chans?" Mokona giggled behind her hand as she leaned into Tsumebe to avoid being hit by a lady's bag.

"Lot's more, that brat had at the very least have two." He answered, smirking. Tsumebe laughed.

"Fay-san does seem like he would want a large family."

Mokona smiled and looked around. "A large family? We have a large family! We have Great Aunt Tsumebe and Great Uncle Toriho, Daddy, Mommy, Tomoyo, Fay, Kurogane… oh wait…" She pouted. "I mean Archy, not mommy… and baby-chan soon…."

"Then an extra-large family." Toriho laughed at the girl, smiling fondly as she called Archellevon 'mommy' once more. He was briefly reminded of the children his friends had tried to have before, before his attention was turned back to Mokona who giggled.

"Ok then! Then I want more siblings to so it's bigger than bigger!" Mokona cheered, stars sparkling in her eyes as she thought about having more Mokonas around her.

"Have to ask Ed about that one." The Ginryan said amused by Mokona's enthusiasm.

"Mokona-chan will have all sorts of babies to play with by the sound of things." Tsumebe added as she smiled.

"Yay! That's what Mokona wants!" She looked around vigorously, a wide grin on her face.

"Mokona wants to get something for Daddy and M…. if Archy's not my mommy, then who is he?" The girl asked, forgetting her previous statement as she looked up in pure confusion.

"Uncle." Toriho answered as he looked down at the transformed creature. The girl scrunched up her nose.

"Uncle Archy? Mokona doesn't like it…" She looked to the closest window. "What about Mokona's Mommy? If Archy is Daddy's special person, then why would Daddy want anyone else to be Mokona's mommy?"

"You can't say something like that in front of Archy, even if it is true. It would only hurt him and Ed more Mokona." Red eyes gazed down at the girl as Toriho explained. The girl looked up in sad confusion.

"…Why? Mokona… everyone saw Daddy and Archy snuggling this morning…" She looked down with her lower lip sticking out. "Mokona doesn't get it… Don't they both know that?"

"Archy doesn't and it would make him sad to know since he doesn't remember." Toriho said as he stole at glance down at the girl.

"I'm sure in time they'll be happy together, but until then it would be best for us not to push them together." His wife added while she held Soel's hand. The child nodded before looking up again. She tightened her grip on the older woman's hand and pointed to a shop nearby.

"That one! Mokona wants to go in that one! Maybe Mokona can find something for them there!"

"Alright then." Tsumebe said as she laughed at the child's antics. The Ginryan opened the door for them, smiling as both of them walked past him and into the store.


	29. Just out of reach

**Mirika-rin:** This time only a little bit late~! Getting better, ne? Here's the climax of the arc~! EVERYONE CHEER. NOW DAMMIT. anyway. prepare yourself for something completely uncalled for~!

**Ashine-chan:** We're halfway through this arc~! Which means there will be slightly more fluff ahead. Not to mention more angst still, which always goes hand in hand with KuroFai, XD.

* * *

~Elsewhere~

"Oh! Fay-san, what about this one?" Archellevon asked, holding up a frilly dress with a smile. Edameonus, who had since cooled down from before, raised an eyebrow.

"Soel wouldn't be able to sit down right in that." He said with a chuckle as he shifted through baby clothing.

"Edameonus is right, and it wouldn't last her very long." Fay replied as he admired the dress, knowing Mokona would only end up getting it dirty when she went about playing. Archellevon looked at the dress fondly before putting it back. Edameonus pulled up a small pair of trousers and chuckled to himself, imagining a little Kurogane wearing them. Said man was over at a different rack, searching for something that the new baby could wear by orders of Fay. The blonde scanned over the various clothes they had been looking through.

"Maybe something she could play in?" He suggested as blue eyes tried to think of something.

"Like overalls?" Archellevon offered with a grin, pulling away from the rack with a pair of jeans. Edameonus strolled over to him and placed a hand on his hip.

"What are those?" He asked while Archellevon looked up.

"O-overalls? Their like these, but they go over your shoulders." He explained, casting his eyes to the side. Kurogane idly looked up and scoffed, bored easily by the way they interacted.

"As long as they wouldn't tear easily, I'm sure Mokona would like them." Smiling, Fay looked over at the blushing teen. He turned his head to look over at Kurogane for a moment, seeing if his lover was getting anywhere in picking out clothes. Kurogane felt Fay's eyes on him and he glanced over to him, holding up several outfits to show he wasn't just muttering and standing around. Archellevon smiled and showed Edameonus the pair of jeans.

"W-would these fit her?"

"Looks about right." Edameonus said as he scratched his head as he eyed the garment, trying to figure out if they where the right size.

"Seems Kuro-min is actually looking for things." The Valerian said to himself as he turned his attention back to the other two. Kurogane growled at his lover, placing his vision on a long sleeved shirt.

"Not like it'd kill me…" He stated from where he stood, easily able to hear his lover's mockery. Archellevon smiled faintly and draped the jeans over his arm.

"I-I don't think we should buy mostly clothing for her… she'd definitely like toys…"

"It'd keep her busy, I'm sure she'd like to have something to do instead of being read to." Edameonus said as he smiled at the teen.

"And here I thought Kuro-pon was just being grumpy and not wanting to socialize with us." The blonde said as he scanned around them for any toys.

"Shut up, Blondie." Kurogane grumbled as he stood away from the rack, placing his free hand on his hip. He knew he was the only one with money here, meaning he'd have to buy all of what the other three picked out as well. He sighed as he looked to the teenager, watching the boy walk over to the selection of toys.

"What's her favorite thing?" The boy asked, oblivious to the tallest man's staring.

"I don't know, Mokona doesn't have any toys all she does is read those fairytale books." The Ginryan said, smiling sheepishly.

"Kuro-tan's not very nice." Fay said smiling as he followed Archellevon, his own interests caught by the shelf in front of them filled with stuffed animals. The former angel picked up a princess doll.

"Then we could buy her something that relates to the story books." He offered, seeming to forget in whose company he stood. Kurogane followed indolently, making sure to keep an eye on what they bought.

"I'm sure she'll like anything like that." The dark haired man said as he glanced at Archellevon.

"All of these animals look a bit strange, though I guess it makes sense that they would to me." Fay said as he picked up a small stuffed animal.

"It does resemble some of the dragons from Ginryuu I've seen, but with wings." Edameonus glanced over at the blonde and looked at the stuffed animal curiously. Archellevon looked over as well.

"That looks really cute!" He exclaimed, standing straight as he held the doll. "S-since it's stuffed and… that…" He trailed off, realizing how loud he had been. Edameonus chuckled and picked up a doll that had caught his eye.

"I've only seen a few of them before." Fay said thinking back to Valeria. His eyes scanned over the other animals before blue eyes landed on another stuffed animal, picking it up the blonde examined it and smiled.

"Kuro-wankoro, buy this for me?" He said, making Kurogane look over to his lover and cocked an eyebrow.

"The hell?" He took the animal from Fay's hand and scrutinized it. "A dog?" He asked skeptically as Archellevon held the doll up to Edameonus.

"I-I think she'd like this one…" he said, noticing how some women off to the side were giggling about 'the two couples'.

"It's cute." Fay smirked, his gaze turned to his lover.

"Mokona will like it." The dark haired man said as he grinned, a slight blush across his cheeks from hearing said women away from them laughing. Archellevon's expression faltered and he looked to the ground.

"Y-yes… I think I-I want to buy it for her for Christmas…" He said, subconsciously putting space between him and the taller man. Kurogane exhaled heavily, handing the doll back.

"Fine, whatever." Fay had to keep himself from laughing as he took the small dog back from Kurogane, glad the other hadn't seen the resemblance.

"I think Toshi will like it and if not I'll keep it." Edameonus stole a glance at the stuffed animal, wondering why the blonde had taken up with it so quickly. Kurogane gave his companion a cynical look.

"You keep it? How old are you? Two?" he asked while folding his arms. Archellevon looked to the animal that the Valerian held and giggled, instantly seeing why Fay wanted it.

"Kuro-min should know by now how old I am." The blonde said before he turned to smile at Archellevon. "It's cute and it even looks grumpy." Holding up the stuffed dog for the teen to see better. Archellevon grinned wider and nodded.

"Toshihiko will adore it." He said cheerfully, holding his own doll close. Edameonus looked over to the ladies and narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering why they were still staring.

"I think we have enough for both Mokona and the baby, I'm sure Toriho and the others will be getting them gifts as well." Fay explained as he looked at Archellevon.

"Then are we done here?" The youngest asked Fay before looking at the other two men. Kurogane scoffed and Edameonus gave a small smile with a shrug.

"I suppose… do you think you'd need anything more from this place?" The Ginryan asked.

"I don't see anything else I need and we still need to look at decorations and things." The blonde said as he looked over at both dark haired men.

"A-and ingredients so we can cook with Tsumebe-san." Another blush made itself known on Archellevon's cheeks as he spoke. Edameonus nodded and placed his hands on his hips.

"Alright then, we should buy these things and then go to the next store." He looked to Kurogane then, who glared back before leading the way to the front of the store. Fay smiled at the cashier, seeing it was the same blonde from the last time they had come to town. She started scanning all of clothes and things they had each gotten once they gave them to her. Kurogane folded his arms and watched as Archellevon timidly placed his selected toy on top of the clothing that he had picked out. Edameonus followed suit, regarding the cashier as she did her job.

She blushed while bagging the group's items and told Kurogane the total. Fay smiled, wondering what the girl was thinking as he leaned against the end of the counter. Archellevon stood, watching, a blush across his own cheeks as he realized how close Edameonus was to him at the moment. The demon didn't seem to notice the smaller one's proximity as he leaned on one foot, watching as Kurogane handed over one bill to cover it all. He sighed and moved a hand to his head to ruffle his hair, wishing he didn't have to hide his horns.

Blue eyes watched lazily as the girl quickly gave Kurogane back his change. Fay turned and grabbed their bags, smiling at the others as he did.

"Where would you like to go to next Archy?" The blonde asked as he looked at the younger. Kurogane also took a couple of bags while Edameonus thanked the lady with a smile, causing her blush to grow darker. Archellevon watched this out of the corner of his eye as he smiled weakly to Fay.

"U-uhm… we can… uh… h-how about we go somewhere to get decorations? Then after that we can buy groceries?"

"Sounds good, Kuro-rin will have to lead the way." The blonde replied, looking at his lover. Edameonus smiled still at the cashier's blush before turning to his companions. Kurogane grumbled something inarticulately before walking out of the store, the teenager following after him so he could hold the door open for the others to exit. He studied the cashier for a moment, wondering absentmindedly why Edameonus had stared at her. Thanking Archellevon, the Valerian stepped outside as they followed Kurogane. Edameonus gave a quick 'thanks' to the teen as well before leaving the store also.

The white haired one let go of the door and fell into step next to Edameonus, though he inwardly wanted to walk with Fay again. The tallest of the group shoved his free hand in his pocket, knowing the metal underneath his fake skin would get colder than normal flesh would. Idly Fay swung the bags he was carrying back and forth as Kurogane led the way towards their next destination. He looked briefly skywards seeing that the clouds were darker than before, wondering if it meant they would have snow later. Archellevon let out a breathless gasp and suddenly stopped walking, smiling to himself as he saw the little trinkets in one store.

"Ah! Fay-san! Look at that one!" He said airily, pointing to a miniature village in the shop window. He looked to Edameonus and offered a wider smile than normal.

"It's so tiny!"

"Strange that they have such little displays." Fay said as he stopped and looked at the window display. He smiled at the houses, seeing that each was decorated with small lights and fake snow around them. Archellevon went up to the window as well, the two other men stopping to make sure they all stayed together. The white haired one smiled as he placed his hands against the glass.

"They always make these, to place under the trees." He informed the outlanders, to which Fay looked at the display in thinking it an odd thing to put under a tree.

"They're really detailed." Edameonus pointed out as he looked over the tiny figures. Archellevon looked to him over his shoulder, still smiling.

"Yes, sometimes they're put on the table too at Christmas feasts." He looked back to the display and pointed one out. "Hehe, look! That one has a dog on the ice…"

"We could go into this store." The blonde said as he looked over the rest of the items hanging in the shop's window. Smiling at the teen's amusement, Edameonus looked over at Archellevon.

"O-oh we don't have to…" Archellevon replied, removing his hands from the glass to wave them in front of him.

"I only wanted to look at the small town, that's all!" He said weakly, though Edameonus took a step closer.

"There's no harm in looking around. We can do that 'window shopping' Souhi talked about… er… Uncle Toriho, talked about…" He looked around to see if anyone was listening to them.

"There's no need for us to rush, we can look inside, besides they seem to have decorations." Suggested Fay as he watched the teen. The boy looked to the ground as his hands lowered.

"…I-if Fay-san wants to…" He muttered, noticing Kurogane had walked over to them as well.

"It's if you want to as well." Giving the other a friendly smile, Fay had wished the teen was a bit more confidence at least when around them. Blue met blue as the younger brought his gaze back up. Edameonus reached forward and placed his hand on the other's back, making the teenager jolt.

"Come on, we can go in." The demon said warmly, though Archellevon pulled away from him.

"O-ok…" Stepping inside first, Fay was greeted with streamers and other brightly colored decorations hanging from the stores ceiling. He smiled at the sight and walked forward towards a tree near the door. Kurogane gave a disinterested look to the shop and followed Fay idly, having nothing better to do. Archellevon smiled to himself and walked enthusiastically into the middle of the store where tree top ornaments sat. Edameonus frowned slightly wondering if it would make things worse if he followed the former angel. He sighed and moved to another section.

"When will you be getting a tree?" The blonde asked as he stared at the tree, noting the glass bulbs and strings of lights on its branches.

"Probably a week before Christmas. Or whenever my dad deems it's necessary to drag me out of the house." Kurogane shrugged, glancing to a doll in boredom. Across from them, Archellevon paused, staring at some of the ornaments forlornly. He picked an angel up slowly, staring at it, not realizing Edameonus was watching him from the other isle.

"That should be fun to see." Fay laughed lightly as he looked up at his lover as he imagined Toriho dragging an unwilling Kurogane off. The other growled, slouching a little more.

"Tch. Of course you'd say that."

"It's not like I could help with much in another month." The blonde replied as he brought his attention back to the tree, his hands moving to brush against one of the ornaments. Not far from them, Edameonus smiled as he looked at the teen while looking at the Christmas decorations as well.

"You act like I don't know that." Kurogane regarded one of the ornaments and frowned.

"It's not that, I know you realize it." Smiling, the blonde turned to his lover. "I was just pointing it out." Kurogane looked to the Valerian and smirked slightly, his mind going back to his child. The former angel stared at the item he held, his nimble fingers tracing over the wings and halo.

"Hey, you like that, doll face?" Came a voice next to him that made the boy jump. He smiled weakly to the person who had decided to talk to him.

"O-oh hello… y-yes… I do like it…" He bit his lip. Edameonus frowned as he listened to the other, gripping the small wreath in his hand tightly as he tried to see who it was talking to Archellevon.

"So, uh, who ya with? Want me ta buy ya that?" Said the brunette as he stepped forward. A red flag went up in Archellevon's mind and the teenager stepped back a little.

"O-oh no, I-I'm just looking! Besides, I'm just shopping with friends…" He said, hoping that it wouldn't go any further than this. Fay blinked before he turned, feeling Edameonus's aura spike. Kurogane followed the blonde's gaze as well, raising an eyebrow at the teenager. Edameonus had his back turned to both Kurogane and Fay as he gritted his teeth, trying not to lash out at the human in the opposite aisle. Archellevon held the ornament close to him and didn't wait for the other person to say a reply. He turned sharply and went to Edameonus on instinct. He tugged on the demon's sleeve, eyes shifting nervously to the other man.

"I-I want… I w-want to leave…" He said feebly, the angel in his arm tightly. The Ginryan nodded before he grabbed a slender arm and pulled Archellevon with him towards the others. He was grateful that things hadn't escalated, not sure what he would have done if they had. The teenager let himself be led, actually moving to link his arm with the taller man's. Kurogane regarded this and suppressed a snort.

"You done looking?" He asked, nodding to the angel ornament. The white haired one nodded fervently, not looking up.

"Are you going to get that?" Fay asked the teen, worried about what had happened. Edameonus continued to frown, his eyes scanning around them in case someone else tried anything.

"I-I…" Archellevon tried to speak before giving up, shaking his head and taking the item and placing it on a nearby shelf. Kurogane looked to Edameonus and sighed, feeling like he should've guessed that he'd be so protective.

"Oi, let's go then." Edameonus pulled the teen along, seeing that Archellevon still wasn't looking at any of them as Fay smiled faintly while they left. Looking back behind them, the Valerian couldn't see the person who had upset the boy, so instead he looked at Kurogane briefly in concern. Said man shrugged, not knowing what to do either. The former angel wrapped his arms around Edameonus's, letting the demon lead him. He couldn't understand why he was frightened all of a sudden, but he was glad that the other would put up with him as he held onto him.

"Where should we go to now? Any ideas Kuro-tan?" The slender man asked as he looked up at Kurogane. He didn't think Archellevon would be up for continuing their shopping at the moment. Beside the still startled teen, Edameonus was glad that he was at least helping the boy feel safe.

"Wanna stop by that guy's shop?" Kurogane asked, knowing Sorata would have something to calm the shorter one's nerves. Edameonus glanced over his shoulder to Kurogane.

"…'That guy'? That's specific." He stated, but Fay nodded.

"I'm sure Sorata will be happy to see us again." Smiling, the Valerian continued walking towards Sorata's shop, thinking it would be best for the teen to sit and calm down. The taller man nodded as well and continued, moving to lead the others. Archellevon looked to the ground with a frown, feeling guilty that he had caused the three men to stop shopping because of him. Noticing Archellevon's reaction, Fay smiled before turning his attention away from the two walking behind him and Kurogane.

"It'll be nice to sit and talk to everyone. I needed to rest for a bit and Sorata's shop is always fun." The blonde said to no one in particular as the four of them continued to walk. Kurogane raised an eyebrow to his lover, wondering if he was being truthful about resting or if he was just humoring the smaller member of their group. Edameonus looked to the blonde ahead of him.

"Everyone? Who else would be there?"

"Syaoran and Syaoron, they work for Sorata and they look up to Kuro-pipi." Fay chuckled thinking back to Syaoran and Sakura. Edameonus chuckled deeply, noticing Archellevon's grip slightly loosened as they got farther away from that store.

"How anyone looks up to Kurogane is a surprise." He teased, making the student turn sharply to glare over his shoulder.

"What was that, asshole?"

"It's rather cute." Fay replied as he smiled cheerfully. Sorata's shop came into view as Edameonus continued to laugh.

"I said I'm surprised anyone could see you as a role model." Kurogane growled dangerously.

"You obviously don't know most of these people then." He barked, thinking of all the people who waved to him every time he entered town or the college. He opened up the door and instantly was revolted by the wafting smell of sweets that hit his nose from the inside of the shop.

"Kuro-chan's popular despite his attitude." Fay said as the door chimed as they entered.

"Kurogane's here!" Sorata said from behind the counter, he waved enthusiastically at the group as both twins looked up to see them. Kurogane grumbled in his throat, looking to his lover.

"Oi, take them to a seat." He said lowly before going over to Sorata to talk to him. Archellevon looked up slowly, having eased up a bit. Deciding not to ask, Fay nodded before walking to one of the tables further back, away from the few other customers there. Edameonus followed silently, the teen still holding his arm. Syaoran smiled as he waved, carrying a tray to a couple with his other hand.

After picking the booth out Edameonus let Archellevon sit in it first, the boy sliding into it to sit by the wall. He sat next to the white haired one, hoping their proximity wouldn't bother him. Kurogane joined them shortly, setting the bag down next to the chair.

"I thought Kuro-myu didn't like talking with Sorata." The blonde said as he looked to his lover. Blue eyes watched as Syaoran took an empty tray to the kitchen before his twin came out soon after.

"I don't. I asked him to get something for me." Kurogane replied, sitting next to Fay. Archellevon didn't look up from the table, his hands fidgeting in his lap slowly.

"Kuro-tan shouldn't say such things about his friends." The blonde replied as he rested his chin atop his hand, smiling at Kurogane. Edameonus watched the teen, worried.

"He's not my friend either." The half blood replied with a growl. "He's a parasite." Edameonus looked up to Kurogane with a curious glance, wondering why he'd call a man a pest.

"Just because he's friendly?" A smirk spread across the blonde's lips as he spoke.

"There's a difference between friendly and tumor-like." The man said as Sorata exited from the kitchen, carrying a tray with four glasses. He smiled over to them and walked over.

"Hello, Fay-chan, Kurogane. Friends of yours?" He asked, smiling to Edameonus.

"Hello, you've already met Hien, beside him is Archellevon." Fay smiled as he introduced the others while Sorata set everything down. Sorata smiled wider.

"Charmed!" He looked to Archellevon and it faltered somewhat.

"Here you are; I'm assuming you asked for this for him, Kurogane?" He said with a cheeky grin while setting a steaming glass in front of the teenager. Kurogane narrowed his eyes and growled.

"Can you not be annoying for once?"

"Kuro-kun shouldn't growl so much." Sorata smiled at Fay as he set down their glasses. Edameonus looked at his own mug in curiosity. Sorata stood straight and looked to another customer waving to him.

"Ah, I'd love to stay and chat, but even when we're not busy we're busy." He said with a shrug. Archellevon's hands moved slowly from his lap to hold the sides of the drink, but he didn't bring it to his lips. As the shop owner left, Fay brought his attention to the drinks Kurogane had ordered for them.

"What did you have Sorata bring us?"

"Tea." Kurogane replied, picking up his cup to take a drink of the hot liquid. Edameonus tilted his head to the side. Before he could say anything Archellevon spoke up.

"I'm sorry…"

"There's no reason to apologize to us." Fay said, smiling gently at the teen as Edameonus looked at the former angel. The teenager shook his head gently, his grip tightening slightly on the cup.

"N-no… I… I've been a… a trouble, again."

"You're not bothering any of us." The blonde said as he wrapped his hands around his drink. Edameonus continued to look at the teen as he spoke up.

"None of us are complaining, so you shouldn't think you're such a burden to everyone." Archellevon grimaced and looked up to the others. He knew that if any of the others had been bothered like he had that they would've still been shopping now. Edameonus kept his eyes on the smaller man, wondering why he was acting that way.

"It's ok to be scared, we've only been in town a few times now."

"Yes and besides we've been shopping for a few hours now, taking a break is a nice change, we can all sit and rest here before we continue." Fay said, not wanting the teen to feel guilty about them stopping. Bringing his cup to his lips, Fay took a tentative sip, wincing at the temperature before setting his glass back down. Archellevon closed his eyes but nodded. Kurogane looked out the window, noticing that the clouds had started to gather more so over the town.

"It might snow before we finish shopping." He muttered, making Edameonus turn to look as well.

"That should be nice to see then." The blonde added as he held his cup to his lips, blowing at its surface, in an attempt to cool it. Archellevon slowly moved the cup to his lips, taking a tentative sip of it. Kurogane looked to Fay with a slight frown, thinking that the snow might bring back bad memories of the smaller man. Fay grinned as he took a drink of tea.

"Kuro-rinta?" Edameonus drank his own tea as well, still trying to keep an eye on the one beside him. The dark haired man shook his head.

"Nothing." Archellevon looked up again, his expression seeming to have relaxed.

"I-if Fay-san and Kurogane-san still want t-to go shopping I-I didn't mean to stop them…"

"The only things we need to get are groceries." The blonde said, wondering why his lover had given him such a look. Archellevon frowned more so and looked to the table again. Edameonus sighed and placed a cautious hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey, stop worrying over it ok? Taking a break isn't a bother and we need your help on buying the groceries." He said softly, noticing that the white haired one didn't pull away like he had before.

"Yes, you were the one to check everything to see what we needed." He said still worried about Archellevon's current state. "Without Archy the three of us wouldn't know where to begin." The youngest member looked to Fay and smiled faintly. He nodded again.

"O-ok…" He took another drink of the tea Kurogane had gotten him, noticing said man was watching him intently. Propping his face up with his hand, Fay watched Archellevon for a moment, hoping he had helped, before looking outside. His mind briefly wandering to Kurogane's early assumption about it snowing. The demon watched as Sorata juggled two trays full of dishes across the room. He sat back in his seat with a slight smile.

"And maybe 'Uncle' bought a bunch of decorations. Is there something in Christmas time that you can put all around the house?" Archellevon looked up to the other and blushed a little.

"U-uh… there's holly… and wreathes… a-and… uh…" Fay's attention moved back to the pale haired teen as Archellevon began explaining something else to them. He smiled as his fingers wrapped around his mug.

"Th-then there's candles and… m-mistletoe…" Kurogane turned his head sharply to the boy.

"Like hell that's going in my house!" He snapped. Archellevon gave him a nervous smile.

"I-I'm just naming things off…"

A devious smirk swept across Fay's lips at seeing his lover's refusal. "What's that?"

Archellevon's face went red and he looked to the tea, fidgeting with it.

"Y-you hang it in doorways a-and in entrances s-so that w-when two people stand under them th-they kiss…" He stammered, his mind wandering to if he and Edameonus would get caught under one and his face lit up in multiple shades. Edameonus blushed before looking over to Fay, he could practically hear the wheels turning in the blondes head at the information.

"Is it hard to come by?" Archellevon shook his head fervently.

"During Christmas y-you can find it anywhere." He squeaked. Kurogane growled lowly.

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking Blondie, the answer is no."

"Oh? Kuro-kun knows what I was thinking." The blonde smiled innocently at Kurogane. Said man narrowed his eyes even more.

"Don't play dumb." Archellevon let a giggle slip before bringing the tea to his lips; once it had cooled down he realized he really liked the flavor.

"But, it'll be fun and besides I'm sure I can find some on my own if need be." Fay said teasingly to his lover.

"Two words; Like. Hell." Kurogane retorted, bringing his mug up to finish off his cup. Edameonus mimicked him, trying not to laugh into his glass.

"Why?" The slender man asked as he pouted mockingly at Kurogane, knowing he might wear the other man down.

"Because I said so." Kurogane pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh, determined not to falter under his lover's gaze. Archellevon smiled fondly to them, glad that they were comfortable together even in public.

"But Kuro-tan~" Large tears formed at the corner of the blonde's eyes as he continued to stare at Kurogane. Edameonus had to look away so he wouldn't laugh, knowing Kurogane wouldn't be able to resist. The taller man hesitated when he saw this, mentally slapping himself as he noticed that others were now watching him and Fay.

"Fine! What the fuck ever!" He barked, caving. Archellevon giggled again as he finished his tea.

"I owe Kuro-min then." Fay said as he reverted back to smiling, his tears gone. He thought idly how much Kurogane would buy for him as he finished off his tea. The student growled to himself, knowing it had become easier to give in to Fay's crocodile tears. The white haired one looked to the others briefly before to the table.

"U-uhm… I-I think I'm ok now, we can go back to shopping if you'd like to…"

"I can pick up some mistletoe before Kuro-san changes his mind." The blonde nodded in agreement. Edameonus smirked as he stole a glance over at Kurogane. Said man glared to his lover in defeat, knowing Fay would from then on take advantage of this skill. Edameonus stood up, picking up the bags he had set to the side.

"I'll have to pay Kuro-rinta back for the mistletoe." The Valerian said having a good idea as to why his lover was against the stuff. Kurogane grumbled and got up from his seat as well, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. Archellevon took the other bags, glad to help out in any way he could.

"Kuro-grump shouldn't act so mean around the holidays." The blonde chided halfheartedly as he moved from the booth to stand.

"Tch, get used to it." Kurogane snapped as he watched Sorata wave at them, having paid the man when he had gone up to the shop owner earlier. Edameonus was startled lightly when Archellevon's arm snaked around his own, not expecting the smaller to still want to hold onto him. Fay smiled in surprise as he saw the small gesture, knowing Kurogane would be embarrassed if he were to do the same.

"But there's a lot to look forward to Kuro-kun."

"And?" The taller asked, not glancing over to the others. He lead the way out, not bothering to watch Edameonus place his hand on the one hooked around his elbow. Archellevon blushed at the gesture, but he didn't let go as they followed Kurogane out.

"And you shouldn't be so grumpy because of it." Fay waved at Sorata and both twins as he stepped outside.

"Would you quit calling me grumpy?" Kurogane asked in exasperation, glaring at his partner. The teenager giggled behind his free hand, thinking it sounded funny that the older man would say that word.

"Would Kurogane-san lead the way to the grocery store?" He asked, to which the taller nodded.

"Then stop acting that way and I will." Fay retorted as he grinned up at the half breed. Edameonus was about to say something as well, but didn't want to break whatever had fallen over the teen as the other's arm was still entwined with his own. Kurogane muttered something incoherently and began to lead the way to the next store they needed to go to, not wanting to deal with Fay's antics. Archellevon's hand slightly tightened on the fabric of Edameonus's shirt.

"U-um… i-is this alright? M-my hand…"

The Ginryan looked at the teen grinning. "Its fine, you're not bothering me."

"Kuro-pyon's being cute now." Fay laughed as he followed.

"Don't call me cute either!" Kurogane barked, his fists clenching in his pockets. Archellevon blushed somewhat deeper, but smiled wider and looked away.

"A-about this morning… I-I'm sorry I made you worry… you didn't have to do that…"

"It wouldn't be good for you to catch a cold." The Ginryan said, nervous about saying the wrong thing. Archellevon brought his eyes to the ground while following the taller men.

"Yes… I-I guess you're right…"

"Kuro-tan's very picky." The blonde said as they continued to walk. Kurogane glared at his lover, moving into the town square first.

"Not like I'd like any of those stupid personality traits anyway." He grumbled.

"But you do, you just don't want to admit it." Fay pointed out as Edameonus smiled a bit nervously at the teen.

"Like hell that's true!" Kurogane barked, causing the former angel to remove his attention from the pavement to the Earthling.

"Kurogane-san, where's this grocery store?" He asked timidly. The spiky haired man nodded his head forward.

"Right there."

"If Kuro-myu doesn't want to admit it..." The blonde said amused before turning his gaze from Kurogane to the store in front of them. The white haired one walked forward, removing his arm from Edameonus's so he could open the door. Looking inside he smiled.

"This place might have everything we need."

"Kuro-rin should take me on a tour of the town one of these days." Fay said as he followed Archellevon, curiously about the store. Edameonus's smile faltered as Archellevon left him, but followed nonetheless.

"Tch. That's so troublesome." Kurogane griped, entering the store last. Archellevon placed a finger at the bottom of his lip as he scanned the store, looking for items he'd need.

"Hm… Let's go to this isle first, it seems to have flour and a few other things we need. Fay grinned as Archellevon lead the way, glad that the teen had actually remembered what they needed.

"Kuro-pyon always thinks things are troublesome."

"Because they are." The taller man replied, watching listlessly as the youngest member grabbed a small cart to hang off his arm and as he moved silkily to the chosen isle. Edameonus followed on instinct, focusing more so on the boy's wellbeing than what he was supposed to help out with.

"Kuro-tan thinks I'm troublesome then?" The blonde asked as he walked in front of Kurogane, a smile across his lips. Edameonus fidgeted before asking the shorter teen if he needed any help with his shopping.

"More often than not." Kurogane grunted, scanning the store lazily. Archellevon picked up a small bag of sugar powder.

"U-uhm… I need to get certain things…" He looked up to Edameonus slowly with a smile. "Y-you can help me find them, i-if you like…" Edameonus nodded, seeing that the other two were occupied with each other at the moment.

"Kuro-san's not being very nice." Fay pouted as he looked over his shoulder at Kurogane.

"Am I supposed to be?" The man asked skeptically as he raised an eyebrow. Archellevon leaned forward over the items sitting up and grabbed a better bag, not paying attention to the couple.

"At least around me you should be." The Valerian grinned before turning his attention to the others seeing that Edameonus and Archellevon were fine on their own.

"You should be used to it by now." Kurogane snorted and folded his arms, moving his vision to the other customers. The teenager placed the bag of powder in his small cart before walking further down, pointing to something to ask Edameonus's opinion of it.

"I'm not really sure, these things look different than what I'm used to." The Ginryan said as Archellevon looked over a bag of sugar.

"I suppose, Kuro-rinta is affectionate sometimes." Smiling to himself, Fay wondered if he should offer to help his friends. The shortest of them gave a puzzled look as he scanned over the sugar.

"It looks the same and I can read it just fine, but it's hard to tell…" He trailed off, picking up another to compare the two. Kurogane grumbled in complaint, but didn't speak up besides that.

"Maybe Kuro-san and I could find something? That way we're not just sitting here." The slender man suggested as he stood close to his lover.

"The colors a bit different, but I guess it would taste the same..." Edameonus hadn't really thought much about how different such simple things were from the other planets. Kurogane shrugged, looking down the isle to the other two.

"Well where should we start, Blondie?" The white haired boy shivered slightly and decided to go with the bigger bag, putting it with the powder.

"Archy was the one to make a list." Fay said, not wanting to admit he hadn't paid much attention when they were checking for things. Chuckling, Edameonus shook his head at his friend. The teenager stood straight and looked to the others.

"E-eh? D-do you want to find some of the things?" He asked with a small smile, moving to reach in his pocket to take out the sheet of paper.

"We can at least help instead of letting you do everything." The taller of the two said as he smiled. Archellevon nodded and moved his hand to the side of the paper, effectively tearing it in two.

"H-here, I guess it wouldn't hurt to split the job…" He said, giving the other light haired one a half.

"Kuro-san will at least know what to get." Fay took the slip of paper looking over before he smiled. "I'm not sure if I could get everything right."

"Most likely wouldn't." Kurogane teased, looking over the other's shoulder to skim through the items needed. Archellevon grinned and held up his half.

"Should we meet up a little later?"

"Once we're finished we'll look for you." The other replied as he scanned over the list, smiling as he noticed Kurogane reading the paper as well. The demon nodded and turned away from them.

"It shouldn't take that long to get this stuff. There isn't as much as I thought there was." He said as Archellevon took the bag in the taller man's hands and setting it in the basket his smile widened a little.

"Alright then, we'll be back shortly." Fay waved as he turned and moved around Kurogane to head down the aisle, scanning the shelves for anything on their list. Kurogane followed, glancing at the other two once before turning his vision to his lover. Archellevon watched them go out of the corner of his eye, a faint blush going over his cheeks as he realized he was now alone with Edameonus. Fay continued walking as he moved between looking at their half of the list and up to the shelves.

"Kuro-min should be helping me."

The taller of the two exhaled angrily and looked over the other's shoulder again. He clicked his tongue and moved to one side of the walkway, picking up a can of some fruit.

"Why the hell would he need these for cookies?"

"Maybe it's some type of family recipe? Though he might be making tarts." He replied, mentally marking off one thing from their list as Kurogane inspected the can.

"Tch." The taller man held onto the can while placing his other hand on his hip. He thought briefly to the weather outside and frowned, glad that they hadn't taken his motorcycle to town that day. Fay turned to face his lover, holding the list up to Kurogane's face as he smiled.

"You'll have to find our next item." Kurogane growled and snatched the paper, scanning over it idly before turning on his heel.

"Come on Blondie. The rest of the items are on the other side of the store."

"Lead the way Kuro-sama~" Fay mock saluted his lover as he smirked. The other rolled his eyes and sighed, beginning to walk toward the opposite side of the somewhat large shop. Chuckling, Fay swung his arms idly as he walked, his eyes scanning the all of the different varieties of foods as they passed. He kept fairly quiet as he followed Kurogane through the grocery store. The man stopped abruptly, almost causing the shorter to run into him. Red eyes scanned over the small section before he reached forward to grab a bottle of vanilla extract.

"Hn… He'd better appreciate this crap. It's been years since I went with mom to get stuff like this."

"I appreciate Kuro-tan helping and I'm sure Archellevon and Tsumebe will as well." The Valerian said as he stood behind Kurogane, his eyes scanning the labels of various bottles.

"Tch. Mom'll probably point out something I got wrong." Kurogane rolled his eyes as he thought back to a time where he and Tsumebe had gone shopping and the woman had laughed delicately at a mistake he made.

"I'm sure it helped your cooking skills." Fay stepped to the side in order to stand beside Kurogane, blue eyes scanning their list again.

"Hn." Kurogane looked around for a bit before he began to walk slowly, remembering something from the list. Fay watched as Kurogane continued gathering things, he turned his attention to the items around them wondering what Archellevon had planned for them to bake. Said teenager stretched his arm to reach for an object at the top of the shelf, wondering to himself why they would place a food item so far away.

"Hnn…. E-Ed, c-could you help me please?"

"Yeah...which one do you need?" He smiled seeing that the teen wasn't tall enough to reach the top shelf. The white haired one gave up easily and backed away slightly, pointing to the white bag among blue ones.

"That one, I think it's semi-sweet…" Edameonus nodded before he reached up for the bag, careful not to knock anything over as he offered the bag to Archellevon.

"Here you go." The other smiled and took the bag, setting it in the slowly filled basket.

"Now then, we've got three more things…" He announced happily, glad that the earlier event hadn't deterred him from remaining content with the taller man. His mind wandered to the way he had clung to Edameonus and the blush on his cheeks darkened.

"That's good." Smiling he rested a hand on his hip.

"Wonder how the other two are doing?" Edameonus said before he noticed the other blushing curious about it. Archellevon nodded, trying to will away the thoughts.

"Y-yes… I hope I wrote everything clear enough…" The former angel said, fidgeting as he stood in front of Edameonus.

"It's not your list I was talking about...I'd be surprised if we didn't hear Kurogane yelling any minute now." The Ginryan smirked at the thought of getting to taunt the human again before he returned his attention to the boy in front of him. A smile spread across the younger lips and blue eyes closed.

"Yes… even though they fight often… I-I know… and I'm glad… that they're finally allowed to be happy…" He allowed his mind to search through blurry memories of the court with Kurogane and Fay and how the taller of the two had been so resolute to be with the blonde in peace.

"Yeah, as much as Kurogane likes to bitch and Fay likes to tease him, they do deserve to be happy together." The other said, thinking back to his own encounters with both men on Edonis. Archellevon's grin widened and he opened his eyes.

"I want to do something nice for them… but I can't think of anything I'd be able to do…" He looked to the basket.

"I can hardly teach them anything, since they're older than me… but this is the least I can do…"

"Never know until you try, though I'd recommend showing them something while separated or else you won't be able to keep them from arguing long enough to get anywhere." The taller man was glad to see the other smiling as he talked. Archellevon giggled and nodded, moving over to the next aisle.

"This is true…" He shifted the small cart to his other arm, feeling a dull pain in the muscle as the weight started to get heavier.

"I'm sure they'll like whatever you decide." He said looking at Archellevon.

"I could carry that for you...at least help some too." Edameonus said noticing how the handle dug into the pale haired teen's arm. Said other gave a weak smile and shook his head.

"N-no, it's fine. I don't want to burden you… even with something as silly as this." He blushed again, feeling guilty for troubling the others as much as he had, especially with the smaller things like a broken plate or not doing the laundry.

"I'm only offering to help...we're friends and I can at least help carry something and not just stand here while you do everything." He smiled faintly, trying to keep the teen from feeling as if he was a bother again.

"…Well…" Archellevon shifted his weight from one foot to the other awkwardly, looking to the basket. He hesitated before moving it off his arm and holding it up with both hands.

"I-if it wouldn't trouble you… my arm does sort of hurt…" Edameonus smiled and grabbed the basket with one hand, feeling that it was a bit heavier than he had expected.

"It's not a problem, glad I could help." Archellevon smiled sheepishly, absentmindedly rubbing the spot where the handles had been. Even with the cushioning of his coat it seemed that he was fragile.

"…E-Ed?" He began softly, busying his hands with a can on the shelf.

"Yes, Archy?" He raised an eyebrow in question, curious about what Archellevon could possibly want.

"I've learned that Souhi-kun and you were friends in childhood… a-and… I know you…. You are the…" He trailed off to mumbling, his face red beneath bangs that were too long for his vision.

"What?" He asked, his grip tightening on the basket. Edameonus looked at the teen, not liking what the other might say. The blue eyes looked to the ground before Archellevon shook his head.

"Th-the point is… I-I don't remember… I don't think… I'd ever… remember…" He grimaced to himself, knowing that the other man would be hurt by his words.

"A-and I'm sorry… because I knew that the someone I-I was… I know that you loved that person…"

"..." Edameonus paused his voice caught in his throat at what Archellevon had said. He stared at Archellevon for what felt like forever, then swallowed the lump in his throat.

"...How long did you know that?" He looked away from the teen, trying to keep his voice from sounding too strained.

"….Too long to have kept it from you…" Archellevon replied, bowing his head more. "I-I know… that me not remembering… I know i-it hurts you…" Suddenly pale hands reached out and grasped Edameonus's tightly, bringing it to the former angel's forehead.

"I'm sorry… that I-I've taken away your most precious person… a-and kept their face…"

"..." The Ginryan froze as he listened, not knowing where to begin. "It's not you're fault...it's just how things turned out..." He wondered briefly if everyone else would know now and tried not to retract his hand from the teen's as he spoke softly. Archellevon shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

"E-even though I can't change it, I wish I could… i-if I would've known that E-Ed was hurting b-because I arrived, I-I…" the boy trailed off again, finding it harder to speak.

"Don't blame yourself...like I said before; we're friends." Edameonus smiled softly as he looked down at Archellevon. "I've been hurting way before you arrived so don't think it's because you came here."

Archellevon looked up, tears brimming his blue eyes as he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He couldn't form words with his lips, though thoughts raged through his mind. He shuddered gently before moving forward swiftly, wrapping his arms around the taller man's torso. Edameonus frowned, his free hand moved to wrap around Archellevon, feeling guilty that he had been the reason the teen was now crying. He knew he'd have to talk to Souhi later, if the man somehow didn't know already.

"There's no need to be upset over me." The boy shook his head, his eyes squeezing shut again as he tried not to let the tears fall. He was first surprised when Mokona had let it slip that Edameonus had been upset, but it had only recently clicked that it was over his lost memories.

"I-I'm… going to try…" He choked out softly, burying his face in the other's trench coat.

"Don't force yourself to because of me." The other said as he narrowed his eyes in thought, wondering just how long the teen had known. Again, Archellevon shook his head. He pulled slightly away, looking up to the demon so their eyes would meet.

"I-I want to remember… s-so that maybe…" One hand snaked back around, moving nimbly to be placed against the beige cheek cautiously. "S-so maybe Ed can really smile again…"

Edameonus stood surprised, his eyes widened slightly at the thin hand against his face. He remained quiet, knowing he wouldn't be able to argue with the teen. He averted his gaze, feeling he shouldn't be so selfish and protest more, especially when Archellevon was only wanting to remember for the small chance that he would be happier. Doing so caused him to realize that Archellevon wasn't the only one staring at him. A very small crowd of shoppers had paused to stare in curiosity at the two. The former angel withdrew his hand when he too found this out, his face going completely red.

"Maybe we should go find Fay-chan and Kurogane?" Edameonus suggested as he grabbed Archellevon's arm, shooting a glare over at the people gathered. Archellevon nodded in defeat, wiping his eyes so he wouldn't have to see the individuals whispering and gawking at them. He wasn't sure whether to pull away from or to lean into the grip, his feelings confused enough as is. Glaring once more for good measure, Edameonus pulled the teen with him down the aisle, his eyes scanning for the rest of their group, trying to keep his thoughts about what had just happened between them at bay. Archellevon stopped then, his hand resting on top of Edameonus.

"E-Ed…"

"Yeah?" The Ginryan said as he stopped to turn and look at the teen. Blue eyes stayed averted as his face was relieved of some of the red.

"I-I just realized something… I-I accidentally left my gloves at Sorata's…" He admitted, not noticing Kurogane and Fay walking down the aisle to them.

"We can go back and get your gloves; I'm sure someone's found them and put them up." He said trying to offer the teen a smile.

"N-no…" Archellevon began, looking to the ground. "Y-you three can continue shopping… I can get them and meet with you by the car…" Edameonus looked to see the others before turning his attention back to Archellevon.

"Alright." Releasing the other's arm, the Ginryan stood to the side as he held the basket with Archellevon's things in his other hand. The former angel gave him a grateful smile before he turned, walking swiftly down the aisle. Kurogane's eyes chased after him curiously, placing a hand on his hip as he approached the other dark haired man.

"What's his problem?"

"Forgot his gloves at Sorata's shop." The Ginryan said as he watched the teen leave. Fay paused for a moment in feeling something was off.

"We got everything on the list." Edameonus also hesitated before grinning feebly to the light haired man.

"Alright, we were almost done too." He informed the others, giving Fay the list that had been placed in the basket. Kurogane grumbled to himself, angry that he would have to go searching for things again.

"Just a few things then." Fay said as he looked between the second half of the list and what Edameonus was carrying. He held it up for Kurogane to read as well. The Earthling looked over it and then to the aisle they were in, frowning in irritation.

"Fine then, this way." He sighed, leading the way to the cold food section. Fay moved to follow, glancing back to Edameonus briefly, wondering if anything had happened before he followed after his lover. The demon didn't go after them for a moment, his hand moving to his chest where the boy's face had been laid. He closed his eyes briefly before beginning to walk, wondering if it was alright that the teenager had gone out on his own.

"We should hurry, I'm sure you're parents and Mokona will be finished by now." The blonde said as he trailed behind Kurogane, noting that Edameonus was following along as well.

"He'd have called then." The other waved him off, knowing his father would probably be stuck in the toy section of some store as he planned how to flood Kurogane's house full of useless things.

"Well we should at least hurry so we can meet up with Archy, wouldn't want him just standing by your car waiting." The blonde retorted as the came to the frozen food section of the store.

"Hn." Kurogane replied, knowing that the snow would be falling any minute. Edameonus frowned deeper, unable to think straight as the earlier events ran through his head. Fay sighed at his lover's lack of a response before looking over to Edameonus again, seeing that the man was lost in his thoughts.

~Elsewhere~

Archellevon sighed heavily, reaching into his pocket to pull out his gloves. He felt bad that he had wanted to have a little time to himself, but worse that he had lied to the taller man. He shook his head and placed his gloves back in his pocket, his grip tightening on the small shopping bags he carried.

"Why if it isn't the cutie from before, I was wondering where you'd run off to." The man from before, who had frightened the teen, smiled as he approached Archellevon.

"A-ah!" The former angel's eyes widened and he turned away sharply, walking quickly in the direction from where he had just come. His heart beat was quickened now, the thought of getting away becoming stronger.

"Come on now, I just wanted to talk." The voice behind him said as footsteps sounded closer to the teen. Archellevon didn't turn to the voice, not wanting to get involved in anything with that person. He felt his breath hitch when he saw that there was another man headed his way. He turned again parting through a small crowd to go into a smaller street, yet again being cut off. The teenager felt panic rise in his throat; he was practically running now.

"There's no need to run away; we're just wanting to chat, doll face." The same man from before said as he continued to follow Archellevon. The teenager halted in his steps, realizing that three other men had cut him off in an alleyway. He twisted quickly, staring at the man who was still talking to him.

"J-Just leave me alone…" He tried to warn, taking a step back.

"Don't be afraid, we don't look that scary do we?" He smiled as the other gathered around varying grins plastered on their faces as well. Archellevon's eyes darted to their separated faces, feeling the brick of the store on his back.

"L-leave me alone… I-I'm not interested i-in t-talking…"

"But I am, why don't you come with us?" The apparent leader replied as he took a step closer to the teen. Archellevon shook his head.

"N-No… I'm with others… I-I already told you before!" He tried to press himself into the wall, hoping maybe he'd merge with it. Why did he have to leave?

"Shouldn't be afraid of us cutie." The man repeated as he stepped closer, a broad smile stretched across his lips. The others around him closed in as well, blocking off escape. Archellevon's grip tightened on the bag that held Mokona's gift in it, blue eyes never wavering from the man who seemed to be the leader.

"I-I'm not afraid! J-Just leave me alone!" He cried, hoping that Kurogane and Fay and the others would've paid a visit to the car already to see he wasn't there.

"Have any of us given a reason for you to not want to talk to us?" The brunette said as he continued to smile at Archellevon.

"I-I just don't want to!" The teenager replied, shaking his head very softly. Another one of the men walked forward, pointing to the bag.

"Whatcha got there, cupcake?" The white haired one lifted the bag and held it to his chest, wrapping his arms protectively around it.

"G-gifts… for my niece…" One of the other men snickered.

"Such a sweetie too to get a little girl a gift." Archellevon felt his eyes start to water, not wanting them to go anywhere else with this.

"P-please… just l-let me go now…" He whimpered weakly, begging himself to not cry in front of them.

"Aw, we've gone and upset him now, all of us should make it up to him." The group's leader said as a smile curled the corners his lips upwards. The other with him nodded and smirked as well in agreement. Archellevon looked to him in horror, shaking his head again more ardently.

"N-no!" He cried out, and in some crazed panic he pushed himself off of the wall to try to make a break for it.

"Not so fast now." Another man said as he grabbed Archellevon's arm, his grin not hiding the fact that his grip had tightened. The former angel's breath hitched in pain while he felt his limb being squeezed and as another man grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back against the wall, making him drop the bag. A tear rolled down the pale face as blue eyes looked to the group leader again.

"D-don't…"

"Now, now don't ya cry, sweetie." Both of the people holding Archellevon grinned as the brunette step forward, moving towards the teen. Archellevon feebly struggled against the tightening hold, his heart rate quickening as the man stepped forward.

"P-please…" He whispered, staring at the other. The brunette stooped down picking up the bag Archellevon had dropped.

"Don't want to get this dirty, do we, guys?" He smirked as he looked over at the other men with him. He stood the bag held loosely in his hand as he stood in front of the teen. The white haired boy looked at the bag in worry, his fists clenching slightly.

"N-no! D-don't touch that!" He cried, trying to get his hands free to grab it and run.

"I'm not going to bother it." Opening the bag he looked down at the small doll.

"This doll must be pretty important for you to react like that."

"J-Just let me go…" Archellevon begged, feeling more tears run down his face. "I-I… I j-just want t-to go…"

A wider smile found its way on the brunette's lips as he put his fingers underneath Archellevon's chin and lifted the teen's face so he could look him in the eye.

"Shouldn't have wandered off then, cutie. We're more than willing to take care of you though, so you shouldn't be crying like that." The teenager felt his heart rise into his throat, not liking the proximity of the other. He whimpered again in protest, though he knew he could most likely do nothing about it. He closed his eyes in reluctant submission, wishing that the others would at least find him eventually.

"Now that's loads better." He said as he smiled cheerfully. The others with him not holding Archellevon watched in amusement as the former angel's dread became reality.


	30. And I couldn't lose you again

**Mirika-rin:** I'm not even going to say anything about my posting. You'll get another chapter soon. AS REWARD FOR DEALING WITH ANOTHER SCHOOL YEAR. Ahem. now this chapter seemed to move really quickly, but I didn't know how to make it flow any differently, so please excuse the poorness of it. I'll try to make others flow better at least.

**Ashine-chan:** We're back with another chapter after awhile, but we have good reasons! Me and Mirika stayed with each other during the summer and we've been worrying over school. I've also started making jewelry~ so check out my DA for more info on that. Anyways, more angst, but it will get better XD;; (dA: youkohiei . deviantart . com)

**Mirika-rin: **shameless advertisement XD

* * *

Edameonus was trying to suppress his panic while they began to look, having been to the car and didn't seen the teenager. Kurogane and Fay were with him, having split up almost immediately with Toriho and the girls to search for the white haired one.

"God dammit, I knew I shouldn't have let him go alone…"

"He couldn't have gotten far." Fay said, a deep frown on his lips as he tried to think of where Archellevon could have possibly went to.

"We'll find him." He added. Edameonus walked ahead a little, trying to retrace the pathway from the car to Sorata's shop and then to the grocery.

"He wouldn't have deterred on purpose, Archy's not like that." The demon snapped unintentionally, placing a hand on his chin. Kurogane growled.

"Hey, watch your tone!"

"It's fine Kuro-tan," Fay said as he looked at his lover. "...maybe we should try looking in all the stores. Something might have caught his eye and he wandered in." The blonde suggested, his stomach unsettled as he worried about the former angel.

"No, he wouldn't have done that either." Edameonus growled, before he almost fell over himself by stopping abruptly. His red eyes widened and he bent over, picking up an item on the ground.

"Archy's glove…"

He started to look around fervently, the cloth held tightly in his hand. Fay scanned the area, thinking Archellevon couldn't have gotten too far away from his glove. Biting his lip, the Valerian was afraid of what it could mean to find the solitary glove without its owner. Kurogane clenched his fists, finding this a terrible sign and began to assume the worst.

It was then they heard a slight cry from one of the alleyways slightly away from the crowds. Kurogane and Edameonus turned their heads sharply, the demon's chest tightening as he recognized the voice.

"Archy…"

"Let's go." Fay said. Edameonus tore down the street instantly, followed closely by Kurogane. The demon looked around frantically, not hearing anymore pleas for help.

"Archy!" He shouted suddenly, making the people around him flinch and look at him. Following after, Fay jogged behind both men, not able to run at full speed in his current condition, hoping one of the others would be able to find their friend. Edameonus and Kurogane both stopped, the half blood doing so in order to wait for Fay. The Ginryan, however, felt his eyes widen again, breath being caught in his throat as his eyes landed on the person they were searching for… and the men around him… down the alleyway in front of them.

Away from them, Archellevon whimpered as the man in front of him moved his hand under the teen's shirt. The two still holding him watched intently, while the boy's jacket had slipped off his shoulders, held by the strong grips on the slender arms. The heard a very deep but booming roar come from the other side of the street, causing all of them to look over at what had caused this. Before the eyes could track him, Edameonus had run through traffic unscathed and to the alleyway, colliding his fist in the group leader's jaw with a loud snap.

"Go, I'll catch up." Fay said as he caught up, knowing things would get out of hand if there wasn't someone to stop Edameonus. Kurogane nodded and followed after Edameonus once the street was clear of cars.

Back in the alley the group's leader fell backwards onto the concrete ground, clutching his jaw. The rest of them stared briefly with wide eyes as they fell on their fallen leader. Edameonus looked maliciously to the others, his energy spiking dangerously over his disguise to show his eyes igniting.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He asked lowly, grabbing both the men on Archellevon by the throats. They released the teen, their hands going to grip the Ginryan's arms as they struggled against the hold around their necks. The other around them watched in surprise, looking between the brunette, who was still nursing his jaw, and Edameonus. The demon's eyes widened slightly and his grip tightened on their necks, nails digging in sharply.

"I cannot forgive any of you." He bellowed, watching out of the corner of his eye as Archellevon slid to the ground, holding himself tightly. Kurogane ran forward and gripped one man who tried to get away, successfully pinning him to the ground. He looked up and felt his eyes widened when the Ginryan flung the two men into the opposite wall as if tossing paper. Both crumpled to the ground, knocked out, as the brunette stood, his hand still on his jaw as he looked over at Edameonus and Kurogane. The ones left turned pale seeing that their way out had been blocked and stepped back towards the end of the alley. Edameonus turned to the brunette again, his disguise wavering again as it fell helpless to his aura.

"You fucking humans. All the same." He said lowly, stepping forward. Kurogane threw his fist into the man's face that he pinned down, knocking him out as well before standing.

"Oi, calm down a little." He commanded, though the demon didn't look at him. Recognizing Kurogane, the brunette moved his attention back to the Ginryan, his eyes wide.

"Both of you go, they just caught us off guard." He said to the two remaining. He winced in pain as he talked, spitting out blood. Edameonus watched the two men lunge at them and easily dodged with inhuman speed and refinement, his eyes never once leaving the dark haired human.

"Predictable. Conniving. Ignorant. Egotistical." He said venomously, continuing to walk to the leader. Kurogane grabbed one of the men's faces, effectively clothes lining him so he fell on his back hard. The man remaining took a swing at Kurogane as he barely missed the other falling to the ground. Kurogane grabbed the fist aimed for his head and bent it backwards, forcing the man to his knees as he made like he was going to break his wrist. Their leader stepped backwards as he saw the glint in Edameonus's eyes. The demon suddenly shot his arm out, his nails digging into the human's chest as he forced him against the wall.

"I hate you and all your kind. You don't deserve to live and make me regret trying to save your fucking planet." He hissed. Fay breathed a bit heavily as he arrived stepping just into the alley to see Kurogane bring his opponent to his knees. His eyes widened in disbelief as he saw Edameonus, knowing the other would kill the human he had pinned if he wasn't stopped. Looking to his lover he knew Kurogane probably couldn't stop him if things reached a critical point with the Ginryan. Kurogane used his metallic hand to knock the man out like he had done with the others and he looked up to Fay.

"Oi, stay back." He commanded deeply, moving to stand straight as Edameonus spilled blood with his hand. Fay nodded, not stepping any closer as he began muttering under his breath. With the binding he wouldn't be able to hold back Edameonus at full strength, but with what he had he could at least restrain the other for long enough until one of them was able to come up with something to calm the other down before he did something that would cause him trouble later on. The man clawed at the demon's wrist, pleading physically for him to stop.

"I cannot forgive you." The angered man repeated vehemently as his other hand came up to grip the side of the man's head. The demon's eyes then turned sharply to Fay, feeling the restraining magic. He growled lowly and turned his attention back on the man, knowing he couldn't kill him if Fay kept his magic on him.

"You're not worth the dirt you walk on, human. Your hide should decorate a worm's home." He whispered maliciously as his hand tightened its grip on the man's ear. Kurogane walked up and gripped Edameonus's arm.

"Oi, stop that. You don't want to do something you'd regret later." He warned. The Valerian continued to speak lowly, feeling the spell he had been weaving strengthening, his eyes watching as Kurogane tried to talk some sense into Edameonus before he killed Archellevon's attacker.

"Like fuck he doesn't deserve it." Edameonus spat back, his eyes not ripping away from the bleeding man. He tensed from the spell's force, knowing the only way he'd be able to move was away from the man he held.

"Besides, what's one human compared to this infested place? Who would miss this scum?" He hissed, his grip fisting on the man's chest, causing him to cough up more blood. Kurogane's hand tightened on the demon's arm.

"Do you really want to do this? How would the others in the stupid court react!" Finishing the spell, despite the familiar pull of his power against the tattoo on his backside, Fay's eyes lit an electric blue before he looked over at Archellevon who still sat on the ground clutching himself.

"Edameonus, we should take Archellevon home." He said, trying to keep the other from hurting the man any more. The demon jerked at hearing the name, his grip instantly retreating from the human. The group leader slid to the ground, coughing and wheezing. Kurogane removed his hand from Edameonus's arm as the Ginryan turned to look at the boy. Archellevon was staring at nothing in particular with blank eyes, tears still pouring down his face. The demon felt his heart sink into his stomach as he stepped forward. The boy backed more into the wall as Edameonus knelt in front of him. Archellevon flinched away as the dark haired man tried to touch him.

"A-Archy…" The demon said with a broken voice. Archellevon stared at Edameonus and twitched as the clean hand touched his cheek.

"It's ok… I won't hurt you…" The man said lowly. "I will never hurt you…" Archellevon's shaking form almost instantly stopped quivering as his eyes closed, a small sob escaping his lips while his expression contorted. Edameonus pulled the younger forward into an embrace, which Archellevon returned wholeheartedly while letting out some heartbreaking cries.

"Kuro-san, call Toriho and tell him we found Archy." Fay said as the spell dissipated from Edameonus, seeing it was unnecessary now. "We should leave." He added and walked over to his lover, grabbing the plastic bag holding Mokona's doll from the ground. Kurogane nodded and pulled his red phone from his pocket to get a hold of his father. Edameonus closed his eyes and placed his hand on the back of Archellevon's head as the teenager sobbed into his shoulder uncontrollably. The demon glanced over to Fay and he bowed his head.

"…I'm sorry…"

"You didn't do anything wrong." The blonde replied as he smiled reassuringly at his friend. "We should be worrying over Archy now instead of me anyways." Blue eyes looked at the teen clutching Edameonus. The other nodded and he moved his hand slowly over the smaller one's back.

"Oi, I'm going to pick you up ok?" He asked the teenager softly. The boy nodded against Edameonus, grasping the fabric of the trench coat tighter. The demon moved his arms around Archellevon, picking him up bridal style as the teenager clung to him closely. Fay's eyes fell to Kurogane, giving the other two a little privacy. He could make out the man Edameonus had lashed out at breathing heavily away from them as well as smell the blood in the air. Kurogane clicked his phone off and placed it back in his pocket.

"They'll meet us back at the cars." He turned his attention to the man and grimaced, walking over and kneeling on front of him.

"You're a disgusting asshole. Be thankful he didn't send you to rot in hell." Kurogane mumbled. A faint smile found itself on Fay's lips as he watched Kurogane.

"He should feel lucky that all of us didn't get to him either." The blonde added. Dark eyes, glazed over in pain, glared up at Kurogane, the taller man's words barely registering in his clouded mind. Kurogane closed his eyes and sighed, reaching his fist back.

"He should." He agreed, colliding his fist in the man's cheek, sending the man to the ground out cold like the rest of the men. Edameonus's hand tightened on Archellevon's knees.

"We should go."

"Yes, the sooner we get home the better." Fay said as he watched Kurogane knock out the last of the group. Stepping over one of them the blonde walked back out and onto the street, seeing that no one was around. Edameonus followed, holding his past lover close to him. Kurogane stood up and turned, placing his hands in his pockets as he trailed after them. They walked in silence to the parking lot, receiving stares but no questions from the teenager in Edameonus's arms and the demon's hand being covered by the red liquid.

It didn't take long before the cars came into view as well as the rest of their group. Toriho spotted them first, surprised at his friend's condition. Mokona gasped lightly and placed her hands over her lips when she saw Edameonus holding Archellevon. The demon looked up to Toriho in solemn silence before to his adopted daughter.

"Soel, ride with Kurogane and Fay-chan." He said lightly, knowing that the teenager wouldn't like the girl asking him questions just then. Seeing that the Ginryan was going to argue the matter with her Mokona nodded in agreement. Tsumebe watched the teen worriedly as well, opening the car door for both men. The Ginryan moved nimbly in the back seat, sitting so the teenager was still clinging to him and sitting in his lap. Kurogane watched as his mother closed Edameonus's door and went to the passenger's seat, knowing she'd help out if needed.

"Come now Mokona." Fay said softly offering his hand to the girl. Mokona gripped the pale hand, looking to Edameonus and Archellevon in concern as she was led to the car door. Smiling reassuringly at the girl Fay held the tiny hand in his own, knowing she would be asking him and Kurogane questions. The taller man looked to his father seriously, knowing he'd take care of Edameonus and Archellevon while they rode home. Toriho nodded at his son before moving towards the driver's side of his car. Kurogane followed suit with his own car, unlocking and opening the door.

Fay opened the door for Mokona, allowing the girl to get in before shutting it and stepping into the passenger side door as well. He watched as Toriho started his car up and pulled out of the parking lot first. Kurogane sighed, rubbing his fist that had knocked out the men before he too started the car up. Following Toriho out, he glanced over his shoulder to Mokona, subconsciously making sure the girl was still ok. Fay watched Kurogane, worried when he saw the other man nurse his knuckle as if in pain. As Kurogane drove his way out of town, Mokona looked out the window to try to see the car ahead of them.

"Will Archy be ok?"

"With all of us there, Archy will be fine." Fay reassured her as he turned to look at her. "Mokona shouldn't worry, everything will be okay." Kurogane listened to his lover try to bolster the transformed child, knowing that Fay would lighten the girl's spirits. Purple eyes looked to the blonde.

"…What happened?"

"Some bad people tried to scare him, but Edameonus and Kuro-san took care of them." He smiled trying to ease Mokona's worries. "Both of them were very brave." Fay said, making Kurogane smirk slightly, even as he kept his eyes on the road. Mokona nodded and clutched her dress at the knees.

"Will Archy not see the bad people anymore? They're gone now, right?"

"Yes they are." The blonde answered, stealing a glance to his lover and smiling.

"Don't worry about them, kid," Kurogane added, watching his father speed up slightly ahead of them. "If they do come back, that guy will put an end to it quicker than I ever could." He frowned, remembering the way Edameonus hadn't hesitated to spill blood, reminding him about the way he acted when Archellevon died in the ship.

"Kuro-sama's right." Fay said as he rested a hand against Kurogane's arm, knowing what the other had meant. "Mokona should smile when she sees Archy, it'll make him happy."

Mokona nodded, grinning then.

"Mokona will do that. Mokona wants to see Archy happy." She gripped her knees tightly at the thought. Kurogane looked ahead of them to see his house not far away. Nodding at the girl's determination, Fay sat back in his seat, watching the road as the approached the house.

They rode the rest of the way in silence, the driver slowing when they got to the house. He parked easily by his father's car, watching as Toriho unlocked his home so the demon, still holding Archellevon, could enter. Fay watched as Edameonus disappeared into the house while the car came to a stop. Stepping out the blonde gathered what bags there were around him before stepping outside of the car. Mokona opened her door as well as she watched her father leave. Kurogane opened the door and exited the vehicle, regarding Mokona, before sighing.

"Come on kid." He held out his hand for the child, his other hand taking the bags left over. Mokona nodded taking the larger hand as she stepped outside. Fay walked forward after shutting his door, heading towards the house. Toriho and Tsumebe stepped outside as well, matching expressions of worry on their faces. Kurogane closed the doors and locked his car before picking the bags off the ground and leading the white haired girl to the porch where his father stood with a grim expression. When Kurogane and Fay came close enough Toriho turned his vision to inside.

"He's calmed down a lot, but I don't think he's going to be over it for a while."

"We'll just have to keep him company." Fay said while Mokona clutched Kurogane's hand, a deep frown on her lips as she looked between the adults. Tsumebe smiled faintly at the girl and Kurogane; under any other condition she would've called it adorable. The woman moved into the house along with her husband, looking over to Edameonus and Archellevon on the couch. The teenager was sitting next to Edameonus his head against the demon's chest. His hands were clutching tightly around his body.

"Let's go inside then?" Fay asked Mokona, looking down at her, bags in both of his hands as he smiled. The girl nodded, allowing Kurogane to go in first as she still held his hand. Kurogane waited for Fay to enter before closing the door. He watched as his father went into the kitchen to set down the groceries in silence.

"I'll take these to the bedroom." The blonde uttered quietly to Kurogane as his lover closed the door behind them. The other man nodded and handed Fay the bag he carried. Smiling up at the taller man, Fay left towards their bedroom, silently passing the two on the couch as he did.

Edameonus rested his clean hand on the back of Archellevon's head, trying to keep the blood from getting on the former angel. Tsumebe walked out of the bathroom, a washcloth in hand as she offered it to Edameonus. The demon looked up and smiled faintly, stretching his hand out for it. The older woman returned his smile, glad she could help even if it was something simple. Archellevon's blue eyes opened and he moved his vision slowly to the woman, and then to the others in the room. Fay walked back into the living room just as soundlessly as he had left, seeing Tsumebe leave them to join her husband in the kitchen.

Across from the room, Mokona still stared, watching Edameonus and Archellevon intently. The teenager looked over to Mokona and his eyes widened slightly. The ambassador began to move his hand away from the former angel's back, but the pale hand instantly grabbed onto the taller man's jacket. Edameonus sighed and leaned forward, holding Archellevon tightly.

"It's alright; I'm not going to leave you now." Edameonus felt Archellevon's grip loosen slightly so he could retract from the teenager. The demon pulled away and used the rag to wipe his hand clean. Blue eyes looked back to Mokona and the boy frowned deeper. The girl tried to smile, but found herself sniffling. She let go of Kurogane's hand to run to the men on the couch.

"Archy! Daddy!" She cried out, running to them. Walking past them, the blonde rejoined Kurogane near the door, focusing on his lover. Said man walked halfway to Fay so they wouldn't be in the entrance, looping his arm around the blonde protectively. The Ginryan on the couch looked to the girl and smiled faintly, watching as Archellevon moved slightly away from Edameonus to wrap his arms around the child.

"M… Moko-chan… Fay-san… Kurogane-san… Ed… I'm… I'm so sorry…" Mokona returned the other's hug, burrowing her face against his shoulder.

"… I've made you all frown… I hurt and worried you all…" He placed a hand against Mokona's head. "I wasn't strong enough to protect myself…" Edameonus frowned and kept his eyes fixed on the younger. Kurogane sighed.

"It's not like you knew that was going to happen. Having the strength to protect yourself or others… sometimes you just don't have it."

"We worry because we care; it's only natural for all of us to feel that way." The blonde explained, not liking that Archellevon felt the way he did about being attacked. The boy pulled away from Mokona to see the girl was fighting off tears.

"Mokona… just wants Archy to be happy… if Archy feels sad that Mokona and others worry… then Mokona can't smile… none of us can…" The teenager's eyes widened at the words, surprised that the child would say something like that. His lips curled delicately and he leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Fay smiled at the two of them, placing his hand over the one resting against him. He was glad to see that Mokona was able to make the teen smile. Archellevon pulled away from the girl and looked to Edameonus with a serious expression.

"And…" He placed a hand on the demon's. "I made both you and Kurogane-san hurt people… I made you risk your identity…" He closed his eyes, though they opened again when he felt Edameonus's hand remove itself to be placed against the pale cheek.

"I'd rather risk everything than for you to not be safe." Mokona watched the exchange, wiping her eyes. Archellevon felt his eyes begin to water again, but he looked away.

"S-still…"

"Archy." The sharp tone made blue eyes look back to red.

"Instead of always wanting to apologize… thank them." He said, making Mokona smile.

"Mokona and the others are being thoughtful! Archy shouldn't be sorry for that." The teenager looked between the two of them and then nodded once.

"…Th… thank you…" He said before looking up with a vague smile, though his eyes were watering profusely. "Thank you for being there. Everyone." Edameonus smiled gently and moved his hand to dry the trail of tears that had tried to start back up. Toriho came in with a mug for Archellevon, knowing the boy was still uneasy since the event happened recently.

"Here, it'll help." Toriho said as he smiled at the teen. The former angel took the cup gratefully and watched as Edameonus pulled Mokona to sit in his lap. The teenager looked over to Fay and Kurogane. He could feel the need to apologize again resurface, but he willed it down with a gentle smile. Kurogane nodded to him, knowing the feeling of causing others trouble and regretting it. The teenager leaned into the taller and took a sip of the drink offered to him, watching as Toriho and Tsumebe sat down on the opposite couch. The eldest man laughed and waved to Kurogane and Fay.

"Oi you two, stop hovering in the doorway and stay a while." Kurogane growled.

"Shut up old man!" Fay chuckled before walking forward, pulling Kurogane along with him.

"I suppose we could." He said with a smile. Tsumebe laughed delicately as she watched the two move to sit down as well. Edameonus and Archellevon rested against each other, one supporting, the other accepting. It was a nice change of scene for the two of them.

~Later~

Kurogane sat in one of the many chairs in the room, seeing the family had settled after a couple hours of talking and calming the teenager down. It hadn't yet snowed, which surprised most of them, but it looked like it would any second. Mokona was humming in Edameonus's lap again, having been playing with his long strand of hair while the rest of the family talked. She suddenly exclaimed happily.

"Great Uncle Toriho! Great Aunt Tsumebe! Mokona wants her book!" Edameonus blinked in curiosity.

"Book?"

"I'd forgotten about it." Toriho said as he stood and walked towards the kitchen to retrieve one of the bags he had brought in.

"Mokona bought a lot of books?" Fay asked as he took a seat in Kurogane's lap instead of in one of the other chairs. Kurogane felt his cheeks heat slightly when Fay did so, knowing his mother was staring at him. Mokona giggled.

"Not a lot! Just the ones Mokona really, really wanted!" Archellevon leaned against Edameonus again, the demon subconsciously wrapping his arm around the lithe shoulders. Fay laughed as he looked at the girl.

"Mokona really likes to be read to." Toriho walked back into the living room, smiling at his son when he saw how the couple was sitting.

"Here's you go Mokona-chan." The older Ginryuu said as set the bag down beside Edameonus before rejoining his wife on the couch. The girl instantly started to dig through it, humming happily. Archellevon took another sip of his glass that had been refilled before leaning forward to place the cup on the table.

"What book did you want to read Moko-chan?" He asked.

"Great Uncle Toriho told Mokona it's called 'The Poems of Christmas'!" She cheered. Edameonus raised an eyebrow.

"Shouldn't you read that at Christmas time?"

"It won't hurt to hear a couple before then." Toriho said waving off Edameonus, while Mokona flipped through the book. The girl pointed to one specifically and grinned.

"Archy! Read Mokona this one! Please?" The boy smiled and looked over her shoulder, before blinking in surprise.

"M-My… Moko-chan, why this one?" He asked, looking at the picture of an angel next to the page the girl was pointing at. Toriho then chuckled, showing Fay a bag he had while Kurogane was looking away. Fay leaned forward and looked into the bag, smiling brightly when he saw several pieces of mistletoe greet him. Toriho chuckled at seeing the blonde's excitement, knowing that Kurogane wouldn't be happy about it once he found out. Ideas began forming in the blonde's head for the plants as Mokona smiled happily from the couch.

"This one because Mokona knows it'll make Archy smile!" She cheered, making Edameonus look over curiously. He blinked and then smiled.

"You sure know how to pick them, Soel." He said while rubbing her head. Kurogane grumbled to himself lowly, wanting them to just read it and get it over with. The teenager looked up to see what Fay was doing and blushed a little, wondering what exactly the Valerian planned to do with the green leaf when Fay picked it up. He looked back to the book and sighed.

"O-ok then, I guess I'll start." Mokona squealed happily and wiggled in Edameonus's lap, getting comfortable. Tsumebe laughed as she watched Toriho and Fay silently plotting. The Valerian moved back, holding the mistletoe in one hand as he sat up in his lover's lap, not wanting to stall Archellevon from starting. The teenager blushed deeper as he read.

"… God sends his lovely Angel tears to us at this time of year, They float and tumble through the air and send out Christmas cheer…" He smiled somewhat, finding it ironic to read this after what had happened earlier. Fay sat back against Kurogane as he listened, absently twirling the sprig of mistletoe between his fingers. Mokona smiled as Archellevon read, hoping it would cheer the boy up. Edameonus ran his fingers through Mokona's hair, smiling at her choice of the poem.

"…Each flake he sends is special from out of wintry skies, to paint a pretty picture to soothe our weary eyes." Archellevon continued, smiling to himself at the thought of snow. Toriho grinned, wrapping an arm around Tsumebe as they both listened to the teen read to aloud.

"They glide and twirl as if to say 'The season's just begun', And gently beckon to us to join in merry fun. Like sparkling gems, they fill the sky and quietly take up space. They seem to flow in harmony attired in angel lace." The demon next to Archellevon closed his eyes as he thought of the younger and him on Jade where angels cried gold instead of snow.

"At Christmas time when all is calm, We look to things above, For angel tears and Christmas To fill our lives with love." Archellevon continued, leaning more so against Edameonus. Kurogane watched the former couple, wondering vaguely to himself if they'd stop moping around now that they were closer.

"So if you get to feeling blue and plagued by worldly fears, Just look outside your window; God's shedding angel tears." Archellevon finished, smiling at the girl as his legs were brought up to rest on the couch next to him. Edameonus smiled as well, listening to Mokona cheer now that the story was finished.

"Did Archy like the poem?" Mokona asked as she smiled brightly up the teen. Across from them, Toriho chuckled seeing the girl's reaction. The boy smiled wider and closed his eyes happily.

"Yes, thank you Moko-chan. It was sweet that you knew which one would make me smile." He said. Tsumebe grinned and placed a hand on her husband's.

"Oh, dear, look outside. It seems the clouds finally made up their minds."

"Early snow...looks like we might have a white Christmas this year." The older man said as he followed his wife's gaze to the window seeing that snow had started to fall lazily outside. Blue eyes watched the snow drifting, it brought a smile to Fay's lips. Mokona squealed again, hopping up from Edameonus's lap to stand next to him on the couch.

"Look look! White stuff! Its angel tears, angel tears!" The girl sang excitedly. Edameonus patted her back gently.

"Oi, don't stand on the couch with your shoes." Archellevon turned to look as well, smiling to himself at the girl's cheering.

"Have to build a snowman if it snows enough." Toriho smirked thinking that the others would enjoy playing in the snow.

"It looks like there will be a lot of snow on the ground." Fay said as he looked out the window, his eyes trained on the snow.

"Eventually there will be." Tsumebe said as she leaned back into the couch. Archellevon closed the book in his lap and looked back to the others.

"W-well… what should we do now? I-I'm feeling much better now."

"Mokona wants to play in the snow, but there's not a lot of it." She pouted as she looked at the barely covered ground.

"We could start baking." Fay suggested as he sat with Kurogane, his gaze still turned towards the snow falling.

"We could do that." Archellevon replied, leaning forward to drink from his glass. Tsumebe smiled and moved to stand.

"Alright then, Fay-san, if you'd put down the mistletoe and come with me." She giggled, seeing Kurogane flinch and turn sharply to see it.

"The hell? Mistletoe? Where the fuck did you get that!"

"It's harmless Kuro-min." Fay said as he waved the small plant in front of his lover. Mokona turned to watch, remembering how Toriho had bought a bag of the stuff earlier. The girl laughed when she also recalled what it was used for. Archellevon stood as well, hesitant to leave Edameonus for even a moment. The Ginryan smiled faintly to the former angel, knowing he'd be troubled by it. Seeing as Mokona didn't move off the couch, his hand reach up, pulling her back into his lap.

"I said don't stand there twerp."

"Fay-chan's holding mistletoe up for you brat, shouldn't break tradition." Toriho said as he looked over to the couple still seated. Tsumebe laughed lightly while Mokona sat down again. Kurogane felt his face go red and he growled.

"I'm pissed at you now." He barked to his father before looking at Fay again. Edameonus chuckled at their antics while Archellevon strolled across the room, not wanting to look over to the couple.

"Tch. You're always mad at something grumpy brat." The other man rolled his eyes as he stood to join his wife.

"Kuro-san doesn't have to, it can wait until later." Fay lowered his hand and moved to stand so he could head towards the kitchen with the others.

"Don't call me a brat, old man!" Kurogane spat at his father. Edameonus chuckled and took Mokona's book to place it on the coffee table.

"Hey, Soel, wanna go help in the kitchen?" He asked the child lightly, knowing he and Kurogane would be the only two in the room if she agreed.

"Mokona will go and help!" She cheered, looking up at the man before running into the other room. Fay smiled at her enthusiasm, tossing the mistletoe on the table while the others disappeared into the kitchen. The taller man watched him go, a slight frown on his face.

"Oi." Came Edameonus's voice, making Kurogane put his attention on the opposite dark haired man. The demon frowned. "I wanna talk to you." Kurogane raised his eyebrow and studied the other man.

"What is it?"

"I've been an ass, and so have you. But after what happened to Archy, I don't think I could've stopped myself if it hadn't been for you and Fay-chan." He itched the side of his cheek awkwardly while Kurogane folded his arms.

"And?" The demon sighed and looked away.

"Well… I'm still going to pay you back for the punch you gave me earlier…" Kurogane twitched but let the other continue.

"But… thanks…" The half human blinked, looking at the other skeptically. He closed his eyes and shook his head, standing.

"You're stupid." He said simply as he walked to Edameonus.

"Didn't you listen to what Blondie and the girl said earlier?" The demon's lips curved slightly into a smile as Kurogane held out his hand. The other man clasped arms with the one standing.

"A truce then." Edameonus said, making Kurogane smirk.

"But first-" And Kurogane was hit fiercely in the jaw, the demon getting up and running to the laundry room with a cackle.

"BASTARD!"

"YOU CAN'T DO ANTHING NOW SO HA!"

"Both of them have to have constant supervision." Toriho said as he sat at the table while Tsumebe set everything out they would need. Archellevon smiled to himself as he watched the demon cackle on by. They heard Fay's and Kurogane's door slam, letting them all know the student was going to vent over his poor, defenseless homework. Fay shook his head at his lover's temperament, knowing they probably wouldn't be seeing Kurogane for awhile.

"Now then, would Tsumebe-san like to teach us the first recipe? Or should I?" The former angel asked.

"You can if you'd like." Tsumebe offered as she smiled at the teen. Archellevon blushed a little and nodded, looking at the ingredients on the table.

"A-alright then… to begin…" He took a measuring cup and looked at it. "Which cookies would you like to try? Sugar cookies? Peanut butter cookies? Or homemade Christmas cookies?"

"How about we try the Christmas ones first?" The woman suggested as she watched the boy move things about.

"Those sound interesting, besides we can make the other later as well if you'd like." Fay added. The shorter man closed his eyes with a wide grin.

"Alright then." He set aside the flour and sugar before opening up a case of eggs. "First we need a cup of sugar, a cup of butter, and a couple of eggs." The boy said as he took out two eggs. Toriho moved out of the way, sitting at the opposite end of the table to give the other more room. Taking a measuring cup, Tsumebe went about pouring the sugar while Fay watched. Mokona ran to stand right in front of Archellevon while looking at the bowl, reaching her hands up for the eggs the teenager held.

"Ne! Ne! Can Mokona hatch them?" She asked, making the other white haired one giggle.

"Yes, but you'd have to be careful not to get any shell in it."

"I don't think they'll hatch Mokona-chan." The oldest of them said as he sat back in his chair, watching the small girl. Fay chuckled as well at seeing Mokona's enthusiasm as she nodded fervently. Archellevon picked the girl up to allow her to stand in a chair before giving an egg to her.

"Here, I'll crack one to show you how, and then you can do the other, ok?" He said with a grin as Tsumebe giggled. Mokona nodded, watching Archellevon intently. The teenager grinned wider before tapping the shell against the table gently until there was a tiny crack on the side. He lifted it over the bowl and with both hands he opened the white so the yolk could drop in.

"Be delicate with the shell, don't want to crack it and get egg everywhere." Archellevon said next. Purple eyes looked determined as Mokona repeated what Archellevon had done, only getting a little of the eggs whites on her fingers as she broke the egg over the bowl. The youngest male in the room grinned and patted her head softly.

"Good. Now you can set the shell to the side. We'll take care of it later." He placed the egg on the side of the table near the wall before picking up the measuring cup.

"Now we add butter. We want to melt it so we get exactly a cup." He told the girl, moving to the counter to pull a spoon out.

"Won't be long until Mokona's able to cook by herself." Fay said as he smiled at the girl. In return the transformed creature smiled brightly as she looked up at the blonde. Tsumebe giggled and looked to Fay, glad he was encouraging the child. Archellevon smiled as well, scooping quite a bit of butter into the glass. He glanced over to the door way and blushed slightly, realizing Edameonus had decided to hover there.

"Mokona will cook all the time!" She cheered as she looked over at the dark haired man. Fay watched amused at seeing the teen's response to seeing Edameonus. The demon chuckled and folded his arms as he leaned against the frame.

"If you cook all the time I'll get fat from eating it all." Edameonus commented, making Toriho snort.

"I could see you being pudgy." The taller said as he laughed at the image. Mokona joined in the other's laughter. Edameonus glared at his friend.

"Oi, oi. Shut up. I'm sure if Fay-chan opened up a restaurant you'd not be any better." Archellevon opened the microwave and set the butter inside, humming softly to himself.

"Tch. I could eat a lot more than you and not get fat." The other Ginryan said as he crossed his arms. Tsumebe laughed light heartedly as both men bickered.

"I doubt it. Then again you'd cry over every pound of fat you'd get." The shorter one said with a sigh, watching as Archellevon waited for the butter to melt. Mokona cheered from her place on the chair.

"Mokona would cook a lot and make everyone eat it! That way no one would get fat!"

"Wanna make a bet on that?" Toriho said as he gave Edameonus a toothy grin while glaring. Fay watched both men before he turned his attention to Mokona.

"Seems like they're not paying attention anymore."

"They're most likely going to not do it anyway." Archellevon shook his head and pressed the button for the door to open, taking the margarine out. He examined it and smiled.

"Now then, would Moko-chan like to add the butter too?"

"Yes, Mokona wants to do it!" She shouted looking over at the teen. Chuckling, Fay crossed he arms as he watched the girl help. Archellevon smiled gently and moved to stand close to the girl.

"Here you are." He handed the girl the cup, but kept one hand on it as she moved to pour it in so she wouldn't drop it.

"Would Fay-san like to add ingredients too?" Archellevon asked, causing Fay to blink at the question in surprise. He smiled.

"What would you like me to do?" Mokona gently tipped the bowl over, pouring its contents in with the rest of the mixture. The teenager looked up from the bowl to smile at the other man.

"Well, we need vanilla and flour now." He placed the cup aside and picked up the vanilla.

"Though they're both different than the sugar and butter. The vanilla has to be added by a teaspoon while the flour's added when someone's mixing."

"Alright then." Fay said as he picked up a measuring cup and filled it with flour.

"Mokona can add the vanilla if she'd like and I'll mix after pouring this in." Archellevon grinned to Fay.

"Hm, I think… well… i-it'd be best if you poured it while I mixed. It's hard to tell when the dough is ready if you've never made it before…" The teenager blushed a little, not wanting to sound rude. Mokona picked up a spoon, humming a Christmas song.

"Mokona can help with something else." She said handed the spoon to the Valerian, still humming as she looked over to Edameonus and Toriho. Fay nodded, thanking her as he opened the small dark bottle of vanilla. Edameonus smiled to the girl before watching Archellevon take off his jacket, the sleeves being too long for what he was about to do. The demon's smile vanished as red eyes traced over the small figure, mind wandering back to the earlier incident and how he hadn't prevented the men from doing what they did. The boy didn't notice and set the jacket on the back of a chair. Though Toriho did notice Edameonus, smirking as he saw the other man watching the teen.

"How much do I need to pour?" Fay asked as the strong smell reached his nose, causing him to make a face.

"Just a teaspoon and a half, not that much." Archellevon replied, rolling up one sleeve of his sweater.

"After that, I'd like for you to pour the flour in as I say." He blushed a little more, feeling awkward in the leadership position.

"Okay." Nodding, the blonde did as he was told, moving quickly to pour the flour for Archellevon to start mixing. Mokona watched both men as they concentrated on the task at hand as she tried to memorize what they were doing. Archellevon's hand moved into the bowl, stirring the ingredients with his nimble hand. He watched Fay pour it in assiduously; making sure that not too little and not too much flour was added. Toriho allowed his wife to sit by him to watch as well, knowing that Archellevon would enjoy teaching them on his own. Dumping out what little remained of the flour; Fay sat the measuring cup down while Archellevon continued to stir. He grinned at seeing, Mokona paying attention to them.

"Anything else you need?" The blonde questioned. The boy turned the bowl as needed, smiling to himself as he watched the ingredients become one thing.

"Nn. More flour." He replied, pulling his hand away to show the batter sticking to his hand. Doing so created Mokona to laugh loudly, pointing to his hand.

"Sticky stick!" She cried. Fay laughed lightly and fished his cup into the open bag of flour, getting about half a cup before he began pouring it slowly into the mixture. The teenager repeated his actions, motioning for the Valerian to cease when most of the cup was poured out.

"I think that should do it." He informed as his hand continued to work. Mokona placed her hands on the edge of the table, trying to peer inside the bowl. Fay patted his hands against his sweater, leaving light smears of flour on the fabric, before he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows.

"Archy's good at cooking!" Mokona said as she watched the pale haired boy stir. Said person stopped abruptly and looked at the child with wide eyes.

"M-Moko-chan, I-I haven't even turned the stove on…" He said, embarrassed easily by the comment. Tsumebe laughed lightly as the teenager went back to stirring slowly, knowing he was being modest again.

"I would think she's right; you seem to know what you're doing well enough."

"You do know your way around a kitchen." Fay added as he tidying up the table a bit. "See it's true!" The girl shouted as she smiled up at Archellevon.

"B-but… that's only because my mother used to teach me…" The former angel countered, his cheeks going scarlet as he moved to turn the stove on with his clean hand. He checked inside to see if there were pots or pans that needed to be moved out. Edameonus rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Jeez, learn to take a complement and quit being so modest."

"For once he's right." Toriho said as he wrapped an arm around his wife.

"For once? Asshole." Edameonus growled at the doorway, glaring daggers at his friend.

"Idiot." The other man said, not wanting to yell next to Tsumebe. Mokona waved as she smiled widely.

"Archy's still good!" She sang out. Archellevon turned and smiled abashedly at them all, itching his cheek awkwardly.

"I-If you say so… I'm really n-not that good." He walked over to the table again and reached for the aluminum.

"W-well anyway. Now we wrap up this dough and put it in the freezer for a little bit and start a new batch." Fay smiled; hand on his hip as he watched Archellevon unroll the foil on the table. The teenager reached in the bag of flour and sprinkled it onto the foil delicately before he reached in the bowl. Pulling out the dough he shaped it with his hands, setting it on the silver wrap.

"What would you two like to make next?" He asked with a grin, setting the dough onto the sheet before wrapping it with skill.

"Mokona and I will be happy to make whichever we have the things for." The blonde said as the girl beside him nodded enthusiastically. The teenager lifted the wrap from the table and strolled to the fridge.

"Hmm… In that case why don't we go with sugar cookies next?" He asked with a grin, clasping his hands behind him. Edameonus smiled fondly to the teenager before exiting the room, going to the living room to set his trench coat aside.

"Sugar, sugar, sugar!" The girl shouted as she waved her arms about in excitement.

"Maybe Mokona-chan shouldn't eat too much sugar." Toriho said, chuckling lightly. Archellevon laughed airily, moving to set out the ingredients for the next batch.

"Alright then, we'll make sugar cookies with not a lot of sugar." He placed his semi-clean hand on the girl's cheek.

"It's the people who make the cookies that make them sweet, not the things in them, anyway." Mokona laughed as she smiled broadly up to the other.

"Then I'm sure they'll be sweet if Mokona's helping to make them." Added Fay as he smiled warmly at the girl. The teenager grinned to the blonde and stood straight again.

"Let's get started shall we?"

~Later~

Mokona sat, watching the oven intently as they waited for the last batch of cookies to finish. Smiling, Fay wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, feeling that it had gotten warmer in the kitchen since they had started.

"I guess I should get Kuro-min, wouldn't want him to miss out." Archellevon looked up from the sink, having decided to clean the dishes they used.

"Isn't he studying?" He asked worriedly. Edameonus, who had come in later, walked over to the boy and picked up a towel to wipe off cookie dough on the other's cheek.

"Nah, he's just pouting."

"Possibly." Fay laughed lightly at Edameonus before leaving the kitchen and heading towards the bedroom. Just as the Valerian had opened the door, he could see Kurogane closing his book, about to get off the bed. The dark haired one looked up when he entered.

"Oi."

"Kuro-sama missed making cookies with the rest of us." Fay said as he shut the door behind him and walked over to the closet to pull out a thinner shirt to wear. The other man shrugged as he stood.

"Don't like eating them, why should I enjoy making them?" He said as he took a step forward to set his books in his backpack.

"It's nice to spend time with others, and besides; I helped make them." The blonde replied while pulling his sweater over his head. Tossing it to the hamper, Fay pulled on a simple shirt, glad for the cool fabric against his skin. Red eyes watched him and the other sighed.

"Tch. That'll make them sugar filled beyond capacity." Kurogane moved a hand to his side, listening to Mokona squeal about the timer going off.

"Archellevon didn't add a lot of sugar to them." Turning to face Kurogane, Fay offered his lover a smile."He made them?" The half human walked over to the door, feeling like if they didn't exit that someone would walk in on them just because.

"Yes." Fay replied, curious as to why it would matter to Kurogane.

"So he's over what happened today?" The taller asked casually, thinking it slightly odd that the teenager would be willing to do things like cooking right after the event of today. Most people he knew would be traumatized to the point of being bedridden.

"Seems so, he's become a lot more comfortable around Edameonus too." Crossing his arms, Fay looked up at Kurogane, smiling faintly. The other looked back, a slight frown on his face.

"Hn. Guess that's not terrible news." He reached for the doorknob, knowing one of his parents was about to call him.

"Kuro-rin will have to try some of the food we made." The blonde said, knowing Kurogane wouldn't be too happy with the request. The student grumbled as he opened the door, not liking the idea of eating sweets.

"I'll do as I please, Blondie."

"Well since you didn't like the idea of the mistletoe earlier you can eat a cookie instead." Fay smiled innocently as he looked at Kurogane. The man turned to shoot a glare at his lover.

"Don't think that'll help get your way, idiot. If I don't want to eat it then I won't." Edameonus peered out the doorway to see Kurogane and cackled, making the other man feel his blood boil.

"Fine, it doesn't matter." Fay said as he stepped passed Kurogane and back towards the kitchen as he waved off his lover's words. A few thoughts came to the blonde's mind to get back at the taller man for being stubborn, causing Fai to smile. Kurogane followed him, a frown set in stone as he watched Edameonus smirk smugly on the other side of the kitchen. Archellevon retracted his hand from the pan of cookies, taking the oven mitt of before smiling to Fay and Kurogane.

"They're done."

"Mokona must be excited." The blonde replied, looking to Mokona. Said girl looked up at Fay, nodding her head in agreement, before returning her attention to Edameonus. Archellevon placed his hands on his hips and looked to the others in the room.

"W…Why don't we decorate while eating them?" He suggested, feeling his cheeks light up faintly. "We have plenty of decorations for both of the houses…"

"Sounds like a good idea." Tsumebe answered as she stood from her seat, followed soon after by Toriho.

"We can put up the minor things and then we'll have to wait for the trees to finish." He said. The former angel smiled and turned to the cabinet, reaching for a bigger plate to put the cookies on.

"I'll bring in the cookies." He announced while Edameonus picked up the girl who stretched out her arms for him.

"Don't burn yourself." The demon warned. Fay watched the exchange with a smile.

"We should get everything together then so we can get started." He said as he turned walking past Kurogane and into the living room where a few of the bags were still sitting. Toriho watched, curious, before following, knowing the Valerian would need help figuring out what went where. Kurogane trailed behind, not wanting to blonde to do anything stupid with what they had. Tsumebe smiled at the teenager and went to his side.

"I can help you." She said gently, moving to get a server from the drawer.

In the other room, Fay walked towards the coffee table, picking up the mistletoe he had tossed there earlier before putting it back in the plastic bag with the rest Toriho had bought. Turning, he grabbed another bag and set it on the couch examining its contents. Toriho looked over his shoulder, grinning to himself.

"I bought a couple of wreaths to hang wherever Fay-chan likes." He said, glancing over to Mokona as she held onto her father figure tightly, smiling to herself as she thought about the gifts they bought.

"Mokona bought something for Kurogane and Fay too!"

"Mokona's very thoughtful." The blonde smiled as he looked over at the girl before pulling out the wreaths from the bags. Toriho smirked.

"We had to go to the car a few times to drop things off." Kurogane placed his hand on his face, knowing that his father's decoration craze had now begun. Edameonus set Mokona down after the girl had started squirming, sighing to himself at the fact that the girl wouldn't make up her mind about being picked up or left standing.

"What's with that face Youou?" Toriho asked goodnaturedly while Mokona went to inspect the decorations Fay had gotten out. Kurogane shook his head and growled.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not call me that!" He barked while Archellevon and Tsumebe entered the living room, the teenager holding the tray of cookies.

"And how many times do I have to tell you to stop making faces at everything?" Toriho pointed out as he looked over to his son. "Besides it's the holidays, you should be looking forward to them." His son growled at him.

"Troublesome." He was then given a noogie by Edameonus, who cackled.

"Oh stop that you turd. No one likes a pissy person around any holiday." Kurogane grabbed Edameonus's arms and tried to pull him off.

"Bastard! Get off!"

"He's always ill tempered." Fay added, his back still partially to the others as he and Mokona looked at the decorations. The demon let go finally, seeing that Archellevon was in the room now. He went over to the teenager instinctively, who blushed but smiled at their proximity. Tsumebe grinned warmly at this before picking up a bag with gifts in it to set it aside, not wanting it to get jumbled up with the others and mistaken for decorations.

"Mokona wants to start decorating!" The man beside her grinned, his blue eyes looking over to the others.

"A few us don't really know what goes where." Archellevon placed his hands on his hips and smiled.

"Souhi-kun, Tsumebe-san, and I will help…" He watched as the girl picked up a cookie, laughing lightly as she stared at its shape.

"It looks like a star." Mokona said, seemingly surprised that the treat had maintained its shape. Archellevon smiled brightly to her and placed a hand on her head affectionately.

"Yes, my mother always said that when you eat a star shaped cookie you can feel its warmth." The teenager pointed to a heart shaped one.

"And that when you eat one of these you can feel its love." Kurogane suppressed the urge to shoot down what Archellevon was saying, feeling his gag reflex about to go off. Watching the two, the blonde smiled before shooting his lover a slight glare when he saw the other's expression.

"And most of us helped make them, so they're extra special." Fay added as well while Mokona looked between them with wide eyes. Edameonus smiled widely before he bent to pick up a heart shaped cookie.

"Is that so? Maybe I can feel a little of Archy's love then." He bit into the cookie, instantly making the teenager's expression explode with embarrassment.

"E-E-Ed!" Kurogane had to turn away, nauseated. Toriho snorted with barely contained laughter as Fay blushed, he gaze still on Kurogane as the Ginryan's words registered with him. Mokona giggled and waved her arms.

"It's love! It's love!" The cheering only made Archellevon's face go redder. Tsumebe smiled and picked up a cookie as well, nibbling on it delicately. Fay looked away from Kurogane before moving his gaze to Mokona and smiling.

"Mokona's forgetting about the decorations." He told her, hoping to at least save the teen from anymore embarrassment. Toriho appeared behind Edameonus and pinched the demon's cheeks.

"Aw, you and your cute nonsense." The Ginryan growled and reached behind him, trying to grab Toriho. Archellevon turned his attention to the girl, trying to will away the shades of red on his face.

"N-now, where were we?"

"Mokona wants to decorate!" Sighing as he watched Toriho pick on the other Ginryan, Fay turned his attention to Archellevon, ignoring Kurogane in the process. Archellevon picked up a cookie himself, placing it halfway in his mouth before he knelt in front of a bag with garland. He picked it up and set it on the coffee table before repeating the process with other ornaments. Kurogane folded his arms and sighed, knowing his house would be decorated more so than he'd enjoy. Mokona grabbed a piece of garland as well, wanting to help, but not knowing what to do. Tsumebe smiled as she moved about as well, stepping past her husband who was trying to get Edameonus into a headlock. The teenager stood up and pulled the half of the cookie he hadn't chewed on away from his mouth, looking about the room.

"We can put this around the door and windows. A-and maybe set some on the tables…" Mokona tried to pull the paper off around the garland, wanting to stretch it out to its full length. Fay grabbed a piece as well and moved towards the windows, idly tearing the paper from the garland. Unfolding it, the blonde went about setting things up as Mokona did the same with Archellevon's help.

~Later~

Archellevon turned on the ladder, smiling down to Edameonus who was holding the steps in place.

"You ok?" He asked the boy as the white haired teenager connected the last plug.

"Yep! Now we just need to plug it in the side of the house and it'll light up!" The former angel announced, shivering lightly at the temperature. Fay stood outside, several yards away from the couple, along with Toriho and a bundled Mokona who danced around them excitedly. Archellevon turned again to look at the other people outside. He waved to them gently before he began to make his way down the ladder. Unfortunately, the constant fall of snow had landed on the rungs of the metal, causing the teenager to slip and stumble backwards. Edameonus's eyes widened, but the younger one fell right into his arms with a small grunt.

Even from where they stood, the others could see the blush clearly on the former angel's face as he landed in Edameonus's arms. Toriho rolled his eyes and smirked at his friends, while Mokona continued to move around. Edameonus set the other down with his own flush of the cheeks. Archellevon looked at him quizzically, his hands subconsciously settling against Edameonus's shoulders when the other didn't relinquish his hold.

"E-Ed?"

"Do you remember how to dance?" The demon muttered, glancing up to his daughter playing in the light but surprisingly thick snow on the ground. Blushing at the words, Fay turned to look away from the two as did Toriho who was surprised by Edameonus's sudden boldness.

"Dance, dance!" Mokona said, her breath visible in the cool air.

"D-dance?" Archellevon asked, his entire face going scarlet then.

"Yeah, dance." He blinked when he remembered Archellevon knew it was him that he had forgotten, but that he didn't remember the times they danced in royal balls.

"You always danced the best in the High Court. And I'm not saying that because of the way I know you either." Toriho grabbed Mokona as she made to pass him.

"Maybe the three of us should go inside to warm up?" He suggested, wanting to give the other two some privacy. Mokona whined and struggled.

"B-But Mokona wants to dance with Daddy and Mommy! Uh… Archy!" She complained, pouting when the grip around her was too strong.

"They'll be sad if you catch a cold, and besides you can always dance with them later." Toriho said as Fay walked up to the porch. Mokona relented and stuck with a pout as she watched Archellevon charily take Edameonus's hand so the demon could lead. As they entered, Kurogane looked up from talking with his mother, a cookie hanging out of his mouth after the woman had talked him into eating one. Fay took his shoes off, not wanting to pack snow in before looking up to see his lover eating. He stared for a moment, surprised, before he walked towards Kurogane. Toriho shut the door behind them, setting Mokona down, taking the small girl's shoes off as well. Tsumebe looked to her husband.

"Ah? Where are Archellevon and Edameonus? Are they done with the lights outside?" Kurogane raised an eyebrow at Fay's expression, pulling the treat away from his mouth.

"They still outside... working on it." He said sheepishly, while Mokona pulled her coat off. Fay gave his lover a cheerful smile as he grabbed a plastic bag from the couch.

"Would Kuro-san like to see what Toriho bought today?" The blonde offered, opening the bag to reveal the large amount of mistletoe. "I wonder where I can put it all..." Fay trailed off, still smiling.

"I'll be damned if you put that anywhere in my house!" Kurogane spat, glaring at the plants before looking to his dad. "Yeah, I'm definitely pissed at you now." Toriho gave him a surprised look, placing a hand on his chest as he feint innocence.

"Me? Why ever would you be angry at me?"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB, OLD MAN!"

"First, you already said I could and second you shouldn't treat me like a child." Fay said as he stared down at Kurogane. Toriho watched the exchange, curious as to what his son had done. Kurogane glared up to his lover before growling in submission, taking his anger out on the unknowing cookie still left over. Tsumebe smiled knowingly, standing to go to Mokona.

"Would Mokona-chan like to take a bath to warm up? It must be pretty cold with melting snow on you." She asked. Nodding, Mokona tossed her coat on the couch before taking Tsumebe's hands as the older woman led her to the bathroom. Fay sighed and sat next to Kurogane, averting his eyes while Toriho busied himself with cleaning up. The half breed chanced a glance at his lover, sensing that the other wasn't happy because of him. He looked to his father, who had his back turned, before picking up a piece of mistletoe from the bag. He held it above Fay before bringing their lips together without warning. Surprised, it took a few moments before Fay returned the kiss, his hand loosely held on to the plastic bag as his other hand rose to rest against his lover's cheek. Kurogane's hand lowered that held the mistletoe, leaning slightly into the touch of the hand on his face. He felt his face redden as he pulled away a few inches.

"Happy now?"

"A little." Fay said as he smiled up at Kurogane while he thought about his lover's sweet gesture to make him feel better.

"What's up?" The taller man asked, knowing now that the blonde was upset over something more. "You've been acting off." Toriho giggled childishly from the other side of the room, knowing that neither one of the other men had seen him staring at them.

"Tired...it's been a long day." Fay shook his head slightly before smiling once more up at Kurogane. The dark haired man gave him a bland look, not convinced in the slightest. He sighed and leaned back into the couch. This wasn't the first time he had to ask what was wrong with Fay.

"…That nightmare… you're not still thinking about it are you?"

"It's hard not to." The blonde answered softly as he looked down at nothing in particular. Kurogane grimaced; he knew it. Said man leaned over and looped his arm around his lover, closing his eyes. Toriho turned to them, curious and concerned at the same time by the sudden change in atmosphere. Closing his eyes, Fay sighed as he rested against Kurogane, enjoying the other's embrace. Even if it had been over a week, the blonde still thought back to his nightmare from time to time.

"You should forget about that." Kurogane muttered, finding himself staring into the side of the couch. "Didn't I say that wouldn't ever happen?"

"It's not easy to forget." The other man replied letting the bag he held slide to the floor so he wrapped his arm around Kurogane instead. The taller man bit back the urge to yell at Fay for even considering that his nightmare would become reality. The fact that the blonde even had the nightmare hurt enough.

"It'll take more than just a week for me to try and forget." The blond added. He could feel Kurogane tense beside him as they talked about the dream he'd had, knowing it was difficult for both of them.

"You know it'll never happen, why hang onto it?" Kurogane asked as he pulled slightly away to look at Fay. Toriho propped his head up on his palm as he watched the two men from the kitchen, amused and confused at the same time.

"I don't know...I don't want to." The Valerian said and then looked up at Kurogane. There was no reason why he would willingly keep images like the ones he had dreamt of. The taller man studied the blonde face, inwardly disgusted with the delicately distraught expression. He moved his hand to brush blonde bangs out of his face so he could look into blue eyes clearly.

"Subconsciously, it's fear isn't it? That because we haven't known each other for a long time I'll regret doing what I've done? That I'll say those things I said in your dream?"

"…Mostly." Fay replied, seeing that Kurogane was as perceptive as ever, at least when it came to him. He admitted to himself that it was still difficult to erase images of his family being killed in front of him, even if it had been a bad dream. Kurogane shook his head, not sure what to do in order to make Fay forget those things. He removed his hand from Fay's cheek, laying it haphazardly on his own leg. He held back the want to say it aloud, but he knew now that the Valerian had carried his cautiousness for others along with him to Earth; he didn't trust Kurogane.

"You're mad at me?" He asked as Kurogane's hand left him. The half breed shook his head again almost instantly, definitely not wanting the other to take it that way. He leaned forward and brought their lips together again, thinking of only that to help reassure the other. Fay kissed back, not knowing what Kurogane was thinking but at least glad the other man wasn't angry at him. The student pulled away again, looking tenderly into blue eyes. He wasn't sure how much assurance he'd have to give Fay before the blonde would stop thinking about it, but he wanted something to happen to make sure it would be cast from the other's mind once and for all.

"I'm still going to set up all that mistletoe Kuro-san." Fay smiled amused as he looked at his lover, having decided to change the topic. Kurogane gave him an irritated grin, placing a hand on blonde locks.

"Of course you would, asshole." He said playfully, cursing and thanking his father mentally.

"Kuro-min's also going to eat more cookies to make up for being a hypocrite about it earlier." The blonde added as he smirked.

"The hell? The only reason I ate one damn cookie was because mom asked me to!" Kurogane snapped, a faint blush on his cheeks as he realized Toriho was grinning widely in the kitchen at them.

"I asked too." Fay said as he poked Kurogane's chest. "Besides, you should be supportive."

"Supportive? Of who?" Kurogane growled as he grabbed Fay's hand. The other man chuckled and took a sip of the drink he had gotten while watching and listening.

"Me, I helped after all." He pouted halfheartedly as Kurogane held his hand.

"I told you I'll do as I please; if I want more I'll eat more." The taller man replied, pointing to the bag. "Are you going to hang those up or not? You should do it before I change my mind."

"I might let it be a surprise for Kuro-san." He replied teasingly as Fay smiled at Kurogane. The other man was about to retaliate but was cut off by the front door opening rather loudly. Edameonus walked in with Archellevon in his arms, showing that he had kicked the door open. The demon sighed and looked at the others on the couch.

"Passed out again."

"What happened?" Fay asked as he turned his attention to Edameonus, his eyes scanning over the now asleep teen. The dark haired man maneuvered his foot to close the door a little more gently before walking over to the other couch to lay the younger down.

"We were dancing in the snow… he tried to remember the times we shared at the royal gatherings when I told him not to, and it strained him." He moved a beige hand to wipe melting snow off of the smooth face. Smiling, Fay watched the gentle gesture.

"He'll probably sleep until tomorrow." He looked Archellevon, seeing that the teen was deeply asleep. Edameonus didn't comment, standing up straight. He went over to the side of the couch and pulled the blanket up that had been folded there. Mokona came out of the bathroom, dressed and ready for sleep, when she looked over to the others and gasped.

"Archy!" Tsumebe watched the girl, before she noticed her husband sitting in the kitchen.

"He's just asleep Mokona." Fay said, not wanting Soel to worry over nothing too serious. The demon knelt next to the couch and smiled gently to the child while outstretching his arm for her. He was thankful the late angel had just passed out, not knowing what he'd do if the other had been hurt. Kurogane watched idly, noticing Archellevon was completely peaceful despite any worry he'd caused Edameonus. The Ginryan sat with his legs crossed so the girl could sit in his lap.

"Oi, it's late, Souhi. Shouldn't you be going home?" He asked out of slight aggravation when he heard Toriho's laugher in the other room. Kurogane grinned at this, knowing the car worked now.

"Yeah, yeah." Toriho shouted from the kitchen, before the sound of him standing could be heard. "We might be back tomorrow, but now that Fay-chan has all that mistletoe I might not want to." Laughing, Tsumebe was the first to walk out of the kitchen.

"We still have cakes to bake." She added. Mokona cheered happily, though quietly, next to the sleeping one.

"When Archy gets up, Mokona will definitely tell him!" She announced in an overly hushed voice excitedly. Edameonus placed a hand on her head as he leaned back against the couch. Kurogane looked to see his mother collect the few photo albums she had brought.

"We'll watch the videos next time." She said, making her son grimace.

"I look forward to it." Fay said as he chuckled at the thought while Edameonus snorted. "Will we get to see baby Kurogane again?" Mokona asked as she looked up at Kurogane's parents. Tsumebe smiled and nodded, ignoring Kurogane groan into his hand.

"Why didn't I burn those?" He muttered to himself, causing Edameonus to cackle before he stood, sitting Mokona in a chair.

"I have to have a word with Souhi. You get ready for sleep." He told her with a smile.

"Because you know better than to do something like that." Toriho said as he stood beside his wife.

"Kuro-chan will be cute." The Valerian added as he looked up at Kurogane. Said man glared at him, threatening things beyond what his vocabulary could say. Edameonus chuckled and went over to the fellow Ginryan.

"I'll escort you two out." Mokona waved enthusiastically to them.

"Bye Uncle, bye Auntie! Come over soon ok?"

"Goodnight Mokona-chan." The couple waved as they said their goodbyes, Toriho making sure to grab the bag of gifts he had brought in earlier as they left. The one who planned to stay closed the door after the words of departure were said. Toriho recognized the grim silence that befell over Edameonus and he turned to his wife with a grin.

"Honey, would you please turn the car on to warm it up?" he asked, giving her the keys. She nodded in understanding before walking off the porch and towards the car. Toriho watched her briefly before looking back at Edameonus.

"Something's happened." The demon said solemnly, glancing with a frown through the window to the sleeping form on the other side of the room.

"What's wrong?" In front of them they could hear the car engine start as he watched his friend.

"Archy's figured out it's me he's not remembering." Edameonus replied, folding his arms as his vision went back to his friend. "He knows that I loved him… that I do love him… so he's trying to strain himself even more to remember me so that I'm not hurt anymore by his actions." He looked away again. "He also said something… before he passed out."

"W-what was that?" He said with a shaky breath, shocked at the news. Toriho was unable to wrap his mind around Archellevon knowing and acting the way he had after today. Edameonus placed a hand over his eyes, becoming angry and frustrated at the thought of what had happened earlier that day.

"H-he said…" He paused, recollecting himself before continuing. "He said that what the men did..." The Ginryan ran his hand down his face. "made him regret coming here even more, though afterwards when Kurogane and I had found him he changed his mind."

"I don't think he'd be able to go back...but isn't it a good thing that he changed his mind?" Toriho asked still unsettled by the revelation. Edameonus laughed shakily scuffling his feet against the ground and snow.

"Yeah, it is." The smile slipped from his face. "Except… he said the man had stolen his first kiss." The demon rubbed the back of his head. "I… I tried to kiss him, just on the forehead, but he back away from even that. Scared. But he wasn't afraid of me holding his hand or arm like the men did…"

"You can't just try and kiss him the same day he was attacked." Toriho sighed, running a hand through his hair as he thought.

"Give it some time, then try again, you can at least tell he's more comfortable around you." He added. Edameonus sighed irritably at the other's advice, glancing back into the window. He felt a ping of guilt burble in his chest.

"Yeah…I'm an idiot… not like he's the asshole Archy we knew anymore. The one who would tell you when something was wrong…" He commented, closing his eyes. "You should go now; Tsumebe-chan might start to worry."

"Things will change for the better Ed." Toriho patted his friend's shoulder before he walked off the porch. "And you know by now, he's different, so you'll have to approach him in a different way." Edameonus watched his friend go bitterly, waving curtly to Tsumebe as she smiled at him when the Ginryan entered the car.

"Things will change… that's what you always said, isn't it? Look how they've changed now." Edameonus said to himself. A slight grin crept on his face before he turned to enter the house. As he walked back in he could see Fay still on the couch smiling as usual.

"Since Kuro-min has school tomorrow, I'll have plenty of time to put up all of this." The blonde had the plastic bag of mistletoe on his lap as he chuckled. The other man turned sharply, having stood to go to the bedroom.

"What? You're not pulling _all_ of it up are you?" He asked, making the Ginryan roll his eyes.

"It'll be a surprise." The slender man said as he chuckled at the thought. "Kuro-min will just have to see when he comes back home." The taller man sighed angrily, shoving his hands in his pockets as he stormed out of the room to go into the bedroom. Edameonus smiled as Fay chuckled at this, the demon going to the table to remove the cookies.

"Fay-chan should go to bed too. If you want to get up before Kurogane comes home you'll have to be up early." He said. Standing Fay watched amused as stalked into their bedroom.

"Goodnight then." He waved before following after his lover.

"Goodnight." Edameonus replied, smiling faintly before going to the kitchen to place the cookies in the fridge. He came back out and looked over to Mokona, seeing as the girl had cuddled up with her blanket. He smiled a little wider as he turned his attention to Archellevon, sitting next to the boy. He watched him breathe evenly before bending over to place a kiss on the pale forehead, a soft apology.

Stepping inside the bedroom, Fay dropped the bag next to the bed before moving to the closet.

"Tomorrow will be fun." Kurogane removed his shirt with a grunt.

"And you say this because?"

"Kuro-kun will be surprised when he comes home." Unbuckling his pants, Fay slid them off his long legs as he talked, searching the closet for a pair of shorts. The other man sighed again and pulled on a short sleeve shirt, breaking his habit of sleeping half naked due to weather conditions.

"And that's going to be fun?" Finding a small pair of shorts, Fay slipped them on, before changing shirts. He turned and looked over at Kurogane.

"Because, not all of the mistletoe will be hanging up, it'll be fun to see Kuro-chu's expression when he finds some of them." The tanned one gave him a skeptical look, going to the doorway to turn off the light.

"The hell? You're freakin weird, Blondie." He muttered, his mind thinking of unusual places to place a plant.

"That's not very nice of you to say." Fay said as he moved the cover down and crawled into bed. Kurogane flicked the light off and grumbled to himself, moseying over to stand by the bed. He had a déjà vu of when they first met by standing next to the alien before he slipped into the bed as well. Fay grinned as he scooted over to allow his lover to move into bed with him. He smiled to himself as he thought about tomorrow. The half human got comfortable next to his companion, the lamp not being turned on like the nights before. He wrapped his arms around the lithe body, his hand subconsciously going to the blonde's somewhat showing stomach.

"Only about two months left." Fay said with a soft grin. Long fingers moved to rest overtop Kurogane's hand. Fay sighed as he relaxed against his lover, enjoying their embrace. The other man grinned unintentionally, closing his eyes for sleep.

"Hn… stupid wait…"

"It's not too long now." Blue eyes slowly closed, knowing that their child would be born soon. Kurogane continued to smirk, his mind languidly thinking about what their son would look like as he drifted off into slumber.


	31. This time I'll try harder

**Mirika-rin: **woo~ edited this chapter and the next XD I'm on a roll, let's see how long this lasts~! please enjoy~ **  
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**Ashine-chan:** =w= starting to get slightly more fluffy before we hit another wave of angst XD but at least the angst doesn't too long if I remember correctly.

* * *

Fay was awoken when he vaguely heard Kurogane's alarm turn on. The dark haired man's grip then removed itself from the smaller man, letting the blonde know Kurogane was getting up for school. A small noise left the blonde's throat as he stirred, blinking awake slowly, his eyes then searching for Kurogane. The man was pulling on a thicker shirt by the closet, getting ready soundlessly. He turned to look at Fay and frowned when he realized the Valerian was awake.

"...Kuro-san?" Fay mumbled, looking up at Kurogane with half lidded eyes, still clouded over with sleep. The dark haired man moved to the bed, bending over to plant a gentle kiss on the pale lips.

"Go back to sleep, idiot." He commanded deeply, his hand sifting though blonde locks. He smiled warmly at the kiss as he continued to look up at Kurogane.

"Kuro-daddy's always so demanding."

"Hey, if you want to overexert yourself, it's your own fault." Kurogane chided lightly, bringing his lips back to the others. "I'm staying a little later today. Teacher wants me to stay after to teach another class for him." Fay brought a hand to his lover's jaw at the second kiss.

"Sounds important." His mind was still fuzzy from sleep as the blonde listened.

"Hn. Not really." The other replied, unable to bring himself away from the blonde as he continued to plant kisses on the lips between their conversation.

"Just telling idiots how to set up an engine right."

"Still sounds important." Fay tilted his head upwards to contribute to them sleepily.

"Think what you want." Kurogane replied, placing his hand on the other side of Fay so he wouldn't lose his balance.

"Kuro-sensei must be a good student," He paused as he brought his lips to Kurogane's again. "if his teacher wants him to teach instead." A faint smile curled the edges of the blonde's lips upward. Kurogane raised an eyebrow at the nickname.

"Do you even listen to what you say half the time?" He asked, though he couldn't help but grin as well. He brought their lips together again, longer than before. He pulled away then, stroking the pale cheek fondly.

"You're going to make me late." He said, turning and waving.

"Kuro-wankoro's the one who woke me up." Fay said a little louder. Said man turned in the doorway to look at the blonde.

"I could let you sleep or I could skip out another day and fail this class." Waving at his lover, Fay continued to smile.

"We wouldn't want Kuro-kun to fail. Besides if you stay I won't be able to hide some of the mistletoe." The blonde said. Kurogane rolled his eyes and exited the room, and the Valerian could hear him go into the kitchen for a simple breakfast. Fay turned onto his side, burying his face in Kurogane's pillow as he slowly felt himself doze off once more, a small smile on his lips as sounds from the kitchen began to lull him to sleep.

~Later~

The melodic voice singing a foreign song awoke Fay from his slumber next, the smooth notes seeming to be unnatural from the tone of the voice it came from. Looking out the window, Fay could tell he'd been asleep for a few hours after Kurogane had left. Deciding it best to wake up, the blonde moved the cover's off him, before slipping out of bed. Walking slowly, Fay ventured out of the bedroom and into the living room.

It was there the voice became clearer, the owner sitting up on the couch as the girl in his lap stared in awe up at him. Archellevon looked up to Fay and blushed, stopping abruptly.

"G-good morning, Fay-san…"

"Good morning." He smiled at both of them as he moved to sit on the couch, he arm resting against his stomach as he leaned back in his seat. Edameonus popped his head out of the kitchen, pouting to Archellevon.

"Why did you stop singing?" He whined, making the teenager blush more. Mokona clapped happily.

"Archy's good at singing too!" She looked to Fay with excited purple eyes. "Can Fay sing too?"

"A little, though not as well as Archy." He smiled over to the girl, slowly waking up more as the moments passed. The teenager waved his hands in front of him.

"P-please Fay-san, I'm really not that good." He stroked the girl's hair. "The people on the radio do much better."

"You have a talent for it." Fay said with a grin. The other looked to the ground, a delicate frown on his face.

"I-I used to sing a lot… the other me… I remembered last night that Angels use their voices for magic." He closed his eyes and smiled faintly. Edameonus laughed and moved to stand in the doorway.

"Ironic that Fay-chan would come out when you sang."

"I fell back asleep after Kuro-san left." Fay said as he looked over at the teen.

"Archy's singing is pretty." Soel added, as she looked up at Archellevon.

"Moko-chan…" The teenager continued to blush at the child, though he turned his attention to Fay.

"I'm sorry I woke you if you wanted to sleep more, but I'm sure Kurogane-san would've liked that you slept a little longer… s-since you most likely need it more than any of us, th-that is…"

"There's no reason to worry, the baby's not been as draining lately." Fay explained, waving off the other's worry. Archellevon shook his head.

"Even so, I-I know somewhat how it feels to have a child, though not with this body…" The boy smiled sadly and stroked the girl's hair idly. "It's probably tiring, even with someone's support." Edameonus frowned deeply by the couch, looking to Fay before straining a smile.

"I've made breakfast. Would you three like some?"

"Mokona will eat." She said as she leaned into the touch.

"I'm not nearly as tired as I used to be at the beginning. I think it's because he's getting closer to being born." Fay said as he stood, putting a hand lightly on his slightly protruding stomach. "Perhaps after breakfast, we can start putting up mistletoe?" The blonde smiled deviously at the thought. The demon nodded with a more heartfelt grin.

"That's a good idea, Fay-chan." He replied, beginning to unbraid the long strand of hair that had been put out of the way for cooking.

"Archy, would you mind helping me serve out the dishes?" He asked the teenager, who blushed a little but nodded, moving Mokona to sit on the couch.

"Mokona will hang up mistletoe." The girl said as she giggled at the thought. "Fay will give Kurogane lots of kisses!" Mokona added cheerfully, while Fay blushed lightly and nodded. Archellevon folded his arms over the other and smiled to the girl fondly before moving to go to the kitchen.

"You know under mistletoe it's not just the adults that kiss." He bent over and rubbed noses with the child maternally. "If we get caught under one I'll give Mokona-chan a kiss too."

"Yes, Mokona will have to watch who she walks under the mistletoe with." Fay said as he watched the girl blush and laugh at Archellevon. The teenager then stood straight and went to help his past lover, blushing at the thought of being alone with the elder man though content with the idea. Mokona looked to Fay and grinned widely.

"If Mokona and Fay get caught under one, Mokona wants a kiss right here!" She poked her cheek happily.

"We'll have to make sure Kuro-chan doesn't get jealous." The blonde said as he smiled down at Mokona.

"Jealous?" The creature asked, getting on her hands and knees on the cushion so she could crawl off the couch.

"Kuro-tan will see me kissing a cute girl and get jealous because I didn't give him one instead." Fay said offering his hand to Mokona so they could head towards the kitchen with the others. The girl took it once off the couch and smiled up to Fay.

"Teehee! Mokona will laugh then!" Archellevon looked up from setting the table.

"What will you laugh at, sweetie?"

"Kurogane will be jealous to see Fay kiss Mokona!" Laughter erupted from the girl's lips once more as she thought about it as Fay shook his head at her antics.

"That's not very nice." Archellevon said halfheartedly, though he knew the girl had innocent intentions. Edameonus chuckled and walked over to place a hand on the teenager's back.

"Go ahead and sit." He muttered, the pale face lighting up at the touch.

"O-ok… M-Mokona-chan, do you want to sit on Ed's lap or mine?"

"Mokona will sit with Ed." She said still thinking about the mistletoe. Fay chuckled before taking a seat, watching as Archellevon's face heated. The teenager sat and smiled to the girl, allowing Edameonus to pick the girl up and set her in his lap.

"Want milk or juice?" He asked as he reached for her cup, the white haired one beginning to cut the meat set on his plate.

"Juice." Mokona said, smiling as she watched her glass being filled. Fay observed idly, thinking the three of them seemed to be in their own little world. Archellevon placed his fork in his mouth and instantly placed a hand over his lips. Edameonus looked over curious.

"What's wrong? Not good?" His frown dissipated when he saw the teenager smile weakly behind his hand.

"N-no, it's delicious… just hot… r-right Fay-san?"

"Yes." Fay said as Mokona brought up a piece of her own breakfast to her lips seeing steam rising from it.

"Hot, hot!" Mokona giggled after she swallowed, taking a drink from her almost too big glass with the help of her father figure.

"Hungry, Soel?" He asked with a chuckle, watching the child move from her cup to the food eagerly.

"All children eat a lot." Fay pointed out at seeing Mokona eat. "Though if she's not careful she'll upset her stomach."

Edameonus nodded with a grin as he ruffled her hair. "Yeah, I know. You're not an endless pit anymore since you've changed into a girl, Soel." He teased, taking a bite of his own food.

"We'll be making some cakes and things with Tsumebe later today I think." The blonde said, causing the girl to stop and smile, excited about the prospect of helping again.

"Oh yes." Archellevon added after swallowing. "I would like to learn how she makes cakes… Souhi-kun did mention she was a good cook…"

"We could also try some of the recipes Sorata gave me the other day; his wife makes a lot of the desserts for his shop." Fay said, realizing he had yet to try them. Edameonus looked up from his supposed child an eyebrow.

"From that guy? Kurogane won't be happy when you do." He said with a grin, listening to Mokona laugh.

"Kuro-san was with me when Sorata gave them to me, besides he's eating some of the desserts there before." He answered; smiling as he thought about how Kurogane had balked at having eating the sweets Fay had offered him.

"Is he always so animate about not eating sweets?" Edameonus asked as he wiped away some grease from his fingers. Archellevon smiled warmly to himself, thinking about how Edameonus had told him Kurogane had at least tried his cookies.

"It varies." Fay said, giggling to himself.

"Maybe he really likes sweets but doesn't want to admit it." The demon suggested with a smug smirk. "Honestly, he shouldn't worry about such trivial things. I love food that Archy makes and I'm not afraid to admit it." He grinned widely, despite the embarrassed/surprised look from the teenager.

"Kuro-min doesn't like to admit things very often." At the Ginryan's words, Fay smiled, glad to see that his friend seemed to be in lighter spirits. Archellevon looked to the ground with a faint smile, not saying anything as Edameonus laughed at Fay's statement.

"Good thing he didn't wait long to admit his feelings for you. Otherwise we all wouldn't be here as soon as we have been."

"It only took a few days, and even then I was the one to say I liked him first." The blonde explained smiling at the memory and how afraid he had been of being rejected. The demon smiled to himself stupidly, thinking back to his own relationship when it first started.

"Bet that was awkward." He placed his elbow on the table, closing his eyes in thought. Archellevon looked at him curiously, wondering why the Ginryan was acting so blissful.

"I-If it hadn't been for Fay, I'd most likely still be on Edonis…" He added. Fay blushed remembering that it had been both his and Kurogane's fault for being taken to Edonis in the first place.

"It was very...odd to say the least, but only for a short time." He said sheepishly. Archellevon looked timidly to Edameonus.

"How did it stop being awkward?" He asked the blonde. Mokona almost spilled her drink, but the dark haired man caught it easily, almost without looking, as if he had expected it to happen just then.

"We didn't know much at all about each other, but after Kuro-san said he felt the same we just acted the same only with slight differences. It was a bit strained, but we managed." Fay smiled as he remembered the blushes between both of them. "Though Kuro-tan didn't give me much time to feel to awkward about us being together." Fay said as an after thought. Archellevon's eyes widened at the comment and he looked skeptically at the other.

"W-what do you mean?" He asked. Edameonus set down his food and looked at the blonde imperturbably; ready to cover the girl's ears if anything too adult was said. Fay blushed as he smiled sheepishly, seeing Mokona pout at having her ears covered.

"Kuro-tan and I only knew each other a few days before starting a relationship and he's persuasive..." Blue eyes turned away from the others, embarrassed. "After about a week, I was pregnant."

Edameonus whistled with raised eyebrows. "When put like that it kind of sounds bad. Even if I knew beforehand from reading the files, Kurogane certainly has Ginryan in him." The demon removed his hands from the girl's head, petting her scalp instead. Archellevon looked at him curiously.

"Files? What files? I didn't think anyone outside the Court was allowed to read the files."

"It wasn't so bad even if it was quick." Fay stated, even if furthering their relationship had caught the court's attention even more so. "Edameonus had to examine me after we arrived, so it wouldn't surprise me that he was given papers on us." He said to Archellevon, not knowing if Edameonus wanted his position to be known. The demon flinched, not realizing he'd said so much. He smiled faintly to the teenager, knowing that if he gave the other knowledge of his position the former angel would assume he'd have contact with the court. Archellevon looked curiously to the dark haired man.

"Examined? Court members do that…"

"Well you see, I'm… I'm given special privileges…"

"The healers that were originally going to weren't allowed to anymore." Fay added, knowing that it was at least partially true. Mokona continued to eat; glad she could once again hear the adults talking. Archellevon's frown deepened slightly but he didn't question them, continuing to eat. Edameonus sighed inwardly, looking to Fay for a moment. He bit the inside of his lip as he thought about talking to the other about his position.

"Soel, you almost finished?" He asked the child, not taking his eyes off the Valerian.

"Almost." She said before taking another bite. Fay watched, meeting Edameonus's gaze briefly, having an idea about what the other was thinking. The demon looked away then and chugged his orange juice, finishing off his meal. Archellevon bit down on his fork again awkwardly, the air becoming slightly stifling after Mokona had spoken. Fay stood and took his plate to the sink, setting it down before returning to his seat. He watched idly while Mokona finished her breakfast. The teenager swallowed and looked at the demon before opening his mouth again.

"I-If I may ask… why… do you have special privileges?" He watched as red eyes fell on him and he could sense a lie being formed.

"…Because… I…"

"Mokona's finished." She laughed as she held up her empty plate.

"You do have a big appetite Mokona." The blonde said chuckling at her, seeing that she had interrupted Edameonus. The demon smiled, both out of affection for the girl and relief from avoiding the question.

"Good girl. Lemme get up so I can put our plates away, ok?" He asked her, patting her back twice. Archellevon's frown grew slightly, noticing the other wasn't in a hurry to get back to answering him.

"Archy, would you like to help Mokona and me put up mistletoe?" Fay asked, smiling. Mokona moved to let her father figure stand as she looked up at the teen expectantly. The former angel smiled and nodded, standing.

"Sure. Where should we start?" He asked, eyes darting over to Edameonus, who had busied himself with washing the plates. Said man looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"I'll catch up with you three, ok? Don't think I'd like to leave a mess for Kurogane, no matter how funny his expression would be."

Fay nodded and stood. "We'll go and get them and then work from there." Mokona grinned brightly as she grabbed Archellevon's hand, wanting him to hurry as Fay began walking towards his bedroom. Archellevon cast a sidelong glance to the demon once more before exiting, still curious of his incomplete answer. Only after he was sure the teenager was out of the room did the Ginryan bow his head and sigh, growing tired of the returning feeling of losing Archellevon.

Mokona hummed cheerfully as she pulled Archellevon along, Fay grinned as he opened the door and walked inside his bedroom, searching for the bag he had left last night. The teenager smiled to the girl and allowed himself to be dragged into the living room, studying the decorations they had done the night before. He blushed when he remembered singing to them, finding it strange that the demon and Fay and both awoken to it after Mokona encouraged him to sing her a lullaby. Finding the bag, the blonde grabbed it and headed back towards the living room.

"Where would Mokona like to start first?"

"Anywhere!" The transformed one cheered, giggling to herself as she let go of Archellevon's hand to run to the window.

"One here! One here! Kurogane and Fay always sit here!" The teenager blushed.

"B-but I sleep there…" He shook his head and smiled. "No, nevermind. Put them wherever you want."

"They should go in the doorways too." He added while Mokona pointed to various places. "Not to mention the other rooms, no one will be able to move around if it's all hanging up in the living room."

"They don't _always_ have to kiss under them." Mokona whined, a slight pout on her face. Archellevon smiled sheepishly, plucking up a piece of mistletoe.

"We're all too short to reach the doorway, maybe I should get a stool?" He suggested, though Edameonus popped his head out.

"Hey, I'm taller than you by over a foot! I can get that for you!" He offered. Fay looked at the height, thinking he could manage, but didn't protest, thinking it would be good for both men to work together instead.

"We need something to put them up with." Edameonus walked in with a towel in his hands, not really finishing the dishes as he went to the others.

"String maybe?" Archellevon shook his head.

"I-I think tape would work better." The demon looked at him curiously.

"Tape? What's that?"

"An adhesive, it comes in rolls." Archellevon answered with a soft blush.

"There might be something with Kuro-san's computers." Fay said thinking aloud. The teenager slightly froze, thinking back to the woman he had seen that had jarred his memories.

"I-If Fay-san doesn't mind, I'll go look…" He said shakily. Edameonus folded his arms.

"Why don't you take Soel with you? She's good at locating things." The girl smiled proudly.

"It's one of Mokona's 108 secret techniques!"

"Alright." Fay replied. Watching Archellevon leave with Mokona, he took the bag of mistletoe and dumped its contents onto the coffee table. Edameonus frowned when their backs turned, looking to Fay.

"Any places in particular you plan on setting these?" He picked one up, studying its texture.

"Doorways and just overhead in some places, in each room, and I also planned to hide a few around the house for Kuro-san to find." Fay chuckled at his plan, eager to see what his lover would think of the idea. Edameonus smiled fondly at the blonde, glad the Valerian had a chance to play a game with his life companion.

"That's a cute plan. Too bad my house isn't finished; I'd hate to get in the way of Kurogane's expedition and find myself in a position I wouldn't like." He said it idly, but after a while of letting his mind wander his face tinted pink and he shuddered.

"It's more to annoy Kuro-tan than anything." Fay laughed as he looked over to Edameonus. "I suspect everyone will be careful where they walk once we're finished."

The demon smiled and nodded.

"Yeah." He looked at the small but decent collection of leaves, thinking of possibilities.

"…Thanks… for fibbing for me…" He said suddenly, squatting next to the table to count the foliage.

"It wasn't entirely untrue." Fay added, not wanting the other to feel guilty over having to lie to Archellevon. Edameonus shrugged and studied the fake berries on one.

"Either way, I've got to keep it from him. It's selfish…" He looked up to Fay with a determined frown. "But even when he remembers, I'm not going to let him contact the Court. I'm certain I'll be damned for doing so… but I don't want to be separated from him again…"

"Just because they say its wrong doesn't mean it is. I think you're doing the right thing." Fay said as he scanned the mistletoe spread in front of them. Edameonus smiled, flattered and thankful that Fay felt that way.

"If Fay-chan says so…" He stood straight and placed a hand on his hip.

"This mistletoe business, it's not always kissing on the lips is it?" He asked, though he knew the Valerian was just as clueless as he was.

"I don't think so." Fay said, wondering the same as he tried to think of where to begin once the others came back. Edameonus grinned, holding up a piece.

"In that case, I'm going to thank you for helping me out thus far." He leaned over and kissed Fay on the cheek, happy that the blonde had been with him for the passed couple of months. The blonde felt his cheeks flush at the gesture, but smiled at his friend all the same.

"You're welcome, though you should watch around Kuro-san, he's still angry over that first kiss."

Edameonus smiled wider and closed his eyes.

"Hey, I like celebrating other cultures. If you and I get caught under one of these Kurogane's just going to have to deal with it." He joked, wiggling the fig in his hand with a cackle.

"You'll have to watch where you go then, that could come back at you." Fay laughed at the thought of Edameonus getting caught under the small plant with Kurogane or even Toriho. The other man stood straight and glanced over to the hallway, only to doubletake when he saw Archellevon standing there. The boy felt his lip go up slightly, but he kept the innocently curious expression.

"…I-I found the tape. Mokona-chan… really is amazing." He said as the girl danced into the room.

"Mokona found the tape!" She said as she stopped in front of Fay.

"Thank you." The blonde said as he smiled down at her. "Shall we start then?"

Archellevon stared at them for a moment before smiling.

"Yes. We should." Edameonus placed a hand on Mokona's head, silently thanking her for retrieving the item they'd need. Mokona ripped off a piece of tape, after Archellevon had showed her how to when they had found it and offered it to Fay.

"Mokona will put one by the window." She laughed as Fay took the adhesive and a piece of mistletoe, moving over the couch to tape it to the wall above. Edameonus looked at the tape and followed suit, taking a piece of it along with mistletoe to hang it above the door where the others couldn't reach. Archellevon smiled and watched, connecting the tape with the stem of a leaf for Mokona when she was done. Watching Edameonus, Fay could see that he would take care of the doorways. Taking a few pieces, the blonde put them back in the bag, to use them later while Mokona went about finding a place for the mistletoe Archellevon had prepared for her.

~Later~

The demon gave a thoughtful look to the one at the door, a slight growl exiting his throat as he found that he had a piece left over from the horde he was given. Archellevon looked up from his crouched position by the laundry table, having dropped his piece.

"Eh? What's wrong?"

"Have an extra piece." Edameonus said, seeing that they had already covered the other rooms, except for the bedroom, which Fay and Mokona were working on at the moment. Archellevon stood up and placed his hands on his hips, looking to the plant the other was holding.

"Hmm. Well we've pretty much taken care of the house… we could save the leftover ones for your house when it's finished…" he suggested as a faint tint colored his cheeks, reminding himself he was going to live in the other house.

"I suppose, though with the way Souhi's being, it'll take until next year to finish it." he Ginryan said, growling at the thought. He was interrupted by Mokona laughing not far from them. Archellevon smiled warmly and walked over to the taller man, looking out the door to see where Mokona was.

"Yes, Souhi-kun is rather lazy sometimes isn't he?" The boy asked with a giggle, thinking of the times both on Earth and on Ginryuu. "But I suppose building a house is hard work when one actually does it."

Edameonus's cheeks warmed as Archellevon stood by him, he thought about the plants each of them held along with the piece hanging above them.

"He can be a pain in the ass." Mokona laughed again, running around inside the bedroom. The teenager grinned wider and looked to Edameonus.

"That's not nice to say about our friend you know." He blinked, realizing how close the other one was before he had to look down.

"Th-that is… a-after all, he's building it in the first place…"

"Souhi's the one that starts things..." The Ginryan stared at the teen seeing that he had made the other uncomfortable somehow. Both of them could hear Mokona jumping around the bedroom, along with Fay's soft laughter. The younger picked at the leaf in his hand, feeling the curves of its edge.

"And you instigate…" Archellevon argued weakly, his cheeks still hot. "M-Mokona-chan seems to be having fun…"

"N-not all the time!" Edameonus said embarrassed. Red eyes moved towards the noises, smiling. "She always has fun." Archellevon looked toward where Mokona was, giggling to himself when the other man raised his voice.

"Not so loud, she'll think something's wrong." The white haired one looked to nothing in particular, smile fading slightly. "Unless… there is…"

"There's nothing wrong." The taller man said as he glanced down at the teen, not wanting him to feel guilty about something again.

"Then why?" Archellevon asked, bringing navy eyes to the other. "Why does it feel like you're always trying to keep me in the dark?" He asked with a strained voice, trailing off into a whisper. "I-is that just me? Being paranoid? Why then won't you tell me certain things about you?"

Edameonus stared for a moment. He paused in trying to think of something that would satisfy the other teen.

"There are just some things people want to keep themselves; I don't want you to worry about me." He frowned, not enjoying the idea of lying to the other about earlier. The former angel studied the taller man's face pleadingly before looking to his hands again.

"…I-it's ok you know…" He blushed a little, tightening his grip on the fig. "I-if you don't want to tell me something, it's ok to tell me you don't want me to know… you said something like that before, s-so saying it again…" He trailed off again, thinking of the first time he was denied information.

"I've upset you again." Edameonus said frowning at himself for hurting the other with his problems.

"N-no!" Archellevon waved his hands in front of him, blushing a little more. "I-it's fine! I-I'm fine! Really! I'm ok w-with it if you really don't w-want to say something!" The teenager frowned delicately, not wanting to see the other's lips turned in such a way. Edameonus offered the other the barest of smiles, knowing that there were some things he couldn't tell the other and knew it was because of him being selfish.

"Still..." He muttered. The other shook his head fervently, his hands balling up in fists as he held them in front of him determinedly.

"Don't feel bad, please! I-I meant it, it doesn't bother me…" The former angel gave him a heartbreakingly beautiful smile. "S-so, only tell me things you want me to know, ok? I'll be happy with just that."

"Alright then." His smile widened slightly as red eyes peered down at the former angel. Mokona could still be heard as the door opened to reveal Fay looking out, the blonde smiled when he saw the two not far from him. Archellevon grinned broader and nodded, clasping his hands in front of him as if holding onto a necklace. "I'll tell you the same then. If you w-want to know… I-I'll definitely tell you." The boy blushed deeper, looking away though he was still smiling. Edameonus watched him curiously, but remained silent.

"It seems Mokona likes jumping on beds." Fay said as he glanced over at the taller of the two, giving the other a bright smile. Archellevon snapped his head around to see Fay and his face went completely scarlet, wondering if the blonde had been standing there for long.

"We've finished with our mistletoe, have you?" Fay asked innocently giving Edameonus a devious smile. Mokona could be heard still moving about and laughing. The demon felt his cheeks redden too, but he smiled a little wider and nodded.

"Y-yeah… we've got some left over though…" He stammered, trying not to look at the smaller man in front of him.

"You can take them and add them with the rest." Fay said as he looked slightly above Edameonus wondering which of the two would get the hint first, if at all.

"A-alright…" Archellevon said, though he felt like if he moved then his legs would liquefy. The Ginryan felt a kidney implode when he realized the other was staring overhead, red eyes following to where Fay was looking. A rather embarrassing squeak came from him then making Archellevon look up as well. Fay had to cover his mouth with his hand to keep from laughing loudly. Seeing their expressions the blonde filed it away to tell Kurogane once his lover came home.

"Can't break tradition, it _is_ Mokona's first Christmas and she'd be disappointed knowing someone didn't follow along." Fay teased. Said girl popped her head out of the door curiously, gasping when she saw them underneath the plant.

"Kyaa! Daddy and mommy are underneath mistletoe! Kiss kiss!" She cheered. Archellevon felt his face heat up even more than normal, his hands going to his cheeks to try to cool them.

"B-b-b-b-but… I-I… a-and… i-if…"

"Mokona and Fay are under the mistletoe too!" She cheered pointing skywards.

"Then a kiss for Mokona it is." Fay crouched down, careful of his stomach giving Mokona a kiss on her cheek as she giggled. The demon watched with a slightly unnerved gaze that Fay was encouraging, and he kicked himself mentally for saying what he had earlier. He didn't know what to think anymore after what had happened the night before in the snow. Archellevon continued to stare at the ground, knowing even with protest Fay would most likely make them anyway.

"They have to kiss too!" Mokona said looping her arms around Fay's neck before pointing at the two still underneath the mistletoe.

"S-Soel, really you shouldn-"

"E-Ed… I… I-I think… it's alright…" The demon looked to Archellevon in surprise, not expecting that reaction. The teenager pulled some hair behind his ear while looking away in complete embarrassment.

"I-it's a holiday tradition anyway, r-right?"

"Y-yeah but..." The Ginryan was at a loss for words as he looked down at the teen. Fay smiled up at them as he petted Mokona's hair. The boy looked up and held up a finger, closing one eye.

"J-just… close your eyes… bend down slightly… a-and don't move…" He commanded, feeling his heart under his fingertips moving too fast to be considered just embarrassed. Fay blushed faintly, surprised before covering Mokona's eyes and turning away from the two. Mokona pouted as Fay kept her eyes covered. Edameonus blushed darkly.

"O-okay." He stuttered, embarrassed just as much as the other before complying with Archellevon's wishes. Archellevon hesitated for a moment, feeling his heart clog up his throat. He inhaled slowly before rising himself up on his toes, nervously placing his lips against Edameonus's while his hands went to the taller man's chest so he wouldn't fall. Edameonus had to force himself not to open his eyes to look at the other or two move his hands to the thin shoulders when he felt lips press against his own. The teenager instantly had flashbacks of the day before and whimpered, retracting quickly though a part of him wanted to deepen the kiss.

"I-I'm sorry…" He whispered, bringing his hands against his lips. "B-but… I-I… w-we…"

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Edameonus said, opening his eyes as he looked down at Archellevon. Fay frowned as he listened, his eyes looking at nothing in particular. What met the demon's eyes startled him, but he didn't expect any different. The younger wiped his eyes roughly, turning sharply away from the taller man.

"I-I… I really won't remember…" He whispered, swallowing a sob so Mokona wouldn't worry too much, before walking quickly back into the living room. Fay uncovered Mokona's eyes and lifted her to rest against his hip as he stood. He glanced over at Edameonus apologetically before walking closer to him.

"Maybe you should go talk to him?"

"What would I say?" The other asked hopelessly, looking down to the mistletoe in his hand. He took a wild guess, but afterwards he knew that the white haired boy had been hoping intimate actions would jog his memory.

"That's up for you to decide." He frowned; he hadn't wanted things to take such a bad turn for both of them, especially when they had been getting along. Edameonus sighed, clutching the leaf tightly before nodding. Watching him leave, Fay smiled down at the small girl in his arms and took Mokona back to the bedroom so they wouldn't be interrupting the other two in the living room. Archellevon was sitting on his couch, away from where the plant hung, with an ornament of an angel for hanging on the tree delicately sitting on his palm. Edameonus watched the other for a moment, noticing a silent tear slipping down the pale face. He sighed and went to sit next to the former angel, who didn't move when Edameonus accompanied him.

"I-I'm… I'm silly, aren't I? A-always crying…" The teenager asked while wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"You shouldn't be crying." Edameonus said, feeling guilt swell in his chest as he looked at the teen.

"I-I know…" The teenager tried to smile, but it came out lopsided. "A-after all, i-it's… it's only tradition… a-and… well… I-I overreacted… that is… what I mean is…"

"There's no need to explain." Edameonus looked away, not wanting to see Archellevon upset because of him again. The other fell silent, biting his tongue for causing Edameonus to frown again. He looked to the ornament in his hand and sighed shakily, his finger grazing over a wing. Red eyes glanced over towards the teen, seeing the teen tracing over the small figure's wings. Standing, the Ginryan didn't know what to say as he watched silently. Archellevon looked up sharply, his hand jolting toward Edameonus on instinct. He caught himself before their hands touched, a surprised look on his own face.

"E-Ed…"

"What is it?" The Ginryan said staring at the pale haired boy with wide eyes, surprised by the sudden movement. The teenager didn't speak, but instead stared at the other man as if he was on the edge of saying something. His hand slowly fell to his lap and he looked down, shaking his head.

"N…nothing… I-it's just… angels…" He rubbed his thumb over the ornament again as he spoke.

"Angels like this one… can grant wishes… A-and I'm only human now…" The younger said. Edameonus smiled gently, wondering if Archellevon was going to say something else instead.

"Don't sell yourself short." He blushed and looked away as he spoke, trying to reassure the teen. The other looked up slowly, confusion written on his face. He frowned a little more when the thought of his magic being no longer with him crossed his mind.

"Just because you're human doesn't mean you're not strong or anything." Edameonus said, trying to think of something to say that would help things between them.

"What do you mean?" Archellevon asked while looking up at the other, his grip slightly tightening on the painted glass.

"You shouldn't regret not being like your past self, granting wishes might be what angels do… and it's alright if you can't anymore…" He sighed as he looked at Archellevon, hoping to try and comfort the teen. Edameonus was at least glad the other had stopped crying. The teenager felt his eyes widen a little before he looked down.

"…B-but… as a human… I-I… I can't make things right with anyone… I-I don't really make Ed smile… I'm trying… b… but he's only frowned…" The former angel wiped his eye again, trying to stay strong in front of the demon. "I-I bet you always smiled w-when I was an angel…"

Edameonus gritted his teeth as he averted his eyes from Archellevon, not wanting to think about how painful the words were to hear.

"You try too hard to make everyone happy and not get in the way, even though no one thinks you're a bother." He muttered. Archellevon looked back up to Edameonus and frowned.

"E-Ed?"

"You shouldn't think you're troublesome, there's no one here that thinks that." He frowned still, knowing he wasn't doing a very good job of helping things. The pale hand touched his own, and when red eyes looked back at the teenager Archellevon was staring at him.

"Ed… s-stop…" He cast his eyes away as a familiar blush crept on his cheeks. "I-I don't want Ed to be upset… s-so please… t-tell me… what would make you smile?"

"For you to stop crying, and feeling like you don't belong." Edameonus answered softly as he scanned the other's face. The other continued to frown, looking to his hand holding the opposite.

"…Y-you've come here recently… just like me… and you know how to act and fit in…" Archellevon smiled weakly. "Would Ed be willing to teach me?"

"S-sure, though there's really nothing to teach..." He said embarrassed by the request. The shorter looked relieved, his grip tightening warmly on the darker hand.

"C-can we start now then?" He blushed a little more, trying to get over the earlier fear that had resurfaced.

"I guess, what would you like to do?" Edameonus asked confused, but happy that Archellevon wasn't as upset as he had been. The teenager blinked and laughed in spite of himself.

"I-I don't know!" He smiled a little wider to the demon before looking away. "Y-you shouldn't stand in the middle of a room full of chairs…" He muttered. Edameonus blushed before he quickly sat, embarrassed. He smiled seeing that he had at least made the other laugh. Archellevon looked to the man now sitting next to him and leaned back on the couch.

"W-what is Ed willing to teach me?" He questioned, looking elsewhere. Edameonus turned to look at the other still blushing.

"Whatever you'd like." The former angel placed a finger against his chin nervously, his brow furrowing in content puzzlement.

"W-well… how does one act like they belong?" He gave a pathetic grin to the other man, shrugging. "I always thought it was subconscious… that would explain why I keep going back to the thoughts of my old self… I was an angel for so long I don't know how to act in a human body…"

"But you didn't know you were until recently, you should still know how to act here from living in a place similar." The Ginryan said as he looked at the former angel. "And you just act yourself, no ones going to judge or anything." He said remembering how he had gotten stares from others when he had gone to town with Toriho. The teenager looked to the other side of the room and sighed softly.

"To tell the truth… before I even came here… people liked me for some reason… but they didn't want to get to know me…" The teenager smiled apologetically. "B-but I understand what you mean! I-I've got it…"

"Good." He smiled, glad he was making things worse. "Is there anything else?"

The former angel let his mind wander in hopes of keeping the friendly air in the room, but he let his mind wander too far and instantly his face flushed.

"U-uh… I-I… m…"

"What?" Edameonus said carefully, not wanting to cause the other to panic or cry again. He watched worried as the other stuttered.

"I-it seems… like Mokona-chan's mother w-would never visit town…" Archellevon looked to his knees and fidgeted. "P-people would… they'd… that….you a-and… that I… since m-my white hair… i-it's only natural… b-but in a sense…"

Edameonus tilted his head in confusion. "What?" He repeated, not understanding the teen as he watched confused. Archellevon placed a hand on his cheek as he was determined to keep his eyes from meeting the other man's.

"W-w-what I-I'm trying to… to say is th-that…" He felt his cheeks go redder. "I-if M-Moko-chan c-calls me 'mommy' again w-without thinking… it'd g-get suspicious… b-but… I… I wouldn't m-mind…"

"S-she'd like that." Edameonus's blush intensified at the thought as he smiled at Archellevon. The teen chanced a glance at the other and felt his heart melt when he saw the grin.

"A…and… maybe… i-if y-you two wouldn't mind… if I-I place myself in a closer family bond…" He looked to the ground again. "M-maybe… I can keep that smile on Ed's face…"

The Ginryan continued to smile at the other. "Neither of us would have a problem with that."

Archellevon's face broke out with a huge smile, though the blush attacked his cheeks again relentlessly. And for whatever reason, the teenager leaned over to rest his forehead in the crook of the other man's neck, the demon feeling the hot cheeks on his open flesh. The talller man blushed as he slowly put an arm around the other's shoulders in a comforting manner, hoping it would cause the other to run away. The smaller body tensed in the hold, but Archellevon remained where he sat. After a moment the demon heard the former angel mumble something.

"Archy?" He questioned and glanced down at the other. The angel pulled slightly away, though his nose still touched the skin of the other man's neck.

"I-idiot… you sat under m-mistletoe…"

Tilting his head up, Edameonus didn't know he should curse Fay or kiss the blonde again for putting up so much of the plant.

"You were the one that told me to sit." He pointed out as he moved to look at Archellevon. The other smiled faintly as lithe arms wrapped cautiously around the other man's neck.

"I-if it's alright… I'll settle for this…" He said gently.

"That's fine." Edameonus said quietly, enjoying the other's presence all the same. They sat like that for a couple of minutes in what felt like the first comfortable silence they'd had that day. Though they were interrupted by a cold feeling that was being omitted around Fay's bedroom door.

"Mokona?" Fay asked as he stepped cautiously towards the living room, not wanting to interrupt the others.

"Mokona wants to join in…" The girl whined, staring at the two adults who were now staring back with an equal amount of blush on their faces.

"There's no reason why you can't ask." The blonde said while he gently pushed Mokona forward. Edameonus itched his face with his free hand.

"Looks like we've been caught." He muttered to Archellevon, who giggled embarrassedly.

"Well… I don't see any harm in it…" The teenager moved a little away from the elder man and stretched his arms out for the girl. Mokona laughed before rushing up to the teen. Fay watched amused, though when he saw the three of them together it caused the blonde to imagine Kurogane and their own child together. Archellevon pulled the girl to lie across both their laps while still leaning against Edameonus.

"Does Moko-chan want a kiss now?" He asked. Seeing the mistletoe above them, Mokona looked at Archellevon and nodded excitedly. The teenager giggled again and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss on the pale cheek. Edameonus smiled at this before letting out a playful whine.

"I want to give her one too, you take too long." Mokona laughed before looping her arms around Edameonus's neck.

"Mokona will give you a kiss too!" She shouted before mimicking the light kisses she had received already. Edameonus grinned widely, chuckling as his daughter figure planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey, now I can't give you one…" He teased, smiling at his two favorite people. Archellevon giggled behind his hand, placing his other one on the girl's knee.

"Ed, let her show her affection too…" Mokona laughed at both adults as she hugged Edameonus.

"Mokona will give mistletoe kisses to everyone." Archellevon smiled at the girl.

"Moko-chan's kisses are the best." He cooed, making Edameonus cast his eyes down to the girl before placing his cheek against the pale hair of the teenager. Archellevon paid it no mind, though the blush didn't fade from his cheeks. Fay smiled at the scene before moving to sit, happy to see his friends together. Laughing Mokona looked up at Archellevon and smiled, a faint blush across her cheeks. The former angel stared at the girl for a moment before closing his eyes happily.

"Moko-chan, I also forgot to tell you that our family story changed a little." The blush on his cheeks grew, as well as on Edameonus's.

"Family story?" Mokona said looking up at the teen confused.

"The story that we tell people about how we're related. I-I think we've decided t-to change it…" Archellevon rubbed his face before placing it against Edameonus's chest gently. The touch elicited a deeper red on the demon's cheeks, though his smile grew a little.

"What happened?" Soel asked as she looked between the adults, not knowing what to expect.

"W-well… I decided that… what you and Ed said earlier about me… being your other p-parent… i-it would make more sense…" He trailed off, shifting his eyes to the floor nervously. The dark haired man raised an eyebrow, curious as to why Archellevon was making this announcement so soon after their discussion about it.

"So Archy's mommy now?" Tilting her head to the side, Mokona looked up at the teen curious. The pale face went red at the question, but he smiled faintly and barely nodded. Edameonus looked over to Fay, noticing that the man was still watching them, though he couldn't hide his own smile. He wondered to himself if Kurogane would be more flexible with his relationships once Toshihiko was born. Fay returned the Ginryan's smile, wondering if it was a sign for things to get better between both men. Purple eyes widened before Mokona smiled brightly up at Archellevon, happy for the news.

It was then the front door opened, allowing a slightly snow covered Kurogane to come in and shake off like a dog. He looked over to the small surrogate family on the couch, who froze at hearing another person intrude, before his ruby eyes landed on Fay.

"…Oi…" He then looked up and started. "THE HELL! IT'S EVERYWHERE!"

"There was a lot." Fay turned to look over at Kurogane, surprised to see so much snow on his lover. Kurogane growled and slammed the door closed angrily.

"I'm gunna kill dad!" He snapped, making Mokona laugh. The girl leaned against her father figure and watched as Kurogane walk over to give Fay a kiss. Edameonus cackled at this and looked away.

" 'Honey, I'm home!~' " He cooed, making Kurogane snap his attention to the other with a glare.

"Did Kuro-san have a good day teaching?" The blonde asked, trying to keep both men from fighting again. Mokona laughed at Edameonus as she sat, watching Kurogane.

"Hn, it wasn't awful. Damn bastards are as dumb as bricks though." The other man grunted, standing up straight so he could take off his coat. Edameonus occupied himself with stroking Mokona's hair instead of yelling with Kurogane, not wanting to blow out Archellevon's ears.

"I guess you really wouldn't make a good teacher then if you don't like your students." Fay laughed as he watched the taller man remove his coat. "I hadn't noticed how much it was snowing." He said, noticing that the snow on Kurogane had since melted since the dark haired man walked in. The taller man shrugged and moved to set his coat over with the others.

"Tch, I doubt it'll get worse than this. And it's not my fault if the students are idiots. I'm in a class with a bunch of damn preschoolers."

"Kuro-sama thinks highly of himself." Fay turned away from Kurogane as he laughed, knowing it would only anger the other man to see him.

"Maybe it will snow more." Kurogane growled instantly, ignoring the weather comment.

"What the hell?" Edameonus cackled again and looked to the other dark haired man.

"You know, you really do think you're all that and a bag of bad boy chips." Kurogane turned and pointed a finger at him.

"You shut the hell up! I didn't ask for your opinion, asshole!"

"Kuro-rinta shouldn't start yelling when he comes home." The blonde said as he smiled up at the taller man.

"I wouldn't have to if people wouldn't open their damn mouths!" Kurogane growled, glaring at Edameonus while the Ginryan just smiled smugly. Archellevon patted the chest his hand rested on, a silent way of telling the older man to quit instigating.

"Kuro-kun just can't take teasing." Fay chuckled at his lover at seeing how easy it was to rile the other man.

"Blondie, seriously, don't give me the urge to skin you alive." Kurogane grumbled as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Mokona giggled and moved to crawl off of Edameonus's lap.

"Mokona wants to go jump on the bed again!"

"Kuro-tan wouldn't." The blonde watched as Mokona laughed, thinking of the mistletoe he and the girl had put up.

"Try me." Kurogane removed his hand from his face to place it against his hip, giving the blonde a malicious glare. Edameonus instantly pulled away from the former angel to swoop up his daughter to prevent her from getting anywhere.

"Oh no you don't." Mokona cried out in surprise as she was caught and brought up and into the dark haired man's arms.

"Kuro-chan shouldn't tempt me then." An amused smile spread across pale lips as Fay looked up at the taller man. Kurogane bared his teeth in another growl but waved the blonde off, turning to most likely sulk in the bedroom. Edameonus pulled Mokona up in his lap again and tickled her stomach, a cute punishment that made Archellevon giggle. Fay watched his lover leave, wondering if he should follow to see the other's reaction to their bedroom or stay in the living room with the others. Squirming about, Mokona laughed as she tried to free herself from Edameonus.

After a few minutes, the Valerian could've sworn he smelled the disgust.

"BLONDIE!" Came Kurogane's voice, enraged. Enough to make the Ginryan in the room look up and cackle, pausing long enough on Mokona so the girl could squeal and run away.

"Perhaps I should make sure he's not too angry." Fay said as he stood, dodging Mokona as she ran passed him and away from Edameonus's tickling. The blonde laughed as he watched her before making his way towards the bedroom and Kurogane. rchellevon gave Fay's back a worried look, though he didn't voice it. Edameonus stood as well, chuckling as he watched his helper run into the laundry room for protection.

"There's not that much." Fay said as he opened the door and closed it behind him.

"Besides it's not that bad." Blue eyes turned to Kurogane as the blonde smiled. Kurogane turned sharply on his heel, pointing to the alien vehemently.

"Like HELL it's not that bad! I said you could hang up SOME! _SOME_! NOT MAKE MY HOME A FUCKING GREENHOUSE!" He barked, a faint blush on his cheeks as he avoided one of the plants hanging from overhead.

"I didn't hang all of it up." Fay continued to look up at Kurogane as he spoke, a faint smile on his lips as the other man yelled. Kurogane smacked his hand to his face, mumbling disjointedly in his palm.

"Just how much did you plan to use?" He asked skeptically, moving to lounge on the bed, also avoiding the one hanging above their pillows with a disgruntled expression.

"I can't let all of it go to waste, and I won't hang up anymore." Fay said as he walked over to sit on the bed beside Kurogane. The half breed watched his companion with a frown, knowing he'd have to skin either Fay or his father for the idea and the thought of a pregnant Fay walking around without flesh didn't seem appealing. At least not as much as Toriho running around screaming. Oh yeah, that sounded awesome. He was deterred from his thoughts when his roaming eyes fell on the bump of Fay's stomach.

"It's only until the holidays are over with, so you shouldn't be so against a small plant." Fay explained, wondering if Kurogane was angry because he was more embarrassed about the idea of the tradition. The other stared at the other's abdomen for a moment before shaking his head.

"Forget it. It wouldn't have been half as bad if you didn't hang up so freakin' much."

"It bothers you?" Fay asked as he leaned back against the headboard of the bed, his hands moving to his stomach as he looked down at Kurogane. Seeing that the other was still angry, it made the shorter man reconsidered hiding the rest of the plants he'd been given. The other didn't say anything but sighed, folding his arms. He wouldn't admit that he knew he was making a big deal of it, knowing if he did teasing would ensue more so than before. Closing his eyes, Fay relaxed as he sat beside Kurogane, enjoying the other's presence while he felt small pulses from their unborn child.

Kurogane opened his eyes and suddenly thought of something, glancing over to Fay idly. He paused before moving to place his hand on the other side of his lover, smirking slightly down to him.

"Forgot something." Blue eyes opened, glancing at Kurogane in confusion.

"What?" Fay asked as he kept his eyes trained on the other man. The dark haired man leaned down and kissed Fay passionately before pulling away a bit.

"You're not the only one under the mistletoe." He muttered nonchalantly, slinking down the Valerian's body while lifting up the sweater with his free hand. Once the other's stomach was exposed, Kurogane connected pale skin to his lips. A blush spread across Fay's cheeks as his hands moved to rest in dark hair. He smiled warmly at the gentle pressure against his stomach, feeling the baby inside him stir at the contact. Kurogane looked up and the smirk on his face grew slightly, seeing the reddened cheeks. He crawled back up to kiss Fay again, the hand that had moved the shirt still resting against white skin. Moving forward Fay smiled into the kiss as he closed his eyes. He sighed, wondering about Kurogane's sudden change, but didn't question it long as he kissed the other man. The other bent his elbow to lean down a little more, deepening their kiss. He knew that the mistletoe was above them, but he didn't care about that. After all, didn't they do this just this morning?

Hands moved from dark hair as Fay instead moved to wrap his arms around Kurogane's shoulders. The blonde continued to smile as the two of them maintained their kiss, letting his lover know that he had been missed during the day. The taller man chuckled a little at the intimacy, though he couldn't blame the other. He was starting to feel less and less willing to go to school with each day getting closer to Toshihiko's birth. He swiped his tongue against pale lips, feeling like he hadn't tasted the Valerian in a while.

Fay parted his lips, willing to allow the other man to further their kiss. The blonde leaned back, bringing Kurogane with him as he relaxed at the familiar feeling of lips against his own. Kurogane obliged to the lithe man's movements, feeling the slightly protruding stomach of the other against his own abdomen. His tongue explored the depth of Fay's mouth like he had never done it before, almost as if he were searching for something. A small sound left the blonde's throat as Kurogane kissed him. Fai sighed his nails digging into the fabric of the taller man's shirt as they continued. Red eyes peered open slightly, curious as to why the other had made a sound after reoccurring something as familiar as this. He removed his hand from Fay's side, using it to help balance himself over the Valerian.

Fay could feel himself still blushing as he was thoroughly kissed by the taller man. The Valerian barely registered anything other than his lover, he only briefly took note of Kurogane removing his hand from his side. The other smirked and lapped at the other man's lips pressed against his own before pulling away slightly. He stared at Fay for a moment, realizing just how well Fay's skin glowed in a winter sun's rays. Fay opened his eyes as Kurogane pulled away from him, his eyes fixed on the other man as he smiled up at his lover.

"Kuro-puu?" He questioned gently. The other pulled himself out of his fixations and smirked lightly, leaning down to plant another kiss on Fay's lips.

"Nothin."

"If you're sure." The blonde replied as he returned Kurogane's kiss. The taller retreated once more, looking with a gentle frown down to his lover.

"What? Don't believe me?" Fay chuckled lightly before he answered the other man.

"It's not that, I've just noticed Kuro-tan likes to stare." Red eyes fell half lidded in a glare.

"Would you rather I stare or not look at you at all?" He growled, bending his elbow a little as he still hovered over his lover.

"It doesn't bother me." The other man said as he met Kurogane's gaze. "I like Kuro-pon looking at me."

"Good." The other concluded, bringing their lips together smoothly. He overheard vaguely Edameonus laughing at something, though he didn't care to find out what it was. Smiling, the blonde kissed back. Just as Kurogane had, he too heard Edameonus, but didn't give it any thought as the Ginryan seemed to be amused by whatever he was doing. Kurogane returned his full attention on his lover, going back to lick the snowy lips of the shorter man from where he had left off. With an automatic response, Fay parted his lips to allow Kurogane to deepen their kiss. His arms tightened around the taller man, while he relaxed underneath his lover. The Earthling felt himself being pulled a little closer, wondering vaguely how the other's stomach would react to his weight atop of it. He moved his tongue into the blonde's mouth, lapping at all that was Fay. Said man sighed into the kiss, returning the gesture wholeheartedly. He felt little pressure against his stomach as Kurogane pressed closer to him, ignoring it for the most part as both of them kissed each other.

Kurogane felt the urge to continue with this grow deeper, but he retracted his tongue, wondering how the other would react to the absence. Fay made a sound of disappointment as Kurogane pulled away from him. He opened his eyes slightly to look at the other man, confused at what his lover was doing. Kurogane cracked his eyes open as well, chuckling lightly against the other's lips as he heard the protest. He didn't say anything, but instead removed his lips to kiss the pale ear and jaw line possessively.

"Kuro-wan?" Fay asked, his breath coming out in light pants. He blushed, tilting his head to the side to give Kurogane more room.

"Hn?" The tanned one grunted, littering the light flesh with kisses. Fay smiled, keeping silent because he didn't want to interrupt Kurogane. Long fingers moved to rest in dark hair as Fay closed his eyes at the feeling a lips against his skin. The student moved deftly down to kiss the long neck, licking it slightly here and there for whatever reason. He could feel the other was curious about his actions, but he didn't feel like explaining himself when he really didn't need a reason to do this.

Biting his lip, the blonde blushed at Kurogane's movements, enjoying the light touches he was receiving from the other man. Kurogane pulled away once more, only to stare at the Valerian again with a raised eyebrow.

"What're you blushing for? You act like I've never done this."

"Can't help it." Fay opened his eyes to look up at Kurogane. "Kuro-pyon just causes that reaction I guess." The blonde smiled as he watched his boyfriend. The dark haired man chuckled once more, kissing his lover curtly. He was content with just hovering over the shorter man sprinkling him with kisses, but he felt a part of his mind saying something else. Fay smiled, enjoying his lover's laughter almost as much as the kisses being littered over his skin.

A tan hand slowly went to the blonde's side, resting it there as lips moved from neck to chin and then back down the other side of the collar bone. Fay stared at the wall across from them, his eyes half lidded, while Kurogane continued to touch him. His blush darkened slightly as lips trailed down his neck.

"…Oi…" Kurogane grumbled after a little while of this, his hand twitching a little on Fay's hip. He kissed the pale skin closest to the collar of the thick sweater. "Wanna get into more trouble?" Damn you stupid bodily want.

"What did you have in mind?" Fay asked, his eyes moving to stare at Kurogane, curious about the other man's intentions. Kurogane pulled slightly away, giving his lover a bland and skeptical look.

"Seriously? What do you think?" He asked lowly, moving his hand from Fay's hip slowly to the other man's lower regions to emphasize his point.

"How does Kuro-pon expect us to get in trouble?" Fay shifted underneath Kurogane as he felt his lover's hand wander.

"Not that I don't want to." He added. The other rolled his eyes with a sigh, knowing his boyfriend was dense. He pulled away from the blonde and shook his head, red eyes closing.

"We almost die because we're not supposed to be doing it and then he asks me how we could get into trouble."

"Well it's not like we can be killed now." Fay blushed as he watched Kurogane intently. "Thought you were talking about the others hearing us." He grinned sheepishly at his lover. The taller man shrugged with a cocky grin.

"Think I care about that?" He leaned down again, kissing Fay's neck.

"I don't really like how I have to force you to keep quiet when I actually enjoy listening to the noises you make… for once…" The taller muttered. Fay blushed at remembering how Kurogane was around others when more private aspects of their relationship were discussed. Fay smiled as he looked at Kurogane, sighing as he felt lips press against his skin.

"Besides… it's my house… I can do whatever the hell I want in it…" Kurogane added through the breaks of his kissing. He let his hand trail up the other man's shirt feeling the swollen stomach affectionately.

"Hmm...That is true." Fay said as he continued to smile at the others attention and kisses.

"So you want to or not?" Red eyes shifted up to the pale features as his hand and lips stopped from touching the frail skin of the Valerian.

"Yes." Fay said as he felt Kurogane's hand against his stomach. "Why would Kuro-tan think I would say no?" Kurogane shrugged and nipped at Fay's collar bone.

"Just makin sure." The blonde had to suppress his laughter at Kurogane's words.

"Kuro-chu's always considerate." The other glared halfheartedly at his lover, continuing his movements under Fay's shirt so that the Valerian's stomach was now exposed again.

"Shouldn't Kuro-min lock the door?" He said as he ran his fingers through the other man's hair. "Wouldn't want someone walking in on us."

The other paused once again and sighed, pulling away from Fay. He sat up on the bed and looked to the door in irritation. He knew he should've locked it beforehand. He then stood and meandered over to the door, clicking the lock just as he heard thundering footsteps go by, most likely Edameonus chasing Mokona for whatever reason. Smirking, Fay watched as the other man left him to secure the door. The blonde sat up, moving to get more comfortable as he rested against the bed's headboard, waiting for Kurogane. The taller man looked over and he had to raise an eyebrow. Fay laid there in all his glory, shirt tousled already from tanned hands earlier wanderings, hair ruffled slightly from head lulling on the pillow, cheeks gorgeously flushed. Kurogane suppressed a growl and went over to the other, not wanting his mind to get carried away.

"Would Kuro-daddy like to join me?" Fay asked as he felt eyes on him and then watched Kurogane stalk towards him. The other grunted and crawled onto the bed again, once more mounting his lover like he had many times before. He was curious, though, as to what position would keep the Valerian comfortable. The thought made his cheeks flush and he tried to hide it by dipping his head down to kiss the other's skin. The dark haired man licked and nipped at the other's shoulder, neck, and collar bone, his hand going to remove the heavy sweater from his lover's body.

Fay blushed as he unraveled his arms from around Kurogane to help the other with his sweater. The blonde pulled one of his arms free as he felt Kurogane's hand trail upwards, and it didn't take much longer after that for Fay to be shirtless. The student took the now discarded clothing and tossed it off the bed, the routine undressing coming back to them. He started to lower himself on Fay's body, kissing the newly exposed skin. The blonde shuddered both at the feeling of the rooms cool air hitting his warm skin and at Kurogane's lips touching him again. His hands moved to thread themselves in the taller man's hair while he concentrated on the light touches.

Dark lips creased into a slight smile, enjoying the feeling of Fay with him like this again. It seemed like forever since they last shared a bed in such a way. He growled lightly in approval as nimble fingers knotted themselves in his hair, his own hands slinking down the pale sides as lips covered more skin. Beneath Kurogane, Fay moved his legs to rest on either side of the other man so there was more room. A warm smile stretched across the Valerian's lips as he felt Kurogane planting light kisses all over him.

Kurogane trailed his lip across the midsection of the pale chest, wanting to taste all of Fay as he could, before bringing his mouth to a nipple, licking it slowly on instinct. Fay's breath hitched as he felt his lover's tongue graze against his skin. Hand tightened in dark hair as the shorter man closed his eyes. The other's eyes shot up to see the pale face, but he didn't stop his mouth from licking or nipping the skin. He took a moment of doing this before enclosing his mouth around it, swirling it in circles around the perk flesh.

"Kuro-min." Fay spoke softly as he cracked his eyes open, only to meet the other man's gaze. Kurogane smirked against the flesh, closing his own eyes so he could concentrate on making the other create more delicious sounds. The blonde continued to watch, even as his lover closed his eyes, his eyes glazing over at the sensations Kurogane was causing. Long fingers deftly moved through dark spikes, silently encouraging the other man. Sharp teeth bit down greedily on the flesh, continuing to lap at it before pulling away. He moved from that only to go to the other one to give it the same treatment, his hand coming up to tease the abandoned one.

Moving his hands from Kurogane's hair, Fay trailed them down to rest atop his lover's shoulders, gripping clothed skin as his lover teased him. The Earthling's attention then moved downwards, his hand slinking down to move with the curve of Fay's stomach. Kurogane's lips trailed down after it, kissing and licking whatever skin was displayed in front of him. Tilting his head back, Fay breathed shallowly at the feeling of lips leaving a trail down his stomach. He blushed thinking of Kurogane's gentle touches, while his hands still gripped his lover's shirt.

Kurogane lingered at the top of Fay's baby bump, staring at it through half lidded eyes. Visions of his child clouded his mind and he kissed it once more, longer than any of the other kisses. He had made a promise; he'd be damned if he went back on it now or ever. Fay smiled, as he looked down at Kurogane once more, moving a hand to brush through the taller man's hair. He could barely feel small pulses of their child as Kurogane kissed his growing stomach. The other finally removed himself from the stomach and persisted downward, kissing and licking at the skin closest to the waistband.

He shuddered at feeling Kurogane's tongue moving against his skin once more, blue eyes half lidded watched as the taller man continued to kiss his skin as well. The older man only paused to pull away and remove the pants from the other. He yanked them down thin legs, eyes devouring the sight of his lover's body exposing itself slowly to him. Fay's arms left Kurogane as he helped his lover remove the last of his clothing, blushing faintly as the other man stared at the rest of his now exposed body.

Kurogane smirked at the reddening cheeks of the blonde, his hands tossing away the clothing haphazardly as the rest of his body moved forward. Lips reclaimed skin as Kurogane continued his way downward, licking and nipping at all flesh shown to him. Panting, the blonde narrowed his eyes at the attention he was receiving from Kurogane, his hands moving back to his lover. The student smirked wider before moving his fake hand to pull Fay's leg farther away, his mouth closing in on the now straining need. His tongue darted out, touching the heated skin with his saliva similarly to a time before.

"A-ah, Kuro-san..." Fay gasped as he felt his lover's man move over his arousal. His mind began to cloud over with lust at the warmth that enveloped him. The taller man glanced up slightly before focusing on the length in front of him, licking down the shaft once or twice before moving to engulf it completely. Fay arched his back, not used to the sensation all the while trying to keep himself from being too loud.

Kurogane smirked to himself around the member before he moved his head down, creating a slight bob. He slinked his hand onto Fay's leg, pushing it away from him to give him more room. Fay's breath hitched as he felt Kurogane begin to move as well as the other man's fingers pressed against his thigh. The blonde moved a hand to cover his mouth, not wanting anyone outside their bedroom to hear. The student flicked red eyes up to see what the blonde was doing, trying not to chuckle when he noticed his lover desperately wanted to stay quiet. He trailed his tongue along the length, knowing it would elicit delectable sounds from the other even as he muffled himself. The blonde beneath Kurogane shifted, having little luck. Fay's other hand gripped Kurogane's shoulder tightly as he felt the other man move against him.

The dark haired man bobbed his head a little faster on Fay's member, creating a smooth rhythm. He felt the other wiggle slightly, this time not able to keep a deep chuckle hidden, his voice creating a vibration against the other man's skin.

"K-Kuro-myu..." Fay trailed off as he watched the other man move, entranced by his lover's actions as he dug his nails into clothed skin. The other didn't look up, continuing his movement a little quicker. Though when he felt the member in his mouth twitch he pulled away finally, wiping his mouth as he sat up. The blonde's hand slipped from his mouth to his stomach as Fay looked at Kurogane, trying to regain his breath as the other's mouth left his arousal. Kurogane smirked slightly at the frazzled expression the Valerian displayed, knowing he had been the cause of it. He crawled back overtop of Fay, running his nose against the pale, sweaty cheek. Fay smiled as he wrapped his arms loosely around the taller man, liking Kurogane's affectionate side as the man nuzzled his heated face.

"Oi…" Kurogane grumbled lowly, ignoring the front door suddenly opening and closing vaguely. He ran a hand down Fay's side gently, feeling the curves as it went lower. "How do you want to do this?"

"As long as there's not pressure against my stomach it doesn't matter." Fay sighed pleasantly at the feeling of fingers tracing down his side. Kurogane felt his eyebrow twitch at the blonde's indecisiveness.

"Tch. Just pick a position dammit."

"Then Kuro-min should move and lay down." The blonde pouted halfheartedly at Kurogane, though his was unable to keep himself from grinning. A faint blush dusted across pale cheeks as Fay spoke. The taller man grunted and removed himself from the lingering above his lover, moving to sit next to the pale one instead. It was then he realized he was still wearing his two shirts, so he took that opportune time to take them off.

"That is unless Kuro-chu has a better idea?" Fay smiled as he sat up, his fingers moving the hem of the other man's pants, all the while watching Kurogane as he discarded his shirts. The tanned man paused, looking to his lover and then the thin hand against the button on his trousers.

"Hn. Seems like you've got other intentions anyway." He muttered, throwing his shirts with Fay's clothing.

"Kuro-san shouldn't be the only one that gets to be a tease." The Valerian smiled brightly as he moved to unbutton the other man's pants with deft fingers. Kurogane smirked slightly at Fay's advances, leaning back on his elbows so he could watch the other move his pants apart and off his legs. The blonde continued to smile as he divested Kurogane of the last of his clothes, tossing the garment aside before he leaned forward to kiss his lover's chest tenderly. Red eyes fell half lidded as he felt the smaller man's lips against his skin, staring at the blonde mop of hair in front of him. Languidly he shifted his weight to one elbow so he could place his hand on the other man's back.

Fay could feel his face redden as he wrapped his fingers around Kurogane's erection, slowly stroking the member as he continued to kiss tanned skin. Kurogane growled lowly in approval, leaning his head back slightly as the sensations filled his senses. He bent one knee to bring it up against Fay, not wanting to block the man from pleasuring him. The slender man grinned at the sounds Kurogane was making before he shifted lower down the length of the other man's body, leaving kisses on tanned skin as he went. After a few moments, Fay pressed his lips against Kurogane's arousal.

The other moved his hand to Fay's head, burying his fingers in golden locks. He bit his tongue to keep himself from making any loud sounds, knowing he couldn't be louder than the Valerian had been. Blue eyes closed partially as the blonde's tongue darted out to taste Kurogane. Fay could feel himself blushing furiously as he moved, trying to mimic what Kurogane had done. The taller man glanced down to his lover and smirked slightly, knowing Fay's expertise was nothing to really brag about. He was captivated though, staring at the other move as he tried to muffle his groaning once more.

Moving his hand along Kurogane, the Valerian scooted forward to move his lips over the tip of the other man's arousal. He blushed at the feeling of fingers in his hair as he moved. The other slinked down to lay flat on the bed, his mind becoming sluggish with the thoughts of Fay pleasuring him. He closed his eyes then, feeling the saliva against his skin. Fay moved, adjusting to their slightly changed position, before continuing what he had been doing. He grinned to himself, glad that he was at least doing it right as he moved his free hand to rest atop his lover's leg.

Kurogane moved his other hand to place it over his eyes, feeling slightly dizzy at the warmth of Fay's mouth around him. His real hand gripped Fay's hair gently, becoming very conscious of the fact that the door was now locked and they were ok to continue this. Fay sighed at the touch of Kurogane's hand in his hair before he slowly picked up his rhythm. His nails dug into the other man's bare leg as he focused on pleasuring his lover. The dark haired man gritted his teeth, swearing that Fay's mouth would be the end of him. He grunted slightly at the nails in his skin, knowing it would leave marks and if they continued digging they'd draw blood.

Fay could feel the other's body tense under him as he hummed in approval. Slowly he began bobbing his head as he had seen Kurogane do while his hand continued to move as well. The other groaned lightly at the combination of Fay's actions, thinking he didn't care anymore if the others heard. Kurogane tightened his grip on the blonde locks, his hand moving with the bobbing motions. Hearing Kurogane caused the blonde to move quicker, enjoying that fact he was able to draw such a reaction for the dark haired man. Moving his hand from the other's leg, to rest it beside his lover instead, Fay leaned forward as he continued. The pace increasing didn't help Kurogane keep silent, a somewhat stifle grunt sliding passed his lips as he squeezed eyes shut behind his hand.

"D-dammit, Fay…" He cursed, not realizing he had said the other man's name until after he had actually let it slip. The Valerian smiled around his lover, blushing lightly at the other saying his name. He tightened his grip on the other's arousal, glad that Kurogane was enjoying his actions. The other man suppressed the urge to buck into Fay's mouth, grunting while doing so. He felt his cheeks grow hot slightly at the hold on him in combination with accidentally saying Fay.

Fay moaned appreciatively as Kurogane continued to make noise and at the fingers still in his hair. Blushing, the blonde brushed his tongue against heated skin as he moved. Kurogane choked on his own air as he felt Fay's wet muscle massage him, his eyes snapping open as he once again had to force himself to stay still. At this rate Fay would gain an unexpected mouthful. Fay sped up his hand as he felt Kurogane still beneath him. The blonde stared with partially closed eyes at tanned skin as he continued to pleasure his lover; his cheeks still tinted a light red as he did. The other moved his hand from his face and placed it against the bed sheets. He shot a glance downward, eyes partially lidded and cheeks rosy from the experience. Kurogane's hand gripped Fay's hair tightly, pulling the Valerian off of him.

"O-oi…" He choked out, not wanting to already finish.

"Kuro-min...?" Fay's hand continued to move as he looked up at Kurogane, the other's fingers pulling at his hair. Kurogane hesitated for a moment before his eyes wandered to the hand that held him.

"I'm going t… to cum if you keep that up…" He muttered, trying to keep the part of his mind screaming at him to let Fay continue silent.

"Kuro-kun doesn't want me to finish?" The other man asked as he stared up at Kurogane. Fay grinned as he saw the flushed expression his lover wore, not having the opportunity to see it often. The cheeks grew redder and the question elicited a growl from the other man.

"Tch…" Kurogane moved to sit up, pulling the blonde forward. "Not like that."

Fay blushed as he was pulled closer. He smiled to himself as he hovered above Kurogane, his arms moved to wrap around his lover's shoulders. Kurogane brought their lips together, using one slow movement to find himself lying on his back again with Fay atop him. The taller man licked pale lips possessively as his hands moved to the blonde's hips. Closing his eyes, Fay still hovered a few inches above the taller man, not wanting to press against his stomach. He sighed appreciatively against Kurogane's lips, enjoying kissing the other man. Red eyes closed as well as Kurogane craned his neck to deepen their kiss. The Earthling lapped at Fay, loving his taste and texture. Fay leaned downwards as they kissed. The Valerian's arms moved until the blonde's hands cupped Kurogane's cheeks sweetly.

The older chuckled deeply and moved his real hand to rest against blonde tresses again, enjoying their comfortableness even more as they lay naked together. Smiling, the blonde combed one of his hands through Kurogane's hair as the other rested against the taller man's jaw. Kurogane leaned his head back down to so he could look at his lover. Crimson eyes scanned over the darkened cheeks, wet lips, pink nose, sweat covered forehead, lust… no… love filled eyes. The sight taken in made Kurogane smirk a full blown grin, knowing this was the face of his lover and the mother of his child. He pulled Fay back into another kiss, knowing that nightmare the blonde would never be real. Fay stared as he watched his lover smile. The Valerian could feel his heart race at the rare sight before he was pulled down into another kiss, returning the gesture wholeheartedly. Kurogane let the smile dissolve into the kiss, wanting to continue now more than ever. He removed his hand from the back of Fay's head, slinking it down the pale back slowly. Fay shuddered, feeling calloused fingers trail down his body. Fay moaned pleasantly as he pressed his lips to Kurogane's.

The taller man cracked his eyes to look at the one overtop of him, listening to the sounds he made almost hungrily. He continued to smooth his hand down the other man's back, gliding it down to curve with the rear. Fay gasped lightly as he felt Kurogane's hand continue to roam over his skin, enjoy the feeling of his lover's skin against his own. The blonde continued to kiss the other man as he focused on the dark haired man's lips against him.

Kurogane connected their lips again passionately, wanting to taste more of the Valerian. The other smirked lightly and bit Fay's bottom lip softly, his hand slinking down around to the blonde's entrance. Another moan left the blonde's lips as he felt both Kurogane nip at his lips and at the knowledge of where the other man's hand was going. He sighed as he pressed his lower body down on top of the dark haired man. Kurogane growled in approval at the other man's advances, his fingers grazing against the opening. He licked where his teeth had been, a sort of soothing treatment for the skin there

Fay shivered at the touch which caused him to pause briefly in kissing Kurogane. He could feel his face heating as he felt fingertips against the sensitive skin. The taller man leaned up to connect their lips again as his first finger entered; knowing Fay would rather keep quiet in a situation like this. He briefly thought about the baby, wondering when it wouldn't be good to do it while the child was still unborn. As Kurogane had expected the blonde to cry out, the sound was muffled by lips against his own. Fay dug his fingers into skin as he felt the digit enter him. The dark haired man grunted at the feeling of sharp nails clawing into him, but he kept on. He moved his finger vigilantly, wanting the muscles to relax naturally around him.

Fay smiled as he felt himself relaxing at the familiar intrusion. The Valerian pulled away from Kurogane's lips before he smiled warmly at his lover. The Earthling looked up curiously at his lover before he removed his fingers, positioning his hand to have two enter instead. Blushing, Fay shifted as he tried to relax further for his lover. Panting lightly, the shorter man leaned forward to place a soft kiss against the other man's cheek. Kurogane closed his eyes as the other moved against him, a loving smirk on his face. He couldn't help but lick the trailing salt water from Fay's cheek before scissoring his fingers inside his lover. Fay sighed pleasantly as he lightly kissed Kurogane's cheek again affectionately. The taller man grinned back and removed his hand from Fay's rear, feeling like the other had relaxed faster than normal. Chills ran down the Valerian's spine as he felt the taller man's fingers leave him, knowing what was to come.

"Oi… if you want to use that stuff, you're going to have to get it." Kurogane purred gently, red eyes glancing to Fay's lidded ones.

"Kuro-min's always demanding." The other hummed in amusement before lifting himself off Kurogane and towards the nightstand. Opening the top drawer the blonde looked through their things before finding the bottle he had been looking for. Smiling, Fay placed it next to Kurogane before he hooked his leg over the others waist, hovering over the man once more. The taller man sighed, seeing the blonde wanted him to use it. He took the bottle and uncorked it, pausing when he saw their sitting position. He clicked his tongue and raised an eyebrow.

"Move, or you do it."

Amused the blonde chuckled before doing as he was asked and moving. He chuckled lightly at Kurogane as he waited for the other man to continue. The student inhaled deeply again and squeezed a generous amount of the lotion into his hand. He corked the bottle nimbly with one hand and set it aside before touching the cream to his member, suppressing a shiver at the difference in temperature.

Fay watched briefly before he moved closer to Kurogane, cupping his lover's cheek. Tenderly he kissed his lover's cheek while waiting. Kurogane growled in approval as their lips met, his hand moving from his member to lie on the blankets. He used his other hand to pull the blonde closer, deepening their kiss. Closing his eyes, the Valerian pressed his lips to Kurogane's, savoring the feeling as he grinned.

The tanned man gripped Fay's hip gently, positioning the lithe one overtop of him without breaking their kiss. Fay shuddered when he felt large hands on his hips causing him to grin against the taller's lips. Kurogane smirked and pulled Fay down on him slowly, entering the other cautiously. He made sure not to remove his lips from Fay's, keeping any loud sounds made muffled. A choked gasp left the blonde's lips only to be quieted by Kurogane as he as was entered slowly. Fay willed himself to relax at the familiar sensation of being filled. The taller growled and continued to lower the blonde down on him until his length was completely sheathed. He moved his free hand to press it against blonde locks, not wanting to break their lips apart.

Moaning against Kurogane's lips, Fay waited as his body became used to the sensation of the other man inside him. His hands moved to rest on either side of his lover's head while they kissed. Kurogane allowed the other to relax, slipping his hand from the back of Fay's head to the pale neck. He stared at the blonde before separating his lips from the other. He leaned forward, lips grazing the Fay's earlobe.

"This is not the only reason I love you." He reminded the blonde affectionately, remembering what the other had said about the nightmare. Blue eyes stared wide at the other man for a brief moment, before Fay smiled warmly at Kurogane.

"I know," Fingers moved to stroke a tanned cheek as Fay rested above the taller man. "and I love Kuro-min very much for it."

"Good." Kurogane smirked, rising up to kiss his lover again. "Don't think any different then, idiot." He muttered as he leaned into the touch on his cheeks. The Valerian nodded as he smiled brightly. Taking a quick breath, the blonde lifted his hips from Kurogane before moving back down, seeing that he was relaxed enough for them to move now. The other grunted at the movement, a slight blush etching its way across his cheeks. He gripped the small hip against his own and aided with the rhythm, knowing Fay would need a little help with it.

Placing his hands on either side of Kurogane's head, Fay lifted himself up before moving again as they started a slow pace. A sigh escaped his lips, thinking he wouldn't be able to last long as both of them moved together. Kurogane gritted his teeth at the tempo, feeling halfway spent from their earlier actions. He slid his other hand down from Fay's neck to the forearm and leaned his head over to kiss the skin where his hand wasn't. The man above Kurogane couldn't suppress the smile that erupted from his lips as he watched and felt the student kiss him. Fay moaned softly as he rocked his hips back against his lover, gradually increasing their pace as he moved.

The taller man placed his forehead against the skin he'd just kissed, his mind swirling with the sensations of Fay overtop of him. He lost a psychological battle and bucked up into the blonde, kicking himself mentally for it. Fay cried out, his nails digging into the sheets under them at the feeling. Blue eyes fluttered closely as the shorter man hung his head down, concentrating on moving atop Kurogane. Said man wasn't sure if Fay wanted him to repeat the action so he remained still below the blonde. He kept moving his hand though, aiding his lover in his thrusting. The blonde shivered as he continued to thrust himself onto his lover, enjoying the friction it caused.

"Daddy… can move… instead of little me… do all the work." Fay panted out as he grinned down at Kurogane. The other smirked back up at the blonde for the nickname, moving his other hand to grip the opposite side of Fay's hip. He held him tightly to himself for a moment before grunting, bucking once more into the lithe man.

"A-ah..." Blue eyes closed at the movement, his hands gripping at the sheets tightly. Pleasure trailed down his spine as he moved quicker against Kurogane.

"Better?" Kurogane asked, gritting his teeth as he continued to thrust upward to meet Fay's movements and create a faster pace.

"...Yes…" Fay managed to choke out as he breathed harshly atop Kurogane. He could feel the familiar pull of climax reaching him as looked down at the other man. Kurogane stared back up, engrossed in the other man's expression and movements. He pulled the other down a little harsher atop of him, searching for the best spot to hit before they both would give way. At the angle change, Fay gasped as he felt the bundle of nerves inside him grazed by the other's arousal. Sparks of electricity shot through his body as both of them moved together. The half breed growled lowly in approval at the noise made, aiming to hit that spot with each entrance. He shoved himself faster into the smaller hips, wanting the breaking point to be met.

Fay arched his back, trying to gain more friction between them as Kurogane thrust up into him roughly. He could feel his body reacting to the dark haired man below him, the blonde felt his muscles tense as he felt himself getting closer to climax. The tanned man grunted and leaned his head back against the pillow, head swimming with the thoughts of Fay around him. He felt the tissue around him contract gently, feeling he would be pushed over the edge if they convulsed.

"Kuro-san…" Fay gasped softly as his body arched and tensed as he came, unable to keep going. Breathing heavily Fay leaned forward against his arms that slightly shook from orgasm. A combination of hearing his name said in such a sultry manner and also the constricted muscles around him caused the taller to follow afterward, spilling his essence into Fay with a final thrust and grunt. Smiling, the blonde watched Kurogane's face contort. He blushed and shuddered at feeling the other man release inside him. Kurogane let out a ragged breath, rushes of relief and bliss hitting his senses instantly. He smirked languidly up to Fay before removing one hand to pull the Valerian down on him, giving him a gentle kiss. He grinned, returning the kiss wholeheartedly.

They rested with one another then, snuggling and regaining their breaths. Kurogane closed his eyes, letting his mind wander out of its euphoric state. Amused the blonde chuckled lightly at Kurogane's affectionate side.

"I take it Kuro-san enjoys the mistletoe?" The other raised an eyebrow and scoffed.

"Tch. I'm not taking it this far under each one." He grumbled lazily, running his thumb gently over the pale skin on Fay's hip.

"I don't think either of us would be able to last that long if that was the case." Fay smiled appreciatively as he felt Kurogane touch him. The taller man chuckled and closed his eyes, still basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

"Didn't happen that way when I gave you the tour of the house."

"There's more mistletoe than rooms." The other retorted.

"Hn. And whose fault is that?" The tanned one brought a hand up to his forehead, wiping it free from the drying sweat. "Either way, not always doing it under them."

"I think I'll manage, though Kuro-san will still have to offer a kiss under them." Fay smiled warmly at his lover. The dark haired man opened his eyes to stare at the other before smirking, leaning up to give his lover a kiss.

"Fine." He said finally. Fay moved to meet Kurogane in another kiss, feeling overjoyed that the other would join in tradition now.


	32. Even if it's not enough

**Mirika-rin:** -waits for the pelting bricks- ...alrighty -bruised- thank you for being so patient. School is buttfucking me, and not in the good, Kurogane way D: I won't lie to you in saying the posts will be quicker, so... they're going to be slower X'D don't hate, Miri-kun is trying her hardest.

**Ashine-chan:** new chapter~ ;;; it's kinda late, but we've been working hard on the story to make up for it later. Mostly fluff this chapter to combat all the angst there has been. XD also everyone should check out the clamp_kink meme right now! you can even request kurofai from this series if you want~

**Mirika-rin:** (it's on livejournal) Ashine-chan is the host of that whereas I fill out prompts every now and then ;D go read our porn. -shot-

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The two men remained snuggled with one another for a good while after their last kiss. Fay had closed his eyes, enjoying being atop the taller even if he was still entered. Kurogane stared at the ceiling in silence, thinking over different things. He blinked and sighed, moving a hand to cover his eyes.

"Dammit. Forgot…" Blue eyes watched Kurogane, curious about what he had remembered.

"Kuro-pipi?" Fay asked as he gazed down at his lover.

"Yuui." He said simply, removing his hand before sighing. "Forgot to finish her. She's been draining energy on standby."

"She still needs a lot of work?" He thought back to the android sitting in the tv room as Fay asked Kurogane.

"No." The taller man replied, moving his hand back to Fay's hip. "Just needs her wires put back."

"Will you be waking her up soon?" The shorter man smiled at the hand placed on his side again.

"Yeah. Next time I work on her she'd be ready to interact with everyone." Kurogane replied, staring up at the ceiling as he thought about his creation.

"She'll be excited to see everyone." The blonde said as he watched Kurogane. He smiled at the thought of how Yuui would react to knowing the baby would be born soon.

"Hn." The other man agreed. He hesitated for a moment before slipping his hands off of Fay.

"Oi, lemme up. Gunna go finish working on her so she stops wasting my electricity." Fay nodded before lifting himself off of Kurogane, on still shaky limbs, to rest beside the other man instead. He sighed as his skin met cool sheets and turned to look at Kurogane. The taller man grunted slightly when he felt his spent organ slide out of his lover. He then moved to the side of the bed, regarding their discarded clothing with a slight glare.

"We should probably wash off." Fay suggested, slightly amused at Kurogane's expression, knowing of the other's distaste for laundry. Kurogane grunted in reply, remembering that they weren't the only two in the house anymore. He scoffed as he rose from the bed and went over to his disheveled pants on the floor. Fay chuckled as he watched Kurogane as he sat up on the bed. His hands moved idly to his stomach, wondering if he would be able to sleep normally tonight.

The taller man used his dirty clothing to wipe off the mess Fay had created on his stomach. He growled slightly and tossed them into the hamper. Red eyes looked over to the Valerian, regarding the pale hands on the swollen stomach. He grinned slightly before looking down again, himself not even knowing why he smiled. Seeing that everything was normal, Fay smiled as his thoughts drifted to the baby as Kurogane cleaned himself. The Valerian moved to the edge of the bed to sit close to the other man, wondering about the others in the house, which only caused him to lightly blush at the thought. The student went to the closet and started to rummage through it for clothing, obviously looking for something that he could get dirty without regret.

"You gunna lay there the rest of the day?" He inquired to his lover nonchalantly.

"I hadn't planned on it." Fay remarked as he watched his lover, a faint smile on his lips as he spoke. Kurogane shot a questioning glance over his shoulder while pulling out a muscle shirt. He set it to the side before looking for lower garments. Fay stood, his legs feeling slightly sore as he gathered his discarded clothes, taking them to the hamper as Kurogane had done with his own. The dark haired man found the clothing he was searching for and began to get dressed again, watching out of the corner of his eye as Fay wobbly went over to the side of the room. Putting away his old clothes, Fay turned to walk towards the closet in search of something to wear. He grinned up at Kurogane noticing the other had been watching him.

Pulling his shirt on Kurogane folded his arms and watched Fay start to search for clothing to wear as well. Ruby eyes looked over to the bed, his demeanor deflating somewhat when he saw the bed sheets. Finding a long sleeved shirt, Fay pulled it over his head, once he adjusted the top the Valerian moved to look for pants he could wear as well. The other man moved to the bed again and started to fold up all the messy sheets, seeing that they didn't get it on nearly as many blankets this time. Fay looked over his shoulder to watch Kurogane for a moment before he slipped on a pair of pants, knowing he would have to wash the sweat from him shortly.

Kurogane tossed the blankets arbitrarily into the hamper with the rest of their clothing, assuming their laundry would have to be done that night. He sighed irritably, feeling like they had just finished it. Fully dressed, Fay closed the closet before turning to watch Kurogane. He grinned as he crossed his arms and amused over Kurogane grumble about their sheets. The taller man looked back to Fay and raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He questioned as he started to go for their door.

"Kuro-kun grumbles too much, especially when it's about the laundry." Fay grinned as he moved to stand beside Kurogane. The other's expression didn't waver.

"And?" He stopped heading for the door and turned to the blonde, studying his lover's façade.

"Nothing, it's just cute." Fay chuckled to himself as Kurogane stared at him. The dark haired man twitched and reached a hand up to Fay's cheek, pinching it.

"What did I say about calling me cute?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Kuro-puppy's rough." Fay said as he reached up to flick his lover's forehead as his cheek was pinched by the other man. Kurogane growled slightly and batted at Fay's hand whilst his other lowered. He turned on his heel and opened the door, looking back to his lover with a frown.

"You're annoying." Moving his hand to his cheek, Fay rubbed the red skin there as he pouted up at Kurogane.

"Kuro-wan doesn't care if I am."

"Since when did I say that?" the other asked idly, placing his hands in his pockets before walking out of the bedroom.

"You do then?" Fay asked as he watched Kurogane, his hand dropping from his cheek.

"If I think you're annoying then I'll say you're annoying." Kurogane replied, regarding his partner over his shoulder. He paused for a moment before going back to Fay, planting a kiss on the pale forehead.

"Stop being an idiot."

"Kuro-rinta." Fay said as he smiled, closing his eyes briefly as he felt lips against his forehead. The other pulled away with a smirk, looking down into blue crystals before turning to make his way to the computer room. The blonde moved towards the bathroom after Kurogane left him. Stepping in side the blonde reached for a washcloth and cleaned the sweat from himself before tossing it with the other dirty clothes. He grinned to himself before making his way towards the living room. Archellevon was sitting with Mokona, the girl playing with a handmade doll. The boy looked up to Fay and blushed slightly.

"H-hello Fay-san…" Fay blushed as well at Archellevon's greeting before he smiled.

"Hello." He replied. Mokona laughed as she played with her doll, before turning to look up at the blonde. The former angel didn't look back up to Fay, his hands suddenly fiddling with the seam of his rather long shirt.

"M-Mokona-chan's doll was something Ed got her, but she got into the gift bag before we could stop her…"

"It'll just have to be an early Christmas gift then." Fay walked over to the nearest chair and sat, watching as Mokona smiled at her doll.

"Mokona really likes it!" She cheered before singing a joyful song about it that she seemed to make up as she sang. Archellevon smiled sheepishly to her, bringing his legs back up on the couch.

"Mokona will have even more gifts to open, but she has to try and not look at them before she's supposed to." The blonde said as he watched the girl. Scanning the room he saw that they were the only three around.

"Where's Edameonus?" Archellevon glanced up with a slight frown and pointed to the front door.

"He went outside for some reason…" The former angel informed. Standing from his chair, the blonde blushed faintly.

"I'll go and get him then, it's too cold to be standing outside." Archellevon nodded, feeling bad that he hadn't been the one to do so. Mokona looked up at the teen and smiled before returning her attention to her doll. Walking forward, Fay opened the door and stepped outside onto the porch. Edameonus was leaning against the far end of the railing, staring out into the field of snow. A half finished cigarette was in his mouth, the smoke of it trailing and disappearing into the wind.

"What's up?" he asked, having heard the blonde and Archellevon talking in the living room.

"You've been out here long?" Fay asked as he shut the door behind him, his eyes moving to the Ginryan.

"Not really." The taller man said, pulling the cigarette from his mouth. "Just long enough to go through this one and one other. The cold doesn't bother me, so it's fine." Edameonus brought his eyes to Fay, looking at the Valerian.

"Archellevon seemed worried." The other replied, looking out at the lightly snow covered ground. Edameonus looked out to it as well.

"Hn… He shouldn't worry…" The demon stood straight, taking another drag from the cigarette.

"He said he didn't know why you had left." The Valerian wondered briefly if the teen thought Edameonus had left because of him.

"I'd rather he didn't." The demon grimaced, not wanting to tell the blonde just why he was outside. "Well… I guess you should go in… I don't think any of us want you to get sick from… being out in the cold…" The taller man brought his hand to his mouth again.

"Alright." Fay said, blushing as he turned to leave the other man alone with his thoughts. Edameonus waited for Fay to turn around before he looked at the other, sighing out smoke.

"Life's a bitch, ain't it?" He asked himself once the Valerian closed the door, thinking back to the noises he had heard.

Walking back towards the living room, Fay smiled at the two still on the couch.

"Seems Edameonus is just smoking, once he's finished he'll come back." Archellevon visibly relaxed, his hand going to the girl's head.

"I hope that his body reacts differently than a human's to smoking…" he said gently, thinking back to his world and the things he had seen on tv.

"I doubt he'll be affected by it." Fay smiled as Mokona giggled as she twirled her doll around on her lap. Archellevon smiled to Fay then, idly braiding a strand of the girl's hair.

"Does Kurogane-san have any bad habits like that? I-if it's ok for me to ask…"

"Aside from his growling..." Fay grinned as he thought on the matter. "He has a temper so he likes to fight, though it's not as bad now." He grimaced as he remembered stories he had been told by Kurogane when his lover had been younger. The teenager leaned back into the couch, feeling over the strand of hair before continuing.

"It's really surprising what a child can do for you, even before it's born." The other smiled.

"Kuro-san was much more violent when he was growing up, but the baby has helped." The other said as he thought back to Kurogane reacting on Edonis compared to how his lover was now. Archellevon fidgeted.

"I suppose Ed was different before Mokona-chan came into his life?" He questioned, making Fay smile softly.

"He was angry too, though I think both coming here and Mokona helped him with it." Mokona blushed as she smiled brightly.

"It's good that both of them have changed." The teenager said as his hands retracted from Mokona's head, having finished the braid.

"If not, I'd really be afraid. Kurogane-san's temperament really startled me when I first awoke here in this world."

"He was being overprotective is all." Fay grinned not wanting to admit how he had been afraid of whoever had brought the teen to them when he'd first fallen out of thin air. Archellevon giggled and nodded.

"I can tell he really loves you, Fay-san." The boy said, making Mokona look up from her doll.

"It's love!"

"I'm glad." Fay smiled, embarrassed at the two across from him. He thought back to Kurogane, and what his lover had said to him earlier. The younger male grinned fondly at Fay's expression, feeling a ping of nostalgia hit him for no reason. He assumed it was from the memories he didn't have anymore and looked to the ground sadly.

"Yes… I think I'm glad for that too."

"All of us are a big family!" Mokona said as she laughed, her doll forgotten for the moment as she looked up at Archellevon.

"You're right Moko-chan." The boy replied with a wider grin, looking to the girl. "If a little broken and mismatched, we're still all family."

"Great Uncle Toriho said that we'd have an even bigger family too!" She grinned, remembering Kurogane's parents talking to her in town. Fay grinned amused at the girl, wondering what the older man had said. Archellevon's face went a little red.

"W-what does he mean by that, Moko-chan? Are you talking about Toshihiko?"

"He said the baby will be a boy, but that he wanted Fay and Kurogane to have more baby-sans. Even a little girl." Mokona said as she looked up at the teen. Fay blushed at the girl's words. Archellevon blinked and smiled feebly.

"S-Souhi-kun doesn't have the final say in things like that though…" He tried to explain, knowing that he was probably right though.

"I'm not sure how many more there will be...at least one more baby." The blonde explained as he looked over to the girl. He smiled at the thought, wondering what Kurogane would think if he heard Mokona. Blue eyes widened as Archellevon heard the other, surprised that Fay wanted more than one kid. Mokona cheered happily, moving to sit on her knees.

"More baby-sans!" She sang, holding onto the lithe one's shoulders so she could dance and keep her balance.

"The first one needs to be born and grow a little before there will be anymore." Fay said as he smiled at the girl's enthusiasm. The child looked over to the taller man and pouted, sinking back into her seat.

"Awww… Mokona doesn't want to wait that long…" she whined. Archellevon giggled slightly, placing a hand on her head.

"Mokona will have to be patient, besides she'll have Toshi to play with when he's older." The blonde chuckled lightly seeing the girl pout. Mokona continued to frown, even when told about playing with the baby. Big purple eyes looked over to Archellevon and the girl smiled again.

"Mommy, can Mokona have a sister?" With that, the teenager's face exploded into redness.

"Human males aren't able to have babies Mokona." Fay said, trying to correct the girl and to keep the teen from being too embarrassed. Archellevon gaped like a fish, unable to say anything as his mind was tortured by images. Mokona whined again flailing before falling back onto the couch.

"Why not! Mokona wants a sister!"

"You're greedy." Came Edameonus's voice, the man having entered the house like lightning. He growled down to his child, though his face was burning. Fay turned his eyes to Edameonus, watching the Ginryan approach Mokona. He blushed, hoping what the girl had said would bother Archellevon too much. Mokona pouted to her father figure and lifted her arms up to be held.

"But Mokona's lonely! Everyone else is all grown up!" Edameonus sighed and bent down to lift the girl up off the couch.

"And you think having a sister would make her as old as you? Babies can't grow that fast." He instructed her, though he knew the girl wouldn't be deterred easily.

"Mokona will have Toshi to play with and the rest of us don't mind to either." Fay said wanting to keep the girl from saying something that would hurt what could be a budding relationship between the two. The man sat down next to Archellevon with a slight grin on his face.

"Besides, if you're not an only child, the attention gets divided. Don't you like having all the gifts and love you could ask for, you little twerp?" He asked, holding her slightly. The teenager furrowed his brow and placed a hand on Edameonus's shoulder.

"A-ah, so mean, Ed…" Mokona pouted as she mulled over the dark haired man's words.

"Mokona will play with all the babies Kurogane and Fay have then." She crossed her arms in a huff, not entirely letting go of the idea of her own siblings. Edameonus placed a hand on her head.

"Good. Make sure to annoy Kurogane as much as possible when you babysit." He grinned evilly, thinking about how Mokona would teach the others to do things that would wreak havoc on Kurogane's will power. Archellevon sighed, seeing his attempts to lessen the damage done were not working.

"The baby will be even more of a handful then." Fay grinned, knowing that their child would be energetic even with Mokona around. The transformed child squealed then, flinging her arms about.

"Yay! Mokona will help!" She sang, though both she and Edameonus were taken aback when looking down the hallway. The demon's eyes softened and a smile grazed his face.

"Looks like we've gotten another family member at that."

"It's good that Kuro-san was finally able to wake Yuui up." The blonde said as he turned to look at the android and his lover. Purple eyes widened at the sight, curious about the new girl. Yuui entered the room holding Kurogane's hand to help her walk. She was wearing one of the Earthling's shirts, it reaching mid-thigh. She smiled at the girl and then blue eyes looked over to Fay.

"User Fay! Baby-chan! You're both ok?" She asked, wobbling over to sit next to the man. Kurogane folded his arms, a slight smirk on his face at succeeding with placing Yuui's memories back in order.

"Yes, we're okay Yuui." Fay grinned and petted the android's hair. The blonde was happy that his supposed twin wasn't suffering from coming back to Earth and being shut down for so long. Yuui grinned appreciatively at the affection given to her.

"Yuui's glad then." She said cheerfully before perking up. "User Kurogane, there are strangers in the room." The taller man rolled his eyes and sat down on the other side of Yuui.

"It's fine. These people will be living her for a while." He said lowly, glancing over to the other 'family'. Mokona continued to stare, seeing that there was someone new to their odd family.

"They're friends Yuui." The blonde explained further as he smiled up at Kurogane.

Yuui looked over to the others in the room and smiled, realizing she had seen them before.

"Hello! I'm Yuui! Youth Under Uranium Ignition! Pleased to meet you!" Edameonus smirked and leaned back.

"We've met before, but I didn't give you my name. I'm Edameonus, or rather just Ed or Edam, this is Archellevon, or Archy, and this is my daughter, Mokona Modoki Soel 3."

"Kurogane made Yuui like Mokona was made?" The small girl asked as she looked at Edameonus. Fay laughed seeing that Mokona was curious about Yuui. Edameonus gave her a sheepish smile.

"Kind of. Where as you're completely magic based, Yuui's made of only metal and wires." He explained, fingers tracing over the braid in her hair. Archellevon smiled knowingly to the girl and folded his hands.

"We've met before, haven't we Yuui?" He asked smoothly, and the girl nodded.

"Archy's the nice angel that helped save baby-chan!"

"It seems Yuui's very energetic." Fay said as he smiled at the other girl's enthusiasm. Mokona nodded understanding as she grinned, still watching Yuui. The robot laughed happily before leaning against Kurogane dramatically.

"Yuui missed a long time! Yuui was asleep for too long!" She complained, making a vein throb in Kurogane's forehead.

"Be thankful I didn't keep your walking systems out, you brat." Edameonus raised an eyebrow at this, sorely reminded of him and his own adopted daughter.

"Kuro-san wouldn't be that mean to Yuui after working on her for so long." Fay said as he watched Yuui try and hug Kurogane. The taller man growled but allowed the contact. Yuui giggled and looped her mechanical arms around the other's neck.

"User Fay is nice! User Fay knows Kurogane!" She laughed again, watching as Kurogane pushed her off. The girl froze, realizing something was different. She looked to the man's left hand and took it in her own. She smiled sadly.

"Kurogane… you're still not healed are you?"

"He couldn't heal from something like that Yuui." The blonde explained looking over to the girl as she examined the hand she held. The android pouted briefly.

"Yuui knows…" She then smiled and looked to her owner. "But Yuui's happy because it makes Yuui and Kurogane more alike!" She grinned cheekily as her creator sighed.

"You're annoying too."

"Kuro-tan thinks everyone's annoying." Smirking at Kurogane, Fay watched as Yuui laughed. Across from them Mokona watched, still looking at Yuui, seeing how the android and Fay looked alike.

"I say you're annoying because you are!" Kurogane retaliated, trying to ignore Yuui nuzzling against his chin. Edameonus held back a cackle at his lenient side, looking to Archellevon instead of the half breed. The former angel sighed airily, remembering the last time he had seen the android.

"Kuro-brute's so cruel." Fay covered his face in mock despair as he looked away from his lover. Mokona giggled, used to seeing the blonde's act in front of Kurogane.

"O-oi! Stop that!" The mechanic barked, pulling Yuui away from him. The girl continued to smile in question, brilliant blue eyes looking over to Mokona. Fay continued to look away as Mokona watched; she blushed faintly when she saw Yuui watching her, not knowing what to do. Kurogane leaned over Yuui and poked Fay in the head.

"I said stop that!" The doll fell into his lap, cooing slightly.

"Does Kurogane have baby-chan in him this time?" She asked, making the half human squawk.

"What the hell? You know that can't happen! What did I teach you anyway?"

"Kuro-sama even picks on me." Fay said smiling as kept Kurogane from seeing his face.

"But Kurogane hid away baby-chan in Yuui then Fai took it back." She smiled as she leaned forward out of her creator's way.

"Didn't I just say I don't have him?" Kurogane snapped at the robot before he turned his attention to Fay. "And you! Stop acting like you're upset because I can tell you're not!"

"Then Kuro-san shouldn't pinch and poke me like a little boy." Fay said as he finally looked over at Kurogane.

"Do boyfriends usually do that?" Yuui asked, her mind wandering from the baby for the moment. Kurogane's cheeks lit up slightly and looked down to his creation.

"U-uh…" Edameonus snorted then, hiding his face behind Mokona in order to avoid Kurogane's glare. Fay grinned seeing his lover at a loss for words. Yuui tilted her head to the side when she didn't receive an answer.

"Kurogane picks at Fay?" She asked, confused about the idea.

"Only cuz that idiot annoys the shit out of me." Kurogane snorted, picking the girl to sit upright again.

"Stop sitting like that, you moron." He shot another glare over to the Ginryan, who was curling up on the side of the couch with barely contained laughter.

"Kuro-san's rude too." Fay said as he looked over to the other man. Yuui sat up and gazed up at the other man curious.

"Kurogane calls Fay petnames too?" The taller man rolled his eyes and sat back.

"Like hell I do. Unless you call 'Blondie' and 'Idiot' petnames."

"Kuro-wan calls me by name sometimes too, though I guess he does call me other things." Yuui looked back and forth between both men. Mokona giggled again and danced slightly in her seat. Archellevon noticed her quiet observing and smiled, placing a hand on her back.

"Why don't you say hello, Moko-chan? I'm sure Yuui-chan would appreciate a friend."

"Mokona wants to say hello to Yuui." She blushed faintly as she tried to smile at the android who returned the gesture and looked at the small creature. Archellevon smiled widely and patted Mokona's back lightly.

"Well then, you should go over to her." He urged, noticing that the android was curious about the tiny girl as well.

"Is Mokona like baby-chan too?" Yuui asked as she tried to figure out the little girl who walked over to her cautiously, not being used to seeing something like the android before. Fay chuckled. "No, she was made similar to how you were." The blonde turned his gaze to Kurogane only to lean over and flick the other's forehead again.

"Kuro-tan's in a bad mood."

Kurogane grabbed the other's wrist quickly. "You wanna try that again, Blondie?" He snapped, not noticing the android leaning down to smile at Mokona.

"Hello, I'm Yuui! Youth Under Uranium Ignition! Pleased to meet you!"

"Mokona Modoki...Mokona's other name is Soel." She fidgeted, feeling odd around the other as she met blue eyes.

"Shouldn't have pinched me earlier then, it could have left a mark." Fay retorted as he looked at the other man.

"You'd get over it." Kurogane growled, staring back. Yuui grinned to the smaller female.

"What would you like for Yuui to call you?" She asked earnestly, her hands cupped on her knees. The blonde gave Kurogane a devious smile.

"Then Kuro-chan cannot be so grumpy." Mokona looked at Yuui and smiled.

"Mokona."

"Mokona is Mokona?" Yuui asked with a Cheshire grin, sticking her finger out to point at the girl.

"Would you quit calling me that!" Kurogane snapped, rubbing his temple in aggravation.

"Mokona is Mokona." She nodded as she watched the android point at her.

"Then don't prove me right." The Valerian said as he frowned at his lover. The android laughed rather loudly at the revelation, clapping her hands and sitting upright, cutting Kurogane's vision off from Fay. Archellevon smiled at the two girls, glad that they were getting along.

"She really is cute…" He said to himself, staring at the white haired child. Edameonus smiled as he watched Mokona, who smiled up at Yuui.

"Yuui will be friends with Mokona!" She laughed cheerfully as she looked at the smaller girl.

"And Mokona will be friends with Yuui!" The other declared enthusiastically. The white haired boy grinned widely, blue eyes looking over to Edameonus, wondering if he was proud over the child's boldness. The Ginryan watched a smile stretched across his face at seeing the small girl over her shyness. The older looking girl reached out a hand to touch Mokona.

"Mokona isn't a robot?" she asked curiously, not knowing that half of the room was staring at them.

"Mokona was made differently, she's magic based." Edameonus said as he explained it to the android. Mokona smiled, able to tell Yuui wasn't exactly like her. The blonde tilted her head to the side and looked to the light haired girl.

"Magic?" She smiled widely. "Like kissing a wound!" Kurogane choked on his air at hearing this, remembering that Fay demonstrated this before they were taken to Edonis. Edameonus raised an eyebrow to this, a slight smirk on his face.

"In a way, but it's different than a kiss." Fay said amused that Yuui would remember something like that.

"Different? Yuui doesn't understand." She admitted, leaning on Fay's knee while looking curiously to him. Archellevon giggled lightly as Kurogane sighed irritably at his creation.

"It's much stronger." Fay said having difficulty trying to explain. Mokona laughed at the Valerian's expression.

"Stronger?" Yuui asked. Archellevon shook his head and stood, walking over to the girl.

"Here, let me help explain." He offered gently, making Yuui smile.

"Ok." Kurogane watched idly as the former angel crouched down in front of them, similarly to when he explained love to Mokona. Edameonus's eyes were trained on the teen, a faint smile on his face as he did while Mokona and Yuui waited for the other to explain. Fay grinned, seeing how well Archellevon was with children.

"There are simple magics and then difficult ones." The white haired one began, moving a hand to stroke Mokona's cheeks.

"Some create life, some heal, and some are just for fun. Yuui-chan, kissing wounds is a very delicate magic that some might not even know it's there. Mokona-chan, however, is a magic that might've taken more than one person to perform and create her."

Mokona nodded knowing she wasn't allowed to say who had created her, but understanding what the teen said. Fay blushed faintly wondering if the boy had meant his words to sound as it had to him. Archellevon smiled to the two girls and wrapped his arms around his knees.

"There are different types of magic. There's the blunt magic, where you can see the change, like Fay-san's ears… and then the subtle magic, like kissing a wound or the butterflies in your stomach when someone you like does something nice for you…"

Mokona laughed lightly at the image in her head as Yuui stared at the teen, nodding. Fay chuckled at the androids wide gaze, knowing Archellevon could explain things better than him. The boy grinned back, moving his hand from Mokona's head to Yuui's.

"Weird huh? How there's so many things magic is good for…" He asked, absentmindedly looking over to Edameonus. He blushed and looked back to the girls. Kurogane scoffed lightly at this, seeing them digress somewhat in their relationship.

"Yuui is impressed." The girl smiled brightly after the teen finished speaking. "Kurogane never explained magic to her." Mokona giggled at the android's reaction.

"Tch. Never asked." He said simply, instantly annoyed when the girl went back to snuggling into his side like a cat. Archellevon grinned widely and stood up again, placing his hands behind his back.

"Yuui-chan's good at learning."

"Kuro-kun made Yuui so she could learn a lot." Fay said as he looked at the teen. Yuui laughed as she hugged her creator.

"Yuui has lots of memory." The girl said while nuzzled him. Kurogane growled.

"And yet you can't remember me shoving you off for this two seconds ago." He rolled his eyes, knowing a fight against her would be meaningless and that she'd only go to clinging to him again. Edameonus smirked on the other side of the room, his mind slowly going to children. Yuui smiled, not relenting in her hug. Fay chuckled seeing his lover was annoyed regardless of him not pushing the android away.

"Kurogane doesn't like hugs then?" Red eyes sharply turned to Fay.

"Why do you always gotta ask useless questions?" The taller growled, noting Archellevon going back to sit on the couch with Edameonus.

"It's not, you do." Fay retorted with a grin. Mokona laughed as she grabbed Archellevon's hand.

"I never said I did or not!" Kurogane grumbled, placing a hand on the top of Yuui's head so he wouldn't choke on her hair. The former angel smiled down to the girl and led her to her father figure, blushing as he took his seat next to Edameonus.

"Then you do?" The other man asked as he teased Kurogane. Knowing the other man wouldn't admit it in front of others.

"Stop twisting my words!" The half human gritted his teeth in aggravation, listening to Yuui squeal airily at being close to her owner again. Archellevon pulled Mokona to sit between the two of them, knowing she'd want to be close to both of them.

"I'm not; Kuro-san just thinks I am." Yuui and Mokona giggled as Fay spoke. The blonde smiled, knowing Kurogane was getting angry.

"Shut up, you're annoying!" The Earthling grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sighed in aggravation, making Yuui's curls fly in his breath. The other couple in the room smiled at their antics, Edameonus chuckling lowly. Fay sighed and propped his chin on his hand as his arm rested on the couch arm beside him.

"Kuro-pon's mean." Yuui looked over to Fay curiously and then to Kurogane.

"Are all boyfriends mean to each other?" She questioned. Kurogane snorted and gestured to the others in the room.

"Ask them." The white haired teenager's eyes went wide and his face exploded in color.

"W-w-what?"

"Only Kuro-pyon." Fay smiled as he looked over at the girl. Edameonus stopped laughing as he glared over towards the other couch at Kurogane, a dark blush across his face. Kurogane raised his eyebrow at the Ginryan, a slight smirk on his face.

"What's with the look?" He questioned languidly. Archellevon bowed his head and looked away, fretting over the words said.

"W-w-w-we're not b-b-b-b… he's n-not… I-I'm…"

"But they don't talk like Kurogane and Fay do." Yuui said as she looked over at the other pair. Mokona laughed as she looked over her shoulder while the Ginryan looked away. Kurogane scoffed and placed a hand on the small of Yuui's back, a gentle comfort for the robot.

"Not all boyfriends act the same, kid." He glanced over to Archellevon, seeing the boy slowly trying to mend himself into the couch.

"Kuro-kun's right, not everyone is a brute." The Valerian said as he smiled to himself. Yuui looked over at her twin in mild understanding. Mokona grinned as she rejoined Archellevon and Edameonus.

"Oi, oi. I told you to shut up." Kurogane commanded lazily, shooting a glare to his lover. Edameonus placed his face in his hand, sighing at the fact that Fay wasn't denying their relationship status either.

"F-Fay-chan, you too?" He whimpered. Fay waved off Kurogane as he smiled at Edameonus.

"I never said anything about that, I was just explaining things to Yuui." He grinned, seeing that the couple across from them was embarrassed. Edameonus looked up, a trail of sweat running down the side of his face as he gave Fay a halfhearted look.

"What is this 'that' you talk about?" he asked weakly, the former angel next to him fidgeting like a madman. Mokona saw his hands moving and instantly she slapped hers on top of them, thinking it was a game.

"Kuro-bark was talking about you and Archy." A devious smirk stretched across the blonde's face as he spoke idly to his friend. "But I suppose we could talk about something else."

The two on the opposite couch came close to combustion, garnet and cobalt averted to either sides of the room. Kurogane chuckled to himself, knowing buttons were being hit.

"Th-that's… it's not like…" Edameonus babbled, trying to explain that they weren't an item without hurting either of their feelings. Fay giggled lightly, not wanting to embarrass his friends too much.

"Kuro-myu, maybe we shouldn't tease too much?" Blue eyes turned to gaze at the taller man.

"That's a first for you." Kurogane snorted, realizing Yuui was basically purring in his lap. He sighed and patted her head, the girl giggling as he did so. Edameonus glared at the other dark haired man.

"You ass. Think you're high and mighty since you're the one not being made fun of."

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"Kyaa! Kurogane is so loud!"

"Yuui will get used to it." Fay said, knowing it wasn't pleasant to hear the taller man yell when he was close. Mokona smiled as she looked between both men, familiar with their arguing. The girl grinned, showing she wasn't really bothered with it, before scooting away from Kurogane to latch onto Fay.

"Fay won't yell in Yuui's ear." She sang, making the dark eyebrow twitch infamously. Edameonus looked away again, willing away his blush after the subject change. Smiling the blonde hooked his arm over Yuui as he looked down at her.

"Yuui and me will cuddle instead since Kuro-tan doesn't like to."

"Cuddle time with Fay! Cuddle time!" Yuui sang, making Mokona squeak indignantly.

"Mokona wants to cuddle too!" She whined before looking up to Edameonus. The man raised an eyebrow before grinning, scooping the girl up and hugging her tightly. She squealed happily, singing along with Yuui. Kurogane snorted and waved a hand at Fay.

"Do what you want."

"Kuro-kun's jealous that I'm not cuddling him now is all." Fay said above Yuui's laughter.

"Kurogane likes to cuddle Fay?" The android asked as she hugged the blonde, her arms wrapped around the blonde's waist.

"He'd be lying if he said anything different." Edameonus said over Mokona's singing, earning daggers from Kurogane's pupils.

"Shut up, asshole!" He barked, pointing a finger to the other man, whom cackled. "And I'm not jealous of her!"

"Kuro-tan is." Fay said as he smirked over top the android's head to look at Kurogane.

"Yuui likes cuddling Fay and baby-chan." Yuui grinned as she nuzzled her twin.

"Not!" Kurogane snapped back childishly, earning another chuckle from Edameonus. But before the demon could say anything, Mokona's eyes widened.

"Mekkyo!" She said suddenly, making the dark haired man looked in a panic to his past lover. He held the girl tightly in his arms and darted quickly out of the room as her gem began to light up. Archellevon's blue eyes followed him curiously.

"…What was that about?"

"I don't know..." Fay said slightly worried, as he watched the Ginryan leave with Mokona in tow. Yuui looked as well as she continued to lean against the blonde. Archellevon stood.

"Maybe I-"

"Don't meddle in business that's not yours." Kurogane instructed sharply, making the pale one stop in his tracks to look at the older man. The half breed met the gaze threateningly, the former angel freezing under it.

"It could cause more damage than necessary." He added. The boy didn't move for a second, before sinking into the couch again.

"Y-yes… you're right…" He said, looking down. Leaning over, taking Yuui with him, Fay pinched Kurogane's cheeks.

"Kuro-growl shouldn't be so rude about it; you'll scare everyone that way." Yuui giggled in between both men as the Valerian spoke.

"It's the only way _some_ people will listen, idiot!" Kurogane growled and grabbed Fay's arm, yanking it away. Doing so caused the two blondes to fall on top of him. Instinctively Fay wrapped an arm around his stomach as he landed on top of Kurogane.

"Cuddle, cuddle~" Yuui cheered as she sat with her twin as well. Kurogane sighed and instantly relaxed under them, knowing it was futile to create chaos with a pregnant Valerian and a newly fixed robot. Archellevon smiled feebly over to them, thinking it was cute, though his mind was elsewhere. Fay looped his free arm around Kurogane's neck and smiled up at his lover.

"See you do like to." Yuui laughed and nodded in agreement. Kurogane growled in reply.

"Not like you two give me much of a choice." He grumbled, seeing that Yuui was more than likely not going to move anytime soon.

"Daddy's bashful." He chuckled as he leaned up to give Kurogane a quick kiss on the cheek. Laughing, Yuui watched the couple, enjoying their odd way of showing affection.

"Am not!" He barked, though he didn't move away from the kiss. Archellevon stood again, slowly, making sure that the others were no longer paying attention to him.

"Someone's in denial." The Valerian teased as he looked up at his lover.

"Kurogane's blushes around Fay?" The android asked as she looked up at her creator. Though Kurogane's cheeks reddened slightly at the discovery he closed his eyes and looked away.

"Like hell I do. If anything its cause he infuriates the piss out of me." Archellevon smiled at them before gliding down the hallway, looking for Edameonus.

"I could be much worse." Smiling, Fay watched Kurogane as he thought about his lover's father. "Besides it doesn't bother you that much does it?"

Kurogane gave Fay a skeptical look before shaking his head at the other man's naivety.

"You're an idiot." He looked over to the other couch and sighed, knowing Archellevon's actions were going to stir up havoc. Said teenager was now stopped in front of the kitchen door, having heard Edameonus's voice.

"Kuro-wan's always saying that." The blonde replied as he rested against his lover's chest. His eyes drifted towards the opposite side of the room, seeing the teen missing just as Kurogane had. Yuui curiously followed their gaze before looking to the other men again.

"Eh? What's wrong, Kurogane? Fay?" Kurogane shook his head, looking back to his lover. Sighing, Fay turned his attention back to Kurogane as he reassured the android beside them.

"Nothing Yuui should worry about." He said. The android smiled, easily comforted.

"Ok then!" The dark haired man looked to the second blonde and ruffled her hair, making her squeal happily. It was at that same time that Archellevon pressed himself up against the door, listening to what Edameonus was saying.

"Sorry about not reporting in a couple of weeks…. I've been… sidetracked…"

"You look frazzled, Edameonus. Something happen?" Archellevon's eyes widened, recognizing the voice as Yuuko's. Blue eyes narrowed as Fay rested against Kurogane, knowing that Edameonus would be angry if he knew the teen was listening in on him. He offered Yuui a faint smile at seeing her laugh.

"You can hear them can't you?" Kurogane said lowly, looking to Fay. Yuui remained confused but found herself content with nuzzling into the broad chest.

"Yes..." The blonde said, picking up the fairly clear voices of the others. He watched Yuui, glad to see she was easily amused, not wanting to see her upset. He could hear Edameonus continue, though with a shaky voice.

"N-Nothing in particular…"

"Edameonus, if it's something the court needs to know, you shouldn't keep it in hiding." Both Archellevon and Fay could hear a pause before a deep sigh.

"No, nothing. Of late festivities of disgus-…. Of the humans are going on around this time, so Earth's creatures are more likely to act up. Much like on Jade or Ginryuu…"

Another pause.

"Was someone attacked?" Frowning, the blonde listened to Yuuko's question, wondering what Edameonus was going to say to her. Yuui hummed beside them, oblivious to anything other than the two beside her.

"…Someone was…" Edameonus admitted. Archellevon felt his heart leap into his throat; for some reason, he was making himself keep quiet behind the door instead of letting Yuuko know he was alive and well.

"And that would be?" The witch continued.

"...Soel was."

"Ah? Soel? Is she alright?" Though it was over a serious matter, Fay could only make out boredom in Yuuko's tone.

"Yes, fine, but tired." The corners of his lips curled into a faint smile as Fay listened, glad that the Ginryan had made the right choice in not mentioning Archellevon to the court member.

"I see." Yuuko continued. "Any other news?"

"My house is finished. Souhi, Sir Kurogane and I will be working to get it livable by the time this week's over. Maybe sooner than that." A sudden shift of fabric was created. It seemed he knew that the others weren't being noisy any longer.

"I'll report later Yuuko. I feel as if I'm being overheard." The woman sighed.

"Fine. Make sure Mokona transforms into her disguise before she goes out. Until then." Fay blushed at having been nearly caught eavesdropping and hoped Archellevon would at least leave the door in time. Yuui looked up at her twin curiously.

"Fay's blushing?"

"I pinched him." Kurogane smirked, knowing the doll would believe him.

"Y-yes, Kuro-daddy's playful sometimes." The blonde nodded as Yuui laughed.

"Boyfriends are playful then?" Kurogane snorted at Fay's reaction, having to look away.

"Sometimes, Yuui." He chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"…How long have you been standing here?" Came Edameonus dangerously low voice to Fay's ear. Turning his head in the direction of the kitchen, Fay frowned as he felt the angry aura coming off the Ginryan. Yuui smiled up at her creator, unaware of the blonde's attention elsewhere.

"N-not long… I-I was g-going to make tea for…all… of…" The boy trailed off, though it was weaker than normal.

"You were listening weren't you? Weren't you, Archy?"

A small pause.

"Oi, look at me."

"Why didn't you tell me y-you were part of the c-court, Ed?" Yuui turned her head slightly, their voices raising enough for the others to hear. Turning away from the couple, Fay buried his face against his lover's chest, not wanting the other two to know he was able to hear them. Silently the Valerian hoped things wouldn't become too out of hand. Kurogane placed a hand on Yuui's head to comfort her and gently stroked Fay's back, sighing to himself.

"…That's my business."

"It's mine too! I-I was a Court member!"

"And you're not now!"

"Is there something wrong with being one?"

"…Not that you need to know."

"Why don't you tell me anything Ed?"

"BECAUSE YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW ARCHY! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE YOU AGAIN BECAUSE YOU RAN RIGHT BACK THERE!"

"…W…what?"

Fay winced at hearing Edameonus yell. He gripped Kurogane's shirt, knowing they should have stopped Archellevon to keep something like this from happening. The taller glanced over to the hallway, a set frown on his face while his grip tightened on Fay. Edameonus growled and they could hear him lean against the door frame.

"You idiot. Get it through your head I'm a selfish, greedy bastard only in things for myself." His voice cracked but he continued to talk: "I'm not ever letting you contact the court. So don't ask me." Heavy footsteps went back into the kitchen, the slamming of the back door letting them all know he was most likely going out to smoke. Frowning, Fay wondered if he should go to Archellevon and Mokona, who had probably heard everything, or leave the teen to himself for the time being.

"..." Kurogane removed his hand from Yuui's head and the android lifted it cautiously. She looked at her creator with a scared expression.

"D… Do all boyfriends… get mad when being… caring?" She asked, gripping Kurogane's shirt just as tightly as Fay was. Fay turned his head to watch Yuui, seeing that she was afraid of Edameonus's outbursts. He watched the android, having a feeling that Archellevon was still standing in front of the kitchen door.

"Sometimes things like that happen, Yuui." Kurogane said softly, stroking the messy artificial hair. "Don't worry about it." He commanded, allowing the girl to nuzzle into his chin while crimson eyes went to Fay's façade. Yuui nodded in understanding as she still frowned.

"...Do you think I should check?" The Valerian asked as met Kurogane's gaze.

"… He'd probably need it." Kurogane replied. He pulled Fay close to him for a kiss, knowing the blonde was extremely worried about the teenager. Returning the kiss, the blonde offered his lover a smile before he pulled away.

"I'll be back." Turning, Fay walked towards the kitchen, not knowing how Archellevon had handled the shouting. When the blonde entered the hallway, he could see no Archellevon. Taking that as the white haired one moving into the kitchen, the Valerian entered there. The teenager was standing in front of the teapot on the stove, Mokona clinging to his shoulder with a worried look on her face.

"Fay..." Mokona said as she turned to see the blonde, large tear drops were gathered at the corner of the white creature's eyes. Stepping up at to them, Fay smiled wearily. Archellevon stiffened slightly when hearing Mokona say the Valerian's name before wiping his eyes fervently.

"F-Fay-san! D-did you come in to make tea with me?" He asked with a quiver in his voice, not looking at the other. Fay nodded and moved to stand beside the teen.

"I thought I could help." The blonde smiled at Mokona who sniffled and wiped at her eyes with tiny paws. Archellevon seemed determined to not look at Fay, for he moved his vision to the other side of the room.

"O-ok… what type… what type d-does Fay-san like the best?" He asked, gasping slightly as he tried desperately not to cry, at least that's what the Valerian could tell.

"Whichever Archy would like, I don't have a preference." Fay offered the boy a smile, but knew Archellevon wouldn't look at him. Mokona instead watched both of them interact, feeling the sadness from Archellevon as well as the uncertainty from Fay.

"…Ok…" The teenager said softly as he bowed his head. "…Fay-san… heard… you all heard…" He sighed, his hands moving to the towel to fiddle with the seam. "I-it's not…that I-I don't t-trust him… I was only… its n-not as bad…" He hiccupped on accident, slapping his hand against his mouth. Fay chuckled lightly at the teen, glad that it wasn't as bad as he had feared.

"Kuro-san and Yuui didn't really hear much..." He said sheepishly as Mokona nuzzled the side of Archellevon's head. The boy's hand came up to cup her small and round body.

"…S-still…" He bowed his head. "I-I'm… so confused… w-why can't he j-just tell me… w-why I-I can't go back?" The boy hiccupped again, before jerking to look at Fay. Big tears swelled in his eyes and he gave Fay a pathetic look. He hesitated, then went forward, looping his arms around Fay's torso tightly. Surprised, Fay hugged Archellevon to him, moving a hand to the boy's hair in an attempt to comfort him.

"He's just doing what he thinks is best." Smiling the blonde let Archellevon cry against him, knowing it would do the other good. The younger one's shoulder's quaked, squeezing his eyes shut.

"…W-why though…? Why? ...I-I'm so confused…" He choked out, knowing Mokona was just as upset as he was.

"It's not for me to say," Fay said as he looked at Mokona, offering the creature a smile in comfort. "but I do know he does it for the right reasons, you just have to trust him." Soel nodded as she tried to keep herself from crying as well, knowing what Fay was talking about. Archellevon nodded against the fleece fabric, sniffling like a little kid. He held tightly against the shirt, feeling childish for always reverting to crying on other people.

"You shouldn't worry so much, I'm sure you'll find your answers soon enough if you just wait for them." Fay offered, smiling faintly as he felt Archellevon's crying soften. "Isn't that right Mokona?" Said creature nodded her head as she looked at Fay.

"Archy should smile!" Mokona cheered softly. The teenager sniffed again and pulled away from Fay. He brought his hand away from the taller man's shirt and used it to wipe his eye again.

"S-sorry…" He whispered, shaking his head lightly. "I-I didn't mean…" Removing himself from the teen as well, Fay smiled.

"Don't worry about it. I'm happy to help in even a little way." Mokona smiled brightly as she hopped atop Archellevon's shoulder.

"Archy and Fay and Mokona are family and family helps each other." Archellevon smiled gently and nodded again, wiping his other eye.

"I-I… yes…" He bowed his head. "Thank you…"

"No need." Blue eyes fell onto the teen, glad that Archellevon was feeling better. Mokona continued to smile as she lay atop the pale haired boy's shooulder, giggling lightly at feeling the boy's sadness lighten. The teenager looked to the white creature, blinking slowly.

"Moko-chan… w… why did you transform back into little you?" He asked softly, taking a hint that the reason he heard Yuuko was also the cause. Grinning Fay watched as Mokona jumped, and landed delicately, down onto the counter.

"Mokona changed back so Ed could talk." She grinned and stood up on one small paw, her other stretched out to her side, as she mimicked the tea pot beside her. Archellevon smiled at her sadly, placing a hand atop her head.

"I see…" He frowned and looked to Fay. "I-is Kurogane-san… and Yuui-chan… they're still in the living room right?"

"Yes." The Valerian replied as he looked at the teen, curious as to why he would ask about them. Said teenager frowned and bowed his head.

"…D-do you think they'd like tea too?" He asked. He felt bad for making such a ruckus in Kurogane's home; he didn't know how else to make it up to the other men.

"I don't think Yuui can drink anything, but I'm sure Kuro-san wouldn't mind." The blonde said as he smiled at Archellevon.

"Tea, tea~" Mokona sang as she twirled in front of them. Archellevon nodded and wiped his eyes again before turning to Mokona.

"Let's get them cups now, shall we?" He asked her, a soft smile gracing his features. Mokona nodded and jumped up to one of the cabinet, clutching the handle in her small paws before kicking away and opening the door to reveal the glasses.

"Mokona helped~" She cheered. Fay chuckled as he watched how much more energetic Mokona seemed in her original form. Archellevon reached up, standing on his toes, and grabbed a couple of cups. Fay scooped up the small creature, smiling.

"Mokona's very helpful in either of her forms." The blonde said as he held her in one arm as he tickled her with his free hand. The little thing squealed and frantically squirmed, trying to get away. Archellevon smiled to himself at the scene, going to move the kettle off of the stove before it started squealing too bad.

"Mokona's very cute too." The Valerian stated as he stopped his fingers, instead he moved to pet the small creature, thinking she resembled a baby as he held her.

"Mokona gets tickled all the time." She giggled as she rolled around in Fai's hold.

"Maybe you should try sneaking up on Kuro-rinta?" The blonde said with a grin. Archellevon looked at Fay in curiosity.

"Eh? Why would she do that, Fay-san?" He asked, blinking a couple times.

"I think Mokona would like the chance to tickle someone for a change." Fay laughed to himself at the thought as he looked over at Archellevon. In turn, Soel covered her mouth to stifle her laughter at the suggestion.

"I can hear you." Came Kurogane's loud voice from the living room, sounding rather aggravated. Mokona squealed and nuzzled Fay's cheek.

"Kyaa~! We've been found out!" Archellevon gave the Valerian a sheepish smile, finding the idea as ludicrous anyway.

"Kuro-min has good hearing~" The blonde replied as he held Mokona to him. "Maybe you can try later?" He suggested, trying to keep his voice low as he spoke to Soel.

"Fay-san…" Archellevon said with a small nervous smile. Mokona laughed, glad that Archellevon had cheered up and also that the Valerian hadn't given up so easily.

"It'll be fine." Fay said as he grinned at Archellevon. The blonde petted Mokona as he chuckled.

"Would you like some help?" The younger hesitated before nodding, showing the blonde he had poured hot water into all of the cups he had gotten out. Nodding Fay stepped forward, helping Archellevon with the tea. He wondered briefly if Edameonus would be joining them anytime soon or if the Ginryan was still angry with himself. The teenager picked up two of the cups and smiled, glancing over his shoulder to the back door.

"U-uhm… Fay-san… I-I… I made one for him too…" He said shyly, though a frown took hold of his face gently.

"It's cold outside, I'm sure he'd like some tea as well." Giving Archellevon a smile, Fay picked up the tray, Mokona still balanced on his shoulder as she too looked at the teen. Archellevon nodded, though he wasn't sure he wanted to go out to see the other man just yet. He sighed and set one glass on the counter.

"I-I… I'll b-be right back in then…"

"Okay." Watching Archellevon, the taller man hoped things wouldn't be awkward between the teen and Edameonus again.

"Both of you should hurry so you don't catch colds!" Mokona shouted looking a bit worried. Fay nodded before lifting the tray and taking to the living room, with Mokona in tow.

"I will…" The other called back gently, knowing he'd freeze if he stayed outside with the taller man due to his lack of warmer clothing. He opened the door and shivered slightly, though it didn't matter when he felt his heart sink into his stomach. He saw Edameonus outside, leaning against the lower part of the porch, smoke trailing from his mouth. Red eyes fell on Archellevon before turning just as quickly away. The boy bit his lip, flinching gently at the slight recognition. He felt like he wanted to scream at the taller man, but he sighed lowly, daring to take a step forward on to the porch.

"You should go inside... It's cold." Edameonus said as he looked out into the yard and the trees in the distance. Archellevon didn't answer, walking more so to the other. He didn't stop coming closer until they were on the same level.

"…I… I made tea… and brought some f-for you… s-so…" Holding his cigarette to the side, so the smoke wouldn't bother the teen, Edameonus turned to look at Archellevon and at the cup in the other's hands.

"You didn't have to..." Archellevon looked to the ground.

"No… I didn't… b-but even… selfish, greedy bastards would enjoy t-tea sometimes… right?" He squeaked. Smirking, the taller man took the offered cup. He watched Archellevon fidget in front of him.

"Thank you."

"You're… you're welcome…" The teenager continued to frown, looking into garnet for a moment. He sighed, realizing the answers he was searching for weren't there, and he moved to go back inside.

"I...I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier." Edameonus said as he held his cup in one hand. His eyes were focused on the former angel as he spoke. The younger man paused, his hands going to his chest as he listened to the other man's voice. He bowed his head slightly, wondering if the taller would say more.

"… I-I… I understand… w-why you did…" He replied, though that was only half the truth.

"You don't..." The Ginryan said as he looked at Archellevon, seeing that he had once again scared the teen even further away from him.

"Y-you'd rather I not understand anyway…" Archellevon replied bitterly, shaking slightly from the cold breeze. "B-besides… we had that deal remember? I-I said… I wouldn't ask questions y-you didn't want to answer…"

"Just know you'll regret it." He said as he looked at Archellevon. He paused, not knowing what else he could say that would help things.

"Why?" Archellevon exclaimed, his fists shooting down to his sides in clenched balls. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut, fending off emotions too powerful to him to handle.

"Why w-would I regret knowing?"

"You've not remembered the reason...just know that you will." Edameonus averted his eyes, knowing he couldn't explain why without hurting the teen even more. He heard a very cute frustrated sigh come from the other male.

"H-have you always b-been so stubbornly cryptic?" He asked, opening his eyes a crack to stare at the snow.

"For the most part." The Ginryan replied. Curiously he looked over to the pale haired boy, watching him intently. Archellevon relaxed his hands, a quake of a shiver going through his body. The teenager sighed again, this time one of defeat.

"I'm sorry." Edameonus offered, knowing it was frustrating for the former angel to not have any answers from anyone. The other male shook his head gently, turning to look at Edameonus with the most pitiful eyes the man had ever seen.

"It… I-it can't be helped…" The demon's resolve wavered as he looked at Archellevon. The look the other gave him caused the Ginryan to pause, wondering if he should say something else to ease Archellevon's mind on the matter. The boy looked down, realizing it had begun to snow again.

"Ed…" He said softly, almost not loud enough to hear over the wind for normal human hearing.

"Yeah?" Edameonus asked, his gaze trained on the one in front of him still. The teenager smiled sadly, rising up his hands so the palms faced the sky near his shoulders.

"Look… it's angel tears… but… I'm not crying…" He gave the other a broken smile before turning on his heel.

"Make sure to come in… d-don't want to catch a cold, do we?" He sauntered up the porch stairs, making his way inside.

"...No." Edameonus answered, guilt pressing onto his shoulders as he watched the boy leave him. Archellevon wanted to look over his shoulder and go back to the other man, but for some reason he opened the door and entered, closing it quickly, not looking back to Edameonus. Sighing, the demon brought his cigarette once again up to his lips as his other hand still held the cooling cup of tea.

"...Life sure is a bitch…"


	33. Just to see you smile

**Mirika-rin:** It's two days before Christmas and Miri-kun finally has enough fucking time to edit. :'D huzzaw! though I'm going to sleep for a bit, I'll be posting at least two more chapters by Christmas, if not, then by the time we all go back to school. As a present to our readers and as an apology for my lazy ass posting. ENFUCKINGJOY 3

**Ashine-chan:** Well we're back in time to give everyone early christmas gifts~ which means some chapters will be posted before the year ends. Some fluff and filler to tide you guys over, we've been working hard on this rp and a few others. ;;; Which means we're at least...a short novel away from finishing.

**Mirika-rin:** but you guys aren't even to Toshihiko being born, so you got a while XD

* * *

Inside the house, Archellevon brought his hands to his eyes and rubbed vigorously for a moment before going to the counter. He picked up his tea and placed his hands around them, wanting to warm them. He then exited the kitchen, wanting to be with the others. Fay set down his own cup as he poked fun at Kurogane. Beside him Yuui held Mokona in her hands. Looking up the blonde saw Archellevon and smiled, wondering if things went well. The other tried to smile back, but it slipped off easily. He went to sit on the other couch, closing his eyes in an almost drained way. Fay's smile faltered as he saw the teen sit, realizing that his talk with Edameonus didn't go as well as he had wanted. Kurogane's eyes left his lover for a moment, pausing in his yelling to see the expression on the former angel's face. Mokona hopped out of Yuui's hold to make her way towards Archellevon, seeing that he was still upset. Yuui watched Mokona go, tilting her head slightly in confusion when she saw Archellevon's expression. The teenager looked slowly to the white creature and placed a hand on her head.

"Please… don't stop your fun because of me…"

"Mokona and Yuui will play later." Soel said as she hopped up onto the couch and shuffled into the teen's lap, offering whatever comfort she could provide him. The teenager shook his head and picked Mokona up, looking at her now squinted eyes. He kissed her jewel and set her down on the coffee table.

"No, really… I…" He thought for a moment before smiling and getting up. "I'll be in the laundry room."

Mokona frowned as she watched Archellevon leave the living room. Once he had vanished into the laundry room, the small creature turned and moved back to the others at a slower pace than before. Fay picker her up, petting her ears.

"Archy just needs some time to think." He said. Yuui smiled at Fay's words, stretching overdramatically.

"Ok! Fay and Kurogane and Yuui and Mokona can all smile now!" She said happily, lounging on her creator. Kurogane growled and tried to get her off.

"Oi! I'm not the couch, moron!"

"I'm sure Archy and Edameonus both would like for Mokona to be happy." Fay said as he placed Mokona atop Yuui's head.

"Maybe Yuui and Mokona can play together then? Kuro-chan looks like he might bite."

"Shut up! I'm not a dog!" Kurogane barked contradictorily, making Yuui squeal. She looked up to Mokona and started swaying from side to side, watching the white creature do so as well.

"But you growl like one, and you have good hearing like one too." The blonde retorted as he teased his lover.

"Two similarities? That does not make me a dog!" Kurogane gripped Yuui's shoulders, her elbow ramming into his chest every time she swayed over.

"You also bark, and bite like a dog. You also like to cuddle like one too." Fay smiled as he looked over at his lover, while the two between them laughed. Kurogane felt his eyebrow twitch, his eyes narrowing.

"That still doesn't make me a dog dammit!"

"Kuro-wankoro's growling again~" The Valerian moved to pet his lover's head while Yuui and Mokona leaned out of the blonde's path. The taller man smacked the thin hand away.

"Tch! Stop saying annoying things!" He commanded, watching as the girls complied with Fay.

"So mean." Fay nursed his hand to him as he frowned at his lover, finging hurt. Yuui and Mokona looked up at Kurogane before both started laughing. The Earthling snarled and swiped for Yuui for laughing at him, but the girl dodged with ease. She squealed and stood effortlessly, surprising Kurogane slightly. He shook it off and stood as well.

"Kyaa! Mokona! Kurogane's gunna get us!" She cheered, running over to the other couch.

"Kuro-puppy chases people like a dog too~" Fay cooed as he looked up at his lover, smiling as the two girls moved to the other couch. The man turned on his heel and pointed to Fay.

"Shut up asshole! Quit comparing me to a mutt!"

"Kuro-wan shouldn't prove me right then." The blonde said. Mokona stifled her laughter as Yuui smiled.

"Kurogane is a dog? Yuui thought Kurogane was human." She proclaimed, making the man turn to her.

"Don't agree with him!" He snapped, making the girl go back to running around. The creator growled and chased after her, mostly for the purpose of catching her if she fell.

"Kuro-chan's isn't literally a dog, but he acts like one." Fay chuckled as he leaned back on the couch, watching Kurogane chase after his android. Mokona yelled before hopping onto the coffee table.

"Tch!" Kurogane scooped Yuui up like a sack of potatoes, similarly as to when he did in the garage, and tossed her on the couch. She flailed and landed easily, laughing her head off. Kurogane stood next to her, smirking triumphantly.

"Fay!" Mokona cried out as she leapt towards the blonde, who caught her easily.

"Kuro-doggy's scary!" Fay laughed as he held Soel in his arms.

"Don't worry, I'll fight off Kuro-bark if he tries to get Mokona."

"Like hell I will!" Kurogane snarled at Fay, glaring at the other. Yuui sat up and tugged on Kurogane's sleeve, pointing to the green plant overhead.

"Kurogane, what's that?"

"Mistletoe, Yuui's under mistletoe!" Mokona cheered from her hiding place in Fay's arms. "Kuro-wankoro should watch where he goes." Kurogane glared over his shoulder and growled while Yuui just stared confusedly.

"Eh? What's mistletoe?"

"You have to kiss Kurogane!" Soel cheered as she laughed and pointed a tiny paw at the dark haired man across from her. Fay chuckled as well as he looked at his lover.

"Mokona does have a point." He sang softly. The other groaned in disgruntlement, but Yuui stretched her arms out to the taller man.

"Yuui wants to kiss Kurogane!" Before the dark haired man could reject her, Yuui shot up off the couch and looped her arms around the tall man's neck and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

"Kuro-rin looks cute with Yuui." Fay laughed, thinking Kurogane would look cute with children hanging off him.

"Mokona wants a kiss from Kurogane too!" The small creature looked over to the android who was by now laughing up at Kurogane. The dark haired man growled deeply and gripped Yuui's arms.

"Stop being a pest!" He snapped, trying to tug the girl off.

"Kuro-tan doesn't like kissing, but I can give Mokona one instead." Fay said while Mokona giggled.

"Mokona will get another kiss from Fay then." Soel hopped out of Fay's arms to kiss the blonde's cheek. Kurogane managed to get Yuui off from around his neck, but the girl squealed and latched herself around his waist instead. He let out an irritated growl and started to pull her off from around his torso as well.

"Kuro-min and Yuui should come cuddle with us shouldn't they Mokona." Fay asked Soel who laughed loudly at the suggestion.

"Like hell that'll happen!" Kurogane snapped, but Yuui perked up like a dog and instantly let go of the tanned man, skipping over to Fay to take the spot where Kurogane was sitting previously.

"Kuro-kun doesn't want to sit with us?" The Valerian asked as he looked up to his lover.

"Kurogane should cuddle!" Mokona sang as she watched the human.

"Come cuddle! It's cuddle time!" Yuui sang with Mokona, holding her hand out for the little doll like creature. Kurogane snorted and folded his arms.

"I'm thinkin not."

"Kuro-min was in a cuddling mood earlier." The blonde retorted as he smiled up at his lover amused. The other rolled his eyes and looked down the hallway idly. He paused, squinted, and then sighed.

"Oh come on, does this drama shit never end?" He asked, mostly to himself, before storming out to the laundry room. Yuui smiled in confusion, leaning to look down after him.

"Where did Kurogane go?" She sang, placing her hands over her eyes. "Can't see can't see!"

"...Kuro-tan?" Fay faltered, watching Kurogane leave the living and towards the laundry room and Archellevon. It didn't take long for the man to come back, only the teenager was in his arms, sound asleep.

"Dunno if he passed out again from the memories or from being so goddamn overemotional." Kurogane stated, the boy breathing softly against his chest. Yuui cooed instantly, clasping her hands together.

"Lay him down then, he'll be asleep for a few hours." Fay said as he stood, setting Mokona down with Yuui. Walking over he moved to grab a blanket to cover the teen up. The taller man obeyed, setting Archellevon down gently onto the opposite couch. He stood straight again, placing his hands on his hips and looking to Fay.

"Think this'll continue to happen even after he gets all his memories back? Or that it'll never stop?"

"Hard to say...though it might stop if he regains enough memories." Fay frowned as he covered the teen with the blanket, wondering idly if the boy would ever really remember everything. Kurogane sighed, running a hand through his hair. He thought about him and Fay being in the same boat at one point in time.

"Hn. Let's hope that asshole doesn't flip out when he comes in and sees him."

"He won't." The blonde replied as he turned his head to look up at Kurogane, smiling faintly at his lover as he did. The red eyes stared back for a moment before Kurogane turned to his android.

"Oi, I need you to do something for me, Yuui." He said while placing his hands in his pockets. The android sat up straight, smiling mechanically.

"Yes, User Kurogane. What do you need?" She asked in return. Fay looked at his lover questioningly before turning his head to look at the robot. Mokona looked at the android as well, thinking it strange how the girl stood completely still now.

"Come with me." The taller man commanded, walking idly down the hallway to the computer room. The girl smiled widely, set Mokona down on the couch, bowed to Fay, and then skipped after the man.

"Coming!" She cheered. Confused the blonde watched his lover leave with Yuui in tow.

"I wonder what he's doing…" He asked to no one in particular. Mokona frowned, not understanding what was going on. After a couple of minutes Kurogane came back, hands in his pockets. He looked to the blonde and then to Mokona before raising an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Where's Yuui?" Mokona asked as she looked up at the dark haired man. Fay shook his head and smiled at his Kurogane.

"Kuro-san left all of the sudden is all." He said softly. The taller man shrugged.

"I'm making her do a little research." He explained vaguely, picking up his cup of tea at the same time the back door opened. The Valerian looked at his lover for a moment, noting he would have to ask about it later when they were alone. Blue eyes turned towards the hallway, knowing Edameonus would most likely rejoin them. Mokona whined at not being answered thoroughly enough, but she squealed happily, albeit quietly, when Edameonus walked in. He only looked up with a glare from his casual stance when Kurogane growled at him for not dusting the snow off of himself. The demon shrugged it off silently and began to take his coat off.

Fay smiled at the other man, even if he didn't look in too good of a mood. Mokona watched Edameonus take off his coat, snow falling from his shoulders and melting, not knowing if she should go over to the man or not. The Ginryan made his way over to the coat rack, setting his trench coat on one of the hangers. He turned around and folded his arms, looking at the boy on the couch. Kurogane rolled his eyes and took another drink of tea.

"Quit being a child."

Fay covered his face in exasperation, wondering if both men would start to fight now because of Kurogane. Mokona looked between Edameonus and Kurogane wondering the same as the blonde as she watched. Edameonus growled and instantly lunged for Kurogane, who moved to set down his tea. Sharp red eyes caught this action and the half breed dodged easily, grabbing the arm meant to punch him and twisting it behind the demon's back. Edameonus let out a strangled cry as he was forced forward onto the couch next to Mokona. Kurogane placed a knee against the other's back and his hand on black hair.

"I'm not in the fucking mood, kid. If you want to throw a fit because things aren't moving as fast as you'd like, then grow up a little. He's trying his hardest to change for you and you make it seem like it's harder than it is by not giving him a hand here and there." Kurogane hissed. Edameonus grunted, but listening to Kurogane he eventually stopped struggling to try to get out of the hold. Kurogane continued.

"Also, I don't like it when you yell in my house over personal things that I don't need to know about. Either keep that shit to yourself or resolve the matters in a more civilized way, asshole." He then eradicated his hold, the Ginryan jerking into a more comfortable position splayed onto the couch.

Fay stepped away from them, not wanting to get between them, as he watched Kurogane stand straight again. Looking over he saw Archellevon still asleep on the couch and sighed in relief because of it. The Ginryan let out an aggravated sigh, shoving his palms onto the couch to force himself up. He glared over his shoulder to the man standing behind him.

"You think you know everything don't you? Think that interfering with other people's lives to make it better by giving them advice will make you a hero?" He stood up and shoved a finger against Kurogane's chest. "Don't tell me how I should be if you don't follow your own advice, half breed."

Mokona looked to Fay in worry as she saw the two others arguing. In turn the Valerian covered his face exasperated at both Kurogane and Edameonus while he took another step back away from them. The taller man glared at the other set of crimson eyes, the nickname flaring anger within Kurogane. He smacked Edameonus's hand away as a way to let off steam without punching the demon.

"You really like to instigate." He said simply, taking a step back from him. Edameonus continued to glare as Mokona bounced over to him. Kurogane turned his back on Edameonus, seeing he wasn't going to attack him like before, and went over to Fay. The blonde sighed in relief, glad that Kurogane hadn't fought back as he might have done a few months ago. Smiling wearily, the blonde watched as Mokona tentatively approached Edameonus. The creature watched as he slumped into the seat on the couch, staring at the ground in fury. The Ginryan placed a hand over his eyes, massaging both temples at once.

Fay looked up at Kurogane as the dark haired man approached him, wondering if they should leave the Ginryan alone for the time being. Kurogane looked back with a deep frown, knowing what the other was thinking. He cast a glance over to Archellevon, wondering if the tousle had woken him, before moving his vision once again to Fay. The blonde offered his lover a smile and also glanced over to Archellevon not seeing any change in the teen.

The silence that befell over the room stifled all who were in it. Kurogane furrowed his brow and looked to the ground before turning on his heel, going back to the room where he had left Yuui, leaving the room once again silent. Frowning the blonde sat in a chair, his hands resting in his lap, not knowing what to do or say. The Valerian could almost see the tension looming over the Ginryan, but didn't try to say anything to his friend in case he made things worse.

"It's not like I'm trying to force my problems on you guys." Edameonus busted out suddenly, removing his hand from his face so he could stare at the ground. "Above all I want him to be happy…" He looked to Archellevon's sleeping figure.

"…Never knew I could make him cry so much."

Fay looked up to see Edameonus, surprised that the other was talking. The blonde offered his friend a small smile.

"He's very confused...he has memories from two separate lives, it can't be easy for him, especially when he keeps trying to force himself to remember things."

"That idiot never learns…" Edameonus snapped unintentionally, looking forlorn. "He always pushed himself to do more, no matter how lazy he tried to look. God dammit… Why do you want to remember me if you loved the other 'me'?" Edameonus asked in a strained voice, asking the sleeping form. Mokona hopped onto his lap, staring up at the distraught man.

"It should mean something then if he's trying to remember you." Fay smiled, wondering if Edameonus had intended to say what he had in front of him.

"It does, Fay-chan!" Edameonus said tiredly, looking to the blonde. "It means everything! But he shouldn't make himself unhappy or miserable with pain for it!" Mokona looked over to the boy, hoping the elder man's distress wouldn't cause him to have bad dreams.

"...If he doesn't remember, what do you think will happen? Surely it wouldn't matter if the two of you were close despite him not having a memory of you?" The Valerian suggested, not really knowing what to say that would comfort his friend this time. He frowned, knowing that he and Kurogane had relied on finding each other again if the worse had happened and they had no memories of the other. Edameonus sighed, bowing his head.

"I don't know. Whenever we seem to be doing alright I fuck it up or he runs away." Mokona smiled and placed a paw on his hand.

"But Ed and Archy always end up back together right?" She asked gently.

"Mokona's right." The blonde said as he gave his friend a reassuring smile. "I'm sure it's a sign if the two of you keep coming together despite everything."

Edameonus chuckled curtly, placing a hand on Mokona's head. "If you say that…" He said simply, glad that the other two were trying to cheer him up. He looked to Fay and shook his head. "You should probably go to Kurogane. I bet he's pouting from my harsh words…"

"He is quite the child, even if he'd never admit it." Fay said as he chuckled and stood from his seat, making his way towards where Kurogane had gone. Seeing that Mokona was with Edameonus, the blonde was reassured that the Ginryan wouldn't linger too much on what had happened. He went down the hallway, able to see the computer room's door cracked where Kurogane hadn't bothered to close it. Opening the door, the blonde looked around for his lover.

"Kuro-san?" The man was sitting at his computer, staring at a screen with information lining it.

"Hn?" He grunted in reply. Yuui was sitting next to Subaru on the counter, her mechanical ears open with a few wires pouring out. She looked over to Fay and smiled.

"Hello User Fay!" She cheered. Closing the door behind him the blonde walked over to stand behind Kurogane. His eyes skimmed over the screen, not understanding what the other man was looking at.

"What are you doing?"

"Researching." Kurogane said simply, and cerulean eyes could see he was looking for something to help Archellevon with his memory loss. Kurogane scoffed and closed one site, obviously not finding what he wanted from it. Yuui began to hum again, twiddling her thumbs.

"Yuui's helping?" He looked over to the android and smiled before his eyes fell on Subaru as well. Fay watched as the A.I. blushed and looked away from him after a brief moment.

"Yuui's helping. Unfortunately since she crashed the first time I tried to perform a large task with her I have to plug in all those excess wires to relieve some of the stress." Kurogane informed nonchalantly, not taking his eyes off the screen. Yuui giggled and pointed to the man.

"Kurogane's being absorbed in work again." She muttered. Putting a hand on his hip, the blonde chuckled.

"That's not very healthy for Kuro-chan." Subaru blushed and looked away as Yuui laughed. Kurogane tore his attention away from the screen to glare at Fay and then to Yuui.

"You know you waste more energy by being annoying, and that takes me longer to get my work done, brat."

"I wasn't being annoying, I was only telling the truth." The Valerian pouted as he stared down at his lover. He wondered briefly if he should mention how endearing it was for the other man to search for something to help Archellevon.

"I wasn't just talking to you." Kurogane replied, his fingers moving to the keyboard to type swiftly. "Dammit. None of this shit is helpful. Yuui, what are you finding?" The girl looked up to the ceiling with a very cute pensive face before sighing and shrugging.

"What Kurogane is looking for is hard to find."

Fay grinned, as he crossed his arms. "Do you think you'll find anything?"

"Hell if I know. Trying to find anything to keep an angel from passing out in my house isn't something that's commonly put on the internet." Kurogane informed sarcastically, leaning back in his chair.

"Shouldn't there be something about regaining memories?" Fay asked as he leaned forward, looking at the computer screen. "Surely if Toriho had that charm there's something that could work?"

"There might be, but I don't think it'd change him from the condition he's in now." The half breed moved the mouse over to a link, selecting it. "And I don't think the charm would work since he lost his memories from dying and not the memory wipe like us."

"I was thinking that too." Fay frowned as he looked at the screen. "There isn't another method?" He asked softly. Kurogane sighed and looked to the blonde.

"Every site I look on it's the same; 'In order to restore the memories of person blah blah blah about person so-and-so, you perform an action between the two that only they'd go through'. Or some shit like that." Kurogane shuddered then, not wanting to think of ways to jar Archellevon's memory.

"You mean something they would have done together in his previous life?" The blonde asked as he looked curiously at the screen.

"That's pretty much it." Kurogane replied with another sigh, looking over to Yuui to watch her count her fingers for the third time.

"...but they've kissed once; shouldn't that have done something?" Fay thought back to earlier, wondering why it hadn't worked if Kurogane's sources said otherwise. The man paused and turned around again, staring at the screen.

"… I don't know…" Yuui looked over to them.

"…Was it them who kissed? Or was it Archy that kissed Edam? Or maybe the other way around? Does Kurogane think that would matter?"

"Edameonus was kissed under the mistletoe earlier." The blonde explained further, wondering if it made a difference. He watched Kurogane, wondering what his lover was thinking.

"It might make it different because it was the kid who kissed that asshole instead of the other way around. I don't think memories would be regained if the first always tried something without help from the second." Kurogane scrolled a little again and clicked on a different link, ignoring the A.I. Kamui as he pushed the abandoned links aside with a huff.

"So whatever happens has to be mutual?" Fay moved to stand to the side of Kurogane, watching as the taller man searched for something. Yuui smiled as she watched her twin, idly moving about as she sat next to Subaru.

"Either that or all from the asshole's side." Kurogane replied, placing an elbow on the desk so he could lean on his hand. The first A.I. unit rolled his eyes.

"Do you have to be so vague with everyone you talk about?"

"Kuro-san always has to call people names." He grinned as he listened to Kamui. Yuui giggled, trying to cover her laughter with her hand, but failing. The other man glared at them before rolling his eyes.

"The names I say aren't worthy to say." He informed them, making Yuui squeal.

"Yay! Kurogane say's 'Yuui' all the time!"

"Kuro-rin doesn't say my name often." Fay pouted halfheartedly as he looked down at his lover. Subaru blushed once more and looked away as Kamui rolled his eyes. Kurogane shrugged and looked back to the screen again.

"Aren't you happy with me saying your name as often as I do?" Yuui tilted her head at Subaru's expression.

"When does Kurogane say Fay's name?"

"I say Kuro-puu's name all the time, but I guess it makes it more special when you do say my name." Fay offered as he blushed faintly at Yuui's question. Kurogane looked back to Fay with a slight smile, somewhat satisfied the Valerian thought that way. Kamui sighed in disgust at their intimacy, closing the site Kurogane had up just for spite. Subaru looked away, knowing what his twin was up to. Kurogane turned back and blinked.

"You little shit." He said with a growl, moving to the recycle bin. Kamui's eyes widened.

"What are you doing?" Kurogane smirked evilly.

"What do you think I'm doing?" He asked. Yuui laughed excitedly, feeling a slight twitch of electricity vanish from the closed site.

"Kuro-pon?" Fay said as he leaned forward, watching intently. He wondered what his lover was up to from seeing the expression on the AI's face. The half breed opened the recycling bin and began to scroll down, looking for something. Kamui growled, blush on his face.

"What are you looking for?" He asked with a growl, though the other just chuckled. Frowning the blonde thought to himself if he should be worried by the lack of an answer from the other man and Kamui's reaction to what Kurogane was currently searching for. The android close to them smiled, oblivious to what was happening as Subaru blushed as well. Kurogane found what he was searching for, and Fay could read 'accidental download' under the icon. Kamui waved his hands in the screen.

"Ok fine! I'll open it back up! Just don't open that!"

"What is it?" Fay asked, not knowing if he was that curious about the matter as he saw Kamui relent with little ease. Yuui tilted her head to the side as she looked at Kurogane.

"Nothin spectacular." Kurogane said with a grin, moving the mouse away from it. Kamui exhaled in relief, lowering a hand as the other moved off screen to pull up the deleted link.

"..." Fay looked at the other man confused, but let the matter drop, even if his curiosity had been peeked by Kurogane's reply. Subaru sighed, just as relieved as his counterpart. Kurogane then stood, looking over to Fay briefly before going to Yuui. The girl looked up with a cute smile, tilting her head to the side. The dark haired man brought his hands up to her ears, starting to push and pull wires to their original places.

"I think we've found what we need."

"Oh? Kuro-san found something that could work?" Fay said as he moved out of the taller man's way. He watched Yuui smile as Kurogane began sorting through the numerous wires running from her.

"Well if we go off what we said about the mutuality of their actions, it's not that difficult to bring back his memories." He paused for a moment. "Only problem is, not sure how he'd react so soon after what happened in town if we tell him that asshole has to be as… persuasive as he used to be instead of being a whiny and depressed brat."

"All they have to do is share a kiss. Kuro-san makes it sound worse." The blonde said, blushing faintly at the dark haired man's words. He sighed to himself, seeing that Kurogane was still insulting Edameonus. The taller man turned to look at Fay with a furrowed brow.

"How do you think he'd react to even the slightest amount of force?" He asked bluntly, making Yuui tilt her head, wondering what had happened in town.

"I said share Kuro-tan." Fay said, grinning while he looked up at Kurogane. "I don't think Edameonus would force anything on Archy either."

Kurogane turned his attention back on Yuui. "If you say so. With the way he acts I'm surprised he didn't try anything sooner." He clipped one of Yuui's ears closed, having finished with it.

"That's not very nice to say." The blonde replied as he watched Kurogane. Yuui smiled, staying still as Kurogane finished readjusting her ears. The dark haired man simply hummed in recognition, knowing he wasn't going to take it back anytime soon. He moved Yuui's head up, reaching for a wire that was farther in than the others. Fay sighed, knowing if he hit his boyfriend, it might hurt Yuui as well. Instead the Valerian crossed his arms, waiting for Kurogane to finish. The other man didn't take but a minute to do so, closing the other ear. He looked over to Kamui and pointed to the site in front of all the others.

"Save that one. You can close the others." He commanded. Kamui nodded grudgingly before he did as instructed. Fay watched the exchange briefly, turning his gaze back to Kurogane once the computer had finished. Yuui hopped off of the counter and smiled up to Kurogane as she took his hand. The man looked to her for a moment before to Fay.

"…What?"

"Nothing." Fay grinned up at the other man as Yuui smiled at him, watching both her twin and Kurogane intently. The dark haired man raised an eyebrow but didn't question him, looking back to the computers.

"You can go on standby or hibernate, either or. Both of you." He said curtly to Kamui and Subaru, knowing that the first would complain about it. Kamui glared at Kurogane, but seeing that the human wasn't above threatening him and Subaru's pleading look, the computer didn't put up as much of a fight as he would have. The two computers closed all of the things Kurogane had up and closed their eyes mechanically. Subaru's screen went black first, and both of their monitors had a little yellow square in the corner that began to blink languidly. Kurogane then began to move out of the room, Yuui still clinging to his hand. After seeing both shut down, Fay turned to follow both his twin and Kurogane out of the crowded room and back towards the living room.

The taller man turned off the light before exiting, knowing Fay would shut the door when he left. Kurogane allowed Yuui to race ahead of them, the girl giggling something about playing with Mokona again. Fay smiled at the android's excitement as he watched her dart off towards Mokona. Just as Kurogane had guessed the blonde silently shut the door behind them as blue eyes moved in the direction of the living room, wondering what Edameonus was up to. Kurogane turned to look at Fay, hearing silence other than Yuui galloping to the family room.

"Do you think Edameonus is alright?" The blonde asked not knowing what they would see once the both of them reached the living room.

"Do I care?" Kurogane asked blandly, though he wasn't sure what to expect when they would round the corner.

"Not in particular." Fay retorted as he glanced up at Kurogane as he moved toward the living room. Kurogane and he entered to see Yuui sitting in the chair closest to Edameonus, who was sprawled out on the opposite couch from Archellevon. His face was smothered into the couch, two limbs hanging off the side while the other two fell against armrests. Kurogane had to place a hand over his mouth to contain a snort.

"He's asleep?" Fay questioned, blinking in slight surprise. Blue eyes turned to Kurogane, seeing that his lover was amused by Edameonus. Mokona looked up to Kurogane and Fay with a smile.

"Yeah, he fell asleep!" She cheered quietly, making Yuui giggle and repeat a shushing movement Mokona had showed her when she entered. Kurogane looked at the demon and placed his other hand on his hip, noting that the other dark haired man didn't take off his shirt or shoes before doing so.

"I suppose we should let them sleep then?" He suggested while looking over at Kurogane. Mokona giggled as she sat on Yuui's lap, her small paws covering her mouth as she tried not to be too loud.

"Guess so." Kurogane replied, lowering his hand from his mouth as he noticed the white haired one rustle gently to get more comfortable on the other couch before becoming still again.

"Any ideas on what we should do then Kuro-pyon?" The Valerian said as he watched Yuui play with Mokona. He smiled as he watched the small creature roll around, glad to see she was feeling better.

"Hn. Not really." Kurogane replied, wondering if all aliens went to sleep when they couldn't deal with their problems.

"Kuro-kun's no fun." Fay pouted as he looked over at the two sitting.

"What would Mokona and Yuui like to do?" He asked them, hoping they wouldn't be too loud and disturb the others. Mokona and Yuui looked at each other before gasping.

"Let's go play in the snow!" Mokona declared, before Kurogane looked over to them.

"You want to go outside?"

"All of us will need coats then." Fay said as he smiled at Kurogane. Mokona laughed before hopping up on the blonde's shoulder.

"Mokona doesn't need one~" She pouted wanting to play. Yuui stood.

"Mokona should put on a scarf though!" She said with a smile, looking to her creator.

"But Yuui can't go out in this. Yuui's joints would freeze easily." She said with a pout. Kurogane folded his arms and frowned.

"I don't have any girl clothing." He paused before looking up. "…Maybe I do…"

"Yuui could wear something of mine?" Fay suggested, curious as to what Kurogane as doing.

"Nah, your clothes would be too tight for her. And if anything she'd ruin them playing." Kurogane replied, looking to the laundry room. "I think I've got some of Tomoyo's old clothing in the attic."

"Yuui will wear girl clothes." She said happily, all the while grinning brightly at Kurogane.

"Maybe there's something small to wrap Mokona in?" The shorter man suggested as he looked up as well, not knowing there had been an attic. Kurogane shrugged and began to make his way into the bedroom.

"The entrance is in the ceiling of the laundry room." He said idly, looking through the bottom shelf of their nightstand. Yuui grabbed Mokona from Fay's shoulder and then ran into the laundry room excitedly.

"How strange, Kuro-rii never pointed it out before." The blonde said. Smiling he watched as Mokona and Yuui happily ran along towards the room. The other man smirked over his shoulder, pulling out a rusted key and a flashlight.

"Well you looked tired when I gave you a tour, so I left it out by the time we reached the computer room." He chuckled.

"I probably wouldn't have wanted to go there with Kuro-chu anyways." Fay pouted as he looked away, a faint blush dusted over his cheeks.

"Why not?" The other said with a smirk, noting the rosy cheeks of the blonde. "You might like it up there." He then exited the bedroom, walking idly to where Yuui was bouncing up and down.

"Doesn't seem very important for one thing." Fay replied, still flustered over his lover's words. He turned as well and followed after Kurogane. Said man shook his head, still grinning smugly. Yuui clapped her hands together, looking up to the ceiling.

"Where is it? Where is it?" She asked excitedly, and Kurogane went over to the corner. He reached up to a string out of the way, pulling down to reveal a square in the ceiling. When he yanked down, a slide ladder came out with dust.

"Another thing is it's dusty." Fay said waving his hand in front of him to blow away some of the dust. Mokona sneezed from her place in Yuui's arms. Kurogane looked at the shorter man with a raised eyebrow before sticking the key in his mouth and turning on the flashlight. He then scaled the ladder like he did it everyday. Yuui watched with sparkles in her eyes, thoroughly amazed by the little things her creator did.

"Yuui wants to climb!" The android yelled as she looked up in awe as Kurogane moved up and into the attic. Fay watched, surprised to see the opening in the ceiling. Kurogane reached the top and lifted a hand away from the rung to pull the key out of his mouth.

"Hang on, lemme unlock it first." He said, disappearing into the ceiling halfway.

"Hurry up!" Mokona yelled as she and Yuui continued to watch Kurogane, eager to ascend the ladder. Fay stood back, not wanting to get anymore dust on him as Kurogane busied himself. The taller man's actions created a loud click that reached all their ears. He fiddled with the door for a moment before pushing it open, growling slightly at the cobwebs. He entered the door, having to craw to get in. Though once in the attic, he could stand with plenty of head room.

"Ok. You guys can come up now." Yuui smiled before clambering up the ladder, Mokona hanging onto her shirt as the android moved. Fay watched amused as the two disappeared upstairs before he began climbing as well. Kurogane offered his robot a hand, pulling her through the small cubby hole. He watched her eyes flicker and begin to glow, giving her vision to see in the dark. He then bent over and offered a hand to his lover, knowing Fay would want help even if he didn't need it.

"Mokona will get dirty!" The Valerian chuckled as he listened to Soel, wondering if it was as dust covered as it sounded. Fay looked up and took Kurogane's hand. He smiled, glad for the offered hand. Kurogane pulled him up to their level with his free hand, the other pointing the flashlight to ahead of them. He turned to look at where the light was hitting, moving it slightly. He didn't need the light, but thought Mokona and Fay would.

"Careful, Yuui." He said strictly, and her glowing eyes turned yellow instead of white.

"Aye, aye, sir!"

"Kuro-kun might want to consider cleaning here once in awhile." The blonde said as he stood next to his lover. He watched as Mokona squealed in delight as Yuui ran about. Kurogane shrugged and began to walk forward, pointing the light at random boxes.

"Never think to. Not a lot of things up here are important." Yuui knelt in front of a huge box, instantly digging through it with enthusiasm.

"Wouldn't Tomoyo need her clothes?" The blonde said as he stepped forward, he looked around noticing there wasn't much light coming into the attic.

"Isn't there a window?" He said next. Kurogane shook his head.

"There aren't any windows up here that can be opened. And Tomoyo left these clothes here because she didn't need them anymore. Old work you could say." He informed nonchalantly, eyes falling on a manikin body.

"Hmm...maybe after Toshi's born we could clean here? There could be some interesting things here." Fay said as he scanned over the boxes piled up around them. Yuui smiled as she pulled out summer dresses and shirts.

"Tch. Troublesome." The taller man walked forward again, leaning over a larger stack of boxes. He looked over to Yuui briefly to see what she was looking through before digging through the box himself.

"Kuro-san always says that." The blonde pouted as he continued to examine some of the other boxes in the attic.

"All of these are too big for Mokona to wear." Soel said as she jumped into the box, practically swimming through the clothes as she searched. Yuui laughed at the creature and pulled out a red velvet dress with a puckered lip.

"Kurogane! Yuui found a dress!" the dark haired man looked over and blinked, scanning over it.

"That's very nice Yuui." The Valerian said as he looked over at the garment she held up. "It should be warm enough to wear outside." Mokona's laughter was muffled as she buried herself under clothes. Yuui grinned and set the dress to the side, her hands then moving to the buckle around her waist. Kurogane squawked.

"O-oi, don't change up here!" He commanded, pointing a finger at her. Yuui tilted her head in confusion.

"Why can't Yuui put on her new dress?"

"Just wait until we go back downstairs." Kurogane said as he rolled his eyes, slinging some clothing over his shoulder.

"Yuui will have all kinds of clothes!" She giggled as she set aside her newfound dress.

"Guess we can look for things you can wear around the house too…" The man said with a frown. He paused, eyes widening as he looked at something at the bottom of the cardboard box. Looking over, Fay frowned in curiosity from seeing his lover's expression.

"Kuro-puu?" The taller man didn't answer; instead he slowly pulled out a very old uniform. It looked similar to Fay's, but there was a red emblem on the breast pocket and spikes on the shoulders. Kurogane stared at it, finding it was in the same condition as Fay's clothing when the blonde had crashed landed.

"I… is this dad's?"

"This emblem is Ginryan...but why would he have something like this here?" Blue eyes scanned over the uniform, surprised that the older man would leave something like that where anyone could find it. Kurogane looked it over, still stunned to have run across it.

"It kind of looks like that guy's trench coat. Guess they make outfits like this for all the Ginryuu-or-something important people?" He asked offhandedly, looking into the box to see if there was more.

"It's a more casual uniform." The blonde said as he examined the outfit. "Do you think Toriho knows these are still here?"

"Might… I'll show them to him when he comes over again." Kurogane replied, looking to Fay. He realized then just how his father had come to Earth. It was the same story as Fay. The half breed smirked and folded the uniform delicately back, knowing now more than ever that his father had been on his side the entire time not just because he was his son, but also so they'd share a happy ending too.

"Was that all you found of his?" The Valerian spoke up; he smiled warmly at his lover when he saw the other's expression. He knew it was important for the other man to have found the tattered uniform.

"There's something on the bottom…" Kurogane reached his hand down under the uniform and pulled up an ID card that was used on ships. Behind it was a scratched transmitter, showing the reason he couldn't call home.

"Wonder where he crash landed."

"Hard to say." He leaned over, looking at the object Kurogane held. "You could ask him." Fay was still confused as to why Toriho hadn't gotten rid of such things years ago, especially when it could have caused trouble for anyone to find them. Kurogane then pulled out another device. This one was blinking subtly.

"…What's this?" Mokona looked up and tilted her head.

"A… force field?" She muttered. Yuui looked to her.

"What does Mokona mean?" The white creature hopped from the box over to Kurogane's shoulder.

"That's a device that creates a force field around a place… it's not strong…"

"Toriho set up a shield around the house?" The blonde frowned as he thought of a reason why the man would leave all of this. "He was trying to keep people away from you?" Fay said, smiling faintly as he looked over Toriho's things Kurogane had pulled out.

"…Odd that it allowed everyone alien to Earth in here, especially the guys who took us to Edonis-or-whatever." Kurogane said, placing his thumb over the light. Mokona gasped and grabbed the dark haired man's ear.

"Don't do that! It'll set off an alarm!" She shouted.

"Maybe you should put it back..." He was startled by Mokona's sudden outburst, wondering what exactly the thing was. "We need to ask Toriho about his things in case they're dangerous."

"Mokona will do it!" The thing cheered with a grin. Her mouth then opened wide, before a vacuum was created and the box disappeared in her mouth, along with the stick of metal Kurogane held.

"…DON'T DO THAT WITHOUT WARNING!" The half breed barked, slightly frazzled by the sudden suction.

"Mokona?" Fay asked as he blinked at the creature. Yuui clapped her hands and laughed at Soel's trick.

"Mokona will show Great Uncle Toriho when he comes back home!" The girl exclaimed, puffing out her tiny chest. Kurogane growled and looked to the box below it.

"…Well here's some of mom's clothing. Oi, Yuui, c'mere."

"Kuro-puu does have a lot of things up here." Grinning, the blonde was glad for Mokona's quick thinking. Yuui turned and stood up, moving to her creator. The taller man held up a shirt and pants, looking them over. He felt sort of nostalgic when he saw the clothing, remembering that his mother had worn them for his 10th Christmas.

"Here. You can try these on too." He instructed. Yuui giggled as she took the clothes offered to her.

"I never would have thought Kuro-san had all of this." Fay stared in surprise as Kurogane kept looking through boxes.

"I didn't know they didn't take this crap with them." Kurogane growled, realizing he'd have to take Fay up on his offer once Toshihiko was born. He sighed and flashed the light over to another box, seeing it was taped closed he moved to another one.

"Most of it seems to be clothes though." The Valerian said as he shuffled through folded clothes. Yuui sat down the outfit she had gotten, adding it to the small pile she had started to accumulate.

"Hn. Reveals just how often Tomoyo came over." Kurogane stated as he picked up a hat. Yuui squealed when she saw it and grabbed it from her owner's hands, setting it on her head.

"A hat!"

"O-oi…"

"But most of the things we've seen belong to your parents." Fay laughed to himself as he looked over at Kurogane.

"Some of this is mine too… like that cap…" The tanned man sighed, realizing Yuui was amused by the ball cap. He shook his head and looked in the box with disgust, seeing it as his old sports trophies and equipment.

"Kuro-min has a lot of awards." Fay said as he moved to look over at the box Kurogane looked through.

"Why did you put these away?" Yuui laughed as she danced around with the hat she now wore.

"Didn't feel like showing them off." Kurogane shrugged, moving the light to the next box. "Oi, Yuui, want to go outside now?"

"Yuui and Mokona are still looking for clothes!" She laughed as she watched Mokona dive into an opened box again.

"I think Toshi might like to see them when he's older." He offered as he smiled up at Kurogane. The taller man smirked slightly at the idea, though he continued to look through the attic. Yuui looked over to her creator and mimicked what the man had done with the clothing by throwing the outfits over her shoulder.

"Kuro-rinta has a lot of things from his childhood up here?" Smiling at the thought, Fay wondered what else his lover had stored away.

"More than likely. You'd probably find my first ball bat I broke over someone's shin." He grinned to himself, thinking of when that had happened. Yuui looked over, slightly curious.

"Doesn't sound like something you should keep." Fay frowned wondering if there really was something like that here. Mokona laughed as she jumped up and dived once more into the box she and Yuui had been looking through.

"I wasn't being completely serious, Blondie." Kurogane said with a skeptical look, a slight frown on his face as he said so. Yuui clapped in amusement of the smaller creation, laughing as Mokona dove in and out like a dolphin.

"It's hard to tell when Kuro-kun's joking." The blonde explained as he glanced up at Kurogane. He would admit, however, he was curious about what else his lover had stored in the attic. Kurogane flicked his flashlight around on the wall, having remembered something. He scanned the room attentively before going around the pile of boxes in the middle of the room. He smirked to himself at finding what he was looking for before turning off his flashlight.

"Kyaa! It's dark!" Mokona cried out cheerfully. Yuui looked around the room, her eyes glowing as she located Kurogane. Confused at the sudden loss of light, Fay turned towards his lover's general direction.

"Kuro-pon?" Kurogane sighed and reached for a lever, tugging it upwards. Doing so created three lights to flicker on over head. Doing so revealed that the entire room was not only filled with boxes, but with mechanical things half finished or somewhat destroyed. Yuui oh-ed and smiled, seeing creations similar to herself. The Valerian winced at the sudden light before he turned to scan the room as the others did.

"The attic's more spacious than I had thought." He smiled wondering what they would find if they looked long enough. Kurogane folded his arms, scanning the room.

"Damn. I had forgotten most of this shit…" He said with a frown, looking over to the failed creations and then over to Fay to see his lover's expression. Yuui went over to one that looked like her, only genderless.

"Who are you?" She said with a smile.

"Kuro-pipi made more androids?" Fay asked as he looked over at the machine Yuui was talking to.

"Kurogane has lots of stuff!" Mokona yelled she looked over the edge of the box she was currently in.

"I didn't make a lot. Those are just prototypes that didn't work out right." Kurogane waved a hand at the machines languidly, turning to more boxes to search for clothing.

"Oi, Yuui, quit fooling around and search for clothing already." Yuui saluted Kurogane before she turned towards another box. Fay nodded as he walked over towards Kurogane, wondering if there were anymore surprises in the attic. The raven haired man watched Fay walk to him.

"Oi… is the dust bothering you?" He asked simply, moving his vision to the robot, who pulled out another outfit from a box.

"No, there's not too much in the air." The blonde smiled at the other man's concern. Mokona grinned before hopping over to the box Yuui had just opened. Kurogane looked to the ground, his mind going back to the box Mokona had suctioned away. He wondered why his father had kept the dirty clothing, but remembered that Fay's own crash-landing-outfit was folded in the laundry room. Fay opened a box in front of him, only seeing more clothes as he did. His mind wandered to the two downstairs wondering if they were still asleep. He sighed before drawing his attention back to the clothes he was sifting through.

"I'm surprised you managed to put all of this up here."

"It built up over time." Kurogane replied, moving to stand next to Fay to stare at the box's contents. "… Hn. Makes you wonder how many other people are going to crash land here." Kurogane said with an ironic smirk, wondering why everyone seemed to gather up at his house.

"Hmm...Does seem strange doesn't it?" The blonde's thoughts went back to the thing Mokona had warned them about. He had never seen something like it before and was slightly worried about what it could mean. Kurogane frowned, looking over to Yuui and Mokona.

"… Something's going to happen, right?" He asked his lover lowly so the ladies wouldn't hear.

"There's a good chance." Fay frowned as he thought it over, not liking the idea of having something else happen to them. "We have to ask Toriho about it."

"The fact that thing's still working proves something else is planned." Kurogane grumbled, eyeing the white creature. "Also, that demon isn't as responsible as before with communicating…" Yuui squealed happily when Mokona removed her creator's ball cap to replace it with a sunflower hat.

"That's what I'm afraid of; if it made Mokona react like that then it's something to worry about." Fay said as he held a shirt in one hand as he thought about the machine's implications.

"…Do you think that device was placed up here after we got our memories back?" The taller man asked, casting his eyes to the side.

"Wouldn't someone have noticed Toriho coming up here?" He asked looking down at the box. "Everything else he had didn't work; it's possible that he put it there recently."

"Someone would've noticed." He glanced over to Mokona again and narrowed his eyes. "But maybe that someone has the same intentions as he does…"

"What would that be then?" Curious the Valerian followed his lover's gaze, wondering why the man glared at Mokona as he talked.

"That guy…" Kurogane looked over to Fay with a frown. "Him and dad are planning something, and apparently it's big. Why else would the manjuu react so suddenly?"

"Edameonus would tell Mokona something like that?" He sighed, not understanding what the two men cold have possibly come up with that would have caused something like this.

"Dunno…" Kurogane turned, grasping his flashlight again. "But I'm going to find out." He went to the light switch.

"Oi, Yuui, manjuu. We're done." He said louder so the girls could hear him. Yuui looked up underneath her new hat as Mokona popped out of a box.

"Okay." She smiled before gathering Mokona and standing.

"Kuro-ruu?" Fay asked, not liking the sound of things. Kurogane looked to Fay before sighing, shaking his head. He clicking on his flashlight and pulled the lever, turning off the attic lights. Yuui smiled and walked over to where the light was coming from, knowing Kurogane would lead them downstairs. Closing back the box he had been looking through, Fay followed after the others, still concerned about what they had stumbled across and what it could imply.

Kurogane held Yuui's hand as she maneuvered to descend down the ladder. She laughed when she got to the laundry room floor, dusting herself clean of filth and cobweb. Fay grinned as he watched them before he stepped up to Kurogane. He offered his lover a smile as he heard Yuui's laughter below. Kurogane continued to frown and turned off his flashlight, taking the blonde's hand.

"Go down next." He said. The blonde nodded and gripped Kurogane's hand, glad for the help, before he moved to descend down the ladder as well. He could hear the two girls below him giggle at themselves. The half breed watched Fay go halfway down before he followed suit, pausing to lock the door. Yuui moved aside so the Valerian could join her in the room.

"Yuui should change into one of her new outfits." Fay suggested as he stepped to the side, not wanting to be in Kurogane's way when the taller man joined them. Yuui nodded and grinned, running into the bathroom with her articles of clothing. The dark haired man stepped onto the floor soon after, bending over to grab the bottom rung of the ladder. He pushed the metal up and out of the way, closing the square door as if they'd never gone in.

"Do you think Toriho will come by anytime soon?" He asked, knowing both of them wanted answers on the matter on what they had found in the attic.

"I don't know. He'll show up sooner or later with that guy's house almost being done." Kurogane replied, moving a hand to his hip as he watched Mokona hop out of the bathroom to give Yuui privacy.

"Do you think Edameonus would know anything?" Blue eyes watched Mokona for a moment before he moved his gaze to Kurogane.

"…If that manjuu reacted that way… I'm guessing so…" He said as they both started to walk toward the living room. Kurogane blinked when the man of their conversation stumbled into view down the hallway, pulling off his shirt.

"Gah! Soel! You let me fall asleep with my shirt on!" He muttered sleepily passed the fabric.

"Mokona wanted Ed to sleep." She giggled at the sight of the Ginryan moving about sluggishly. Fay stared as well; he hadn't expected Edameonus to suddenly appear. The demon grumbled and removed his head finally from the shirt, making Kurogane's eyes widen. Mokona blinked and looked up at him curiously.

"Eh? Edameonus's horns are showing…" The Ginryan looked at her lazily, eyebrows rose.

"Heh?"

"What happened?" Fay looked at his friend, wondering what could have caused a part of Edameonus's disguise to falter. The tall man tossed his shirt to the side and held out his hand for Mokona to jump on it. He then reached up a hand to touch a horn.

"Hn. Seems they have." He looked down to the rest of his body. "Doesn't look like any of my other tattoos are showing… Soel, you know the cause of this don't you?" He asked, eyes flashing to Kurogane, who scowled.

"Everyone was up in the attic and found some of Great Uncle Toriho's things." Mokona said as she looked up at her father figure. Frowning, the Valerian looked between the two other men, wondering what Edameonus was implying.

"You did, did you?" He asked, eyes not moving from Kurogane for a moment. He smiled to the creature and placed a hand on her head.

"That's fine. I should probably fix my disguise then." He set the white thing down on the couch and turned, black wing tattoos on his shoulder blades that weren't there before. "I wouldn't want to scare the filth… I mean… the humans here…"  
Mokona smiled up at Edameonus as he deposited her on the couch. Fay stared, confused about the sudden change in the Ginryan's behavior while he hand his lover walked into the living room. He looked up at Kurogane, wondering if the other man thought it strange as well. Kurogane glanced to Fay and frowned deeper, nodding in recognition. Edameonus moved to his trench coat and reached in the pocket on the inside of his left breast. He pulled out a charm that looked extremely similar to the one Fay and Kurogane had used to regain their memories. He closed his eyes and the charm dissipated, creating a black smoke around him. Fay watched Edameonus and lifted his arm, not knowing what to expect as smoke enveloped the Ginryan.

"Kuro-san?" He glanced over to his lover as he wondered what was happening.

"Don't worry, Fay-chan." Edameonus said through the cloud, the dust slowly vanishing. "It's only to make the spell stronger. My magic is not as strong and tends to give way when I'm farther away from home." The leer of the demon could be seen. "The same could go for any Ginryan."

Lowering his arm, Fay smiled sheepishly, though he wondered if the Ginryan was referring to Toriho when he spoke. Mokona laughed as she bounced around on the couch, seeing that the smoke was dissipating. Edameonus waved his hand, getting the cloud to vanish quicker. He then walked into the clearer air, showing his horns and tattoos on his back were gone. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, wondering just how many tattoos that guy had. Edameonus ran a hand through his hair.

"So, why were you in the attic?"

"Yuui needed some clothes." Fay elaborated, still not sure what to think of Edameonus now after coming down from the attic. The demon continued to frown, looking at Mokona.

"For Yuui-chan?" He tickled the creature's ear. "Find them?" He turned to look at the two men. "Stumble across anything nostalgic?"

"Yuui found lots!" Mokona cheered as she looked up at Edameonus.

"A lot actually." Fay smiled as he remembered Kurogane's old trophies as well as Toriho's old things.

"What are you after?" Kurogane asked lowly, folding his arms. Edameonus raised an eyebrow, his smile not faltering in the slightest.

"Nothing, why wouldn't I be curious?"

"Kuro-san..." Fay looked to his lover worried, not wanting either man to start a fight. "We can just ask about it later."

The spiky haired man continued to glare, but he turned his vision to the side of the room with a grunt. Edameonus narrowed his eyes and turned to look at Archellevon's sleeping form, a frown marring his features.

"You know, it's tiring to fight. If he wants to he might as well so the big doggy can take a nap too." He muttered. Sighing, the blonde wondered if either of them would ever get along. He was at least glad Edameonus wasn't lunging at Kurogane or the other way around. The half human growled at the nickname, clenching his fists.

"Shut up asshole." He snapped, though gently so he wouldn't wake up Archellevon. Edameonus smirked to himself.

"In any case, seems I've been found out, huh Soel?"

"Yep!" She giggled as she jumped excitedly on the couch. Fay watched in confusion, wondering what Edameonus had meant.

"No matter." The demon stood, moving his hands to his pockets. "I'm hungry. Come make food with me, Soel." He said with a grin. "After that I can let you go play with Yuui-chan like you guys so enthusiastically announced earlier." Mokona cheered as she jumped up onto the Ginryan's shoulder.

"Mokona wants to play in the snow!" Fay watched as both of them left before he turned to look at Kurogane, confusion written across his face. Kurogane glared at the demon's back, trying to figure the man out. He looked to Fay and shrugged, not catching a whiff of anything except that whatever it was Edameonus let them know it was about the both of them and it had made Toriho extremely happy.

"Think we'll find out whatever it is soon?" Fay asked as Edameonus and Mokona entered the kitchen. He wasn't sure if he should be worried or not about whatever the man was keeping from them.

"Maybe, maybe not." Kurogane replied, beginning to go to the bedroom to put the two items away. He growled to himself, still angry at the way Edameonus had behaved. Fay sighed as he watched Kurogane leave, finally moving to dust himself off. He moved to the other couch, he sighed pleasantly as he relaxed; glad to rest for a moment. As he sat in silence, the blonde wondered if they would be able to get the box with Toriho's things back from Mokona.

From the halting of moments, Fay felt the energy inside him wiggle, growing stronger in physical form rather than aura. It might've been from the fact that Kurogane, being half human, was the father, but Toshihiko wasn't making his stomach as swollen as he should have been. Fay frowned as he put a hand on his stomach. The blonde knew that he wasn't able to wear some of his clothes now, but he had thought the baby would have grown more, especially since there was only around two months left of his pregnancy.

"Maybe Fay-chan's not eating enough?" Came Edameonus's voice as the demon hovered in the doorway, looking at the Valerian fondle his stomach with a worried expression.

"...Maybe." The Valerian responded, having been surprised by Edameonus. It still worried him regardless, though he was slightly comforted by the fact that he hadn't felt anything abnormal. Edameonus stared at the blonde, sighing inwardly.

"Fay-chan… your child's gone through something… and was birthed through something… that's not common. Things will turn out. He'll just be different than normal pregnancies…" He offered the other a smile, losing his cryptic, half-asleep stare.

"Edameonus?" Fay looked over to the dark haired man, wondering if the other's words came from first hand knowledge. None the less he was glad for the reassurance his friend offered him. The other man gave a slightly sheepish smile and looked away. He moved into the other man's line of vision, standing with his hands in his pockets.

"That baby inside you… it's something special… with its father's temper, there's no way something bad could go wrong; it'll be too determined to make you smile when it's born…" He explained. A blush rose on the blonde's cheeks as he listened to Edameonus.

"Thank you." He smiled to himself, feeling the same as the Ginryan about the matter of Kurogane's temperament. Edameonus frowned slightly, more than likely troubled by the events just before.

"… Sorry… but I can't tell either of you yet." He said simply, closing his eyes. "Court orders."

Startled by the revelation, the blonde looked at the Ginryan with widened eyes at mention of the court. Looking away from the other man, Fay wrapped his arms around his abdomen, feeling a familiar fear.

"Will we know soon then?" He muttered. Edameonus's crimson eyes darted to Fay, seeing the concern.

"Don't think it's like before." He said with a sigh. "I have a specific time that I'm supposed to tell it." He closed his eyes and frowned deeply. Fay nodded, still not liking the fact.

"Can you tell me when?" He asked, his eyes trained on his lap, his mind wondering to what it could be.

"You'll know." The demon replied, looking over his shoulder to see Mokona flipping vegetables in a pan. "Oi, don't to that so high!" He said weakly, going into the kitchen to help her out. Smiling, Fay watched Edameonus rush to keep Mokona from causing a mess. His hands moved to rest atop his stomach; silently feeling for his son's aura to once again make sure the baby was alright.

"Whassua…" A drowsy voice murmured from the other side of the room. "Err…werz…" Archellevon moved a hand to rub his eye, curling into a ball up on one side of the couch. Fay chuckled as he listened to Archellevon stir, wondering if it meant the pale haired boy would be waking up. He smiled as he felt tiny pulses against his fingertips, glad that nothing seemed to be amiss. The teenager grumbled some more things incoherently, lifting his head up slightly to look around.

"Hmmn? Fay-san?" He grumbled, his eyes not even halfway open. Kurogane walked into the room, leaning against the doorway with his arms folded.

"Lazy."

"Kuro-rin's always so negative." Fay waved at his lover, as he looked over to the now partially awake Archellevon.

"Hello, Archy." He smiled as the teen slowly woke up. The former angel gave him a languid smile.

"Good mor… wait… what time is it?" he asked softly, yawning as he rubbed his eyes again. Kurogane rolled his own eyes and moved to sit next to Fay.

"It's getting late actually, but you've not been asleep for too long." Fay explained as he grinned as he briefly watched Kurogane move to sit beside him.

"Around two hours." The other man added, itching his ear nonchalantly. Archellevon looked to them and frowned, nodding.

"I've fallen asleep again… Sorry…" He blinked and tilted his head. "But… I-I remember… I was in the laundry room…"

"Kuro-tan found you asleep." He answered knowing the boy would be embarrassed by the fact. Archellevon blushed a little and bowed his head to Kurogane.

"A-ah! S-sorry! I-I've… It's just…" The teenager began to babble, making the tallest man in the room raise an eyebrow.

"It's nothing big. Quit making it sound like I went through hell to get you from one room to another."

"Kuro-puu couldn't let you just sleep in the laundry room." The shorter man chuckled as he looked up at Kurogane, knowing his lover wasn't as coldhearted as he wanted others to believe. Archellevon sighed and nodded, gripping the edge of his blanket.

"…Well… I-in any case… thank you…" Kurogane blinked at the seriousness of the gratitude and he looked away, feeling slightly flattered.

"Hn…" Fay giggled at watching his lover, smiling behind his hand.

"Mokona and Edameonus are cooking now and I'm not sure where Yuui is..." The blonde trailed off wondering if the android was trying on all of her new fond clothes.

"She was in the bathroom…" Kurogane looked over again, a faint blush still on his cheeks from Archellevon's 'thank you'. The girl, as if summoned, came into the room, wearing the red velvet dress.

"Yuui had trouble, but Yuui finally did it!"

"Yuui's looks pretty in her new dress; she'll have to thank Tomoyo later." The Valerian said as he watched the android twirl around happily. The girl nodded and brought her hands up in front of her.

"Yuui likes this one! It's… it's…" She trailed off, trying to think of a word that described it. She pouted and pointed to her twin. "It's like Fay's smile!"

Fay looked at the girl sheepishly, thinking it odd she would describe something in such a way.

"Thank you Yuui." The android grinned, giggling.

"What does Kurogane think?" She asked, twirling to show herself off. The other man scanned his creation, raising an eyebrow.

"…Looks like Tomoyo made it for you."

"Kuro-myu gave a compliment?" The blonde said in mock surprise. Yuui smiled brightly as she danced around.

"Yuui should show Mokona." The girl nodded brightly to what Fay said and exited carefully, making sure not to trip over the seam. Kurogane growled and placed his hand on Fay's hair.

"Stop that!" He demanded. Archellevon smiled from the other side of the room, moving to sit upright with the blanket still around him.

"It's strange to hear you give a straight compliment to anything." He smiled, remembering how Kurogane's father had to pin the other man to admit what he thought about the blonde dressed in a kimono. The half breed looked away and leaned his elbow against the armrest so he could cup his chin.

"Yuui's dumb; you have to be blunt with her."

"That's a much more normal response from Kuro-chan." He chuckled, poking Kurogane's side as he teased his lover. Kurogane growled and swatted at Fay's hand.

"You're troublesome!" He grumbled, though his attention was captured by Archellevon laughing lightly.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" He asked with an eyebrow twitch. The white haired boy grinned and waved him off.

"N-nothing! Just you two… you seem so happy now! I'm glad!"

"It's hard to tell when he's in a good mood; he always has such a sour face." The blonde said, blushing faintly at the teen.

"The hell? You know when I'm in a good mood or not you prick!" Kurogane snapped, pinching the rosy cheek.

"Kuro-pyon's aggressive too~" Fay said as he winced at the touch, wondering why Kurogane had a sudden fixation for pinching him.

"And you're annoying." Kurogane retorted, retracting his touch when he saw Fay wasn't going to put up a fight like normal for it. Archellevon continued to smile from the other couch, pulling the blanket closer to him.

"Kuro-rin's grumpy." He retorted as he leaned up and pulled on a spike of hair, glad for the distraction from his worries about their child.

"You're an idiot." The taller snorted, smacking away the hand on him, oblivious to Edameonus's and Fay's earlier conversation. Fay rolled his eyes before smiling up at his lover seeing how childish his lover was when he was teased even a little.

"You're always saying that."

"And you're always saying that! What's with your comebacks, Blondie?" Kurogane murmured, leaning on his hand again.

"Kuro-sama's mean." He pouted halfheartedly, pretending to be hurt as he looked away from Kurogane. The other man rolled his eyes at the child-like behavior, knowing they were both acting like kids.

"Seriously, if you act like this around him…" He muttered, moving his hand from his chin to his forehead.

"You're one to talk." Blue eyes turned to Kurogane, watching the man. At the mention of their child the blonde hoped Edameonus was right and nothing bad would happen over the next two months.

"Oi, I won't be the one teaching them how to fake cry to get what they want!" The tanned man argued, watching idly as Yuui came back in to sit with them.

"No, you'll be the one teaching them to fight and swear." Fay retorted as he looked up at the taller man and smirked.

"They won't swear until they're old enough." Kurogane said as he looked back to his lover. Yuui tilted her head and looked at Archellevon, wondering who 'they' and 'them' were.

"Isn't Fay only going to have one baby-san?"

"Only one for right now." He explained, glancing up at his lover and smiled. Kurogane blinked, realizing they had been talking about their child in the plural form. He glanced over to Yuui with a slight frown.

"You two are going to have a lot of kids? How many?" Archellevon asked with slightly larger than normal eyes.

"We've not really talked about a specific number..." A dark blush rose on Fay's face as he stole a glance up to Kurogane. The dark haired man was blushing as well, rubbing the back of his head. Yuui tilted her head in the other direction at their expressions, confused again.

"Two at least..." Fay continued to blush as he looked up at Archellevon.

"At least?" The teenager asked with a grin, watching Kurogane try to will down the blush that had moved onto his cheeks. "My, this house will be busy."

"Another baby won't be around for awhile." He answered, slightly embarrassed. He smiled, nonetheless, at the idea as Yuui laughed.

"That is, unless Kurogane-san can't keep his hands to himself." Archellevon said offhandedly, looking away as if the words hadn't come from him.

"Bastard!" Kurogane barked, glaring at the teenager.

"That is true..." Fay stared at Kurogane for a moment as if contemplating the idea. He knew it probably wasn't possible for him to conceive without using his energy, but then again stranger things could happen to them. Kurogane growled low in his throat and looked at Fay, wondering what the blonde was thinking of with such a pensive face. Archellevon giggled from the other side of the room, hoping he hadn't made it a terrible observation.

"Hopefully he can manage until Toshi's older." Fay smirked as he met Kurogane's gaze, not knowing if it would be a good idea to raise two small children at once.

"Me! How is sex always my fault?" Kurogane asked skeptically. Edameonus leaned in the living room, glaring at Kurogane.

"Oi, watch your language when kids are around. Yuui-chan and Soel don't need to know about your perversity."

"Kuro-san coerces me~" Fay laughed before turning his attention to Edameonus. "He's right; children shouldn't know about things like that Kuro-puu."

The Earthling growled dangerously. "Fifty percent of the time, Blondie!" He stated, ignoring the demon's comment. Yuui though didn't seemed bothered by it; instead she moved on to play with the fuzz on the cuff of her sleeve.

"Says Kuro-tan." Kurogane received an innocent smile in return as Fay stared up at him.

"Would you two quit fighting?" Archellevon asked from his side of the room, the smile not vacating his face. Yuui giggled as the former angel spoke up, his attitude seemingly better after Edameonus's and his earlier fight. Fay stopped, turning his head to stare at Archellevon surprised by the other teen. It was something he would have expected from most anyone but the teen and he wondered if it was because of what had happened earlier between the other two men. The teenager's smile turned sheepish and he itched his cheek with a finger.

"O-only because I just woke up… I… would rather not have a headache…" He trailed off, making Kurogane raise both his eyebrows. Yuui giggled at the expression, not seeing it very often. The blonde smiled shamefacedly as he watched the teen.

"Sorry about that." He grinned, a faint blush still spread across his face. The boy's cheeks also tinted pink, realizing how forceful he had sounded.

"Th-that is…" Kurogane sighed, wondering if the angel beforehand was rough with words like Edameonus or he himself.

"It's fine, Kuro-pon should try to not be so short tempered." Fay said as he waved off any protests Archellevon might have had. "It won't be very good for the baby."

Kurogane growled at Fay for putting the blame all on him, but he didn't continue to yell like he would've before. Archellevon smiled feebly, feeling a little awkward. Edameonus folded his arms in the doorway.

"… Hey, any of you hungry?"

"Since you and Mokona went to the trouble of cooking, we should eat." Fay said happily. Smiling at his friend, the blonde stood up and walked towards the kitchen, ignoring his lover's growling for the moment. Yuui blinked and frowned slightly, looking at Kurogane.

"…Yuui can't eat… right?" She asked slowly, making the half breed glance to her as he stood.

"No…" He replied. The girl pouted and stood as well, following her maker out of the room. Archellevon hesitated from pursuing the others, looking out the window to the snow fall.

Mokona turned to look at the others as she stood on top of the table

"Mokona cooked!" Fay chuckled at Soel as he sat down.

"It looks like Mokona did a good job." He said. Edameonus smirked at the creature as he entered.

"Fine, just take all the credit why don't you?" Kurogane pulled a stool out from underneath the counter and patted it for Yuui to sit before joining Fay at the table. The android smiled and sat as instructed while Mokona twirled on the table top.

"You helped too!" She giggled as she came to a stop.

"I helped?" Edameonus raised an eyebrow, though he counted help but smirk as he sat down. He chuckled and waved his hand. "Fine, I helped you make all this." Archellevon entered silently, a slight frown on his face. Mokona laughed as she picked up a fork and began to eat.

"Mokona and Ed cooked together!" She cheered next. Fay smiled as well before he began to eat, his mind going back to what the Ginryan had said earlier about his eating.

As they began eating, a sort of natural but uneasy silence fell on them. Kurogane looked to Fay occasionally out of habit, and Yuui would pick up humming every now and then, but it faded easily. Archellevon frowned gently as he stared at his meal, unsure if he was hungry or not. Mokona smiled as she waved her fork about as she continued to eat, laughing and humming along every now and then with Yuui. Grinning, the blonde felt the familiar pull of energy from the baby. Fay was glad that at least nothing seemed wrong. Edameonus stared at Fay intently; the fact that the Valerian had had thoughts of problems had spiked his concern. Kurogane noticed this eventually, a frown taking his face as the other didn't seem to take his eyes off the blonde even when bringing food to his mouth. The Valerian in question didn't notice, lost in his own thoughts as he ate. Away from everyone Yuui swung her legs back and forth as she tried to keep herself occupied until everyone finished. Edameonus felt crimson eyes on him and looked down to his food, not wanting to start a fight at the table. Archellevon sighed and moved his plate away, feeling slightly stifled by the quietness over them.

"I-I've finished." Mokona watched the teen, noticing how the other seemed uneasy. Blue eyes from Fay fell on Archellevon as well. He watched wondering if it was what had happened earlier between the boy and Edameonus that was causing the teen to suddenly want to leave. Edameonus frowned deeply and said nothing, looking back to his food.

"You didn't eat a lot." Kurogane pointed out, picking a few things away from his desired item on his own plate. Archellevon smiled sheepishly.

"Not… not really feeling my best." He explained with a blush. Yuui tilted her head to the side, wondering how a person could not 'feel their best'.

"Are you alright?" Fay asked, even though he knew there was something bothering the teen regardless of what the pale haired boy said.

"Archy should rest." Mokona said with a frown and looked up at Archellevon, worried her new found mother figure.

"I'm fine Fay-san…" The younger replied, reaching forward to pat Mokona's head. "I-I'll do what Mokona-chan said and lie down…" He smiled, though when he turned it slipped off his face. Kurogane set down his glass, feeling as though the problem was just buildup from before. And from the look on Edameonus's face, he knew it too. Fay sighed softly and nodded in response to the teen, watching him go. He glanced at Edameonus, frowning when he saw the other man's expression. It seemed talking with Archellevon hadn't helped matters. The demon gritted his teeth and growled.

"I'm tired of this…" He hissed, pushing away his seat violently. Kurogane stood and blocked his way from going out of the kitchen though, ruby burning against ruby.

"Whatever you're planning on doing isn't going to be good for either of you." He said lowly, making Edameonus frown even more.

"Maybe you should reconsider?" Fay suggested as he watched, worried about the two men starting another fight or even worse, it causing a bigger gap between the Ginryan and Archellevon. Edameonus took a step back from the other, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"I'm out of cigarettes, and it's too cold to go outside to shoot hoops." He informed them lowly, not breaking eye contact with Kurogane. "…This is getting old, don't you agree?"

"You can't just start arguing with him." Fay looked up at Kurogane, remembering what his lover had found during his searching. "It will only cause problems."

"Cause problems? Cause problems! Fay-chan, this whole ordeal is a problem! This is a fucking issue!" He barked, turning to look at the Valerian. "I'm pissed, he's pissed, the things we're trying to do to solve it and be happy end up in tears or being passed out, he might never remember me and I only upset him by not telling him things! What can I do!" His voice started to rise, not realizing Archellevon could hear him.

"There's still a chance that he'll remember on his own." Fay said steadily as he looked at Edameonus. "Pushing things will only make it even more complicated." He sighed, not knowing what to say. "And it's for his own good that all of us keep things from him."

"That chance is this big!" He held up two fingers to show a space that was barely visible. "And as for pushing things I'll let up on trying to be with him, but if you want him to quit passing out you'll have to talk to him!" Kurogane folded his arms with a sigh, not liking how Edameonus was yelling at Fay.

"It's hard to when he's trying to force himself to remember and he's always upset around all of us." The blonde frowned deeply, trying to think of something that could possibly help. Edameonus growled and brought his hands up to his hair, gripping it tightly in frustration.

"Dammit!" He tilted his head to the ceiling. "It's all my fault!" Kurogane shifted his weight, watching the internal aggravation display itself physically.

"There might be a way. Kuro-san was trying to find anything about it with his computers." Fay stated, not knowing if it was a good decision on his part to say anything. He glanced over at Kurogane, wondering how things would work out. The other man looked back, narrowing his eyes as he remembered what the blonde was talking about. Edameonus opened crimson orbs and moved to look at Fay, his hands lowering.

"…What? You… you've found something that could help?"

"I don't know if it would help at all...but he found something about possibly restoring memories." The blonde looked skeptical about saying anything more; he hadn't wanted to raise the Ginryan's hopes up.

"Something the two of you have done in the past, something mutual would have to be done." He added. Edameonus flinched, eyes going slightly wide at the suggestion.

"Th… that's…" He tried to piece together something that would work, but anything that they'd have done together would be different since they were on a different planet, except for something…

"That's impossible!" He looked away, blushing slightly. "I'm not going to force anything on him!"

"Not necessarily something like that." Fay smiled sheepishly as he saw the other man's blush. "I assumed a simple kiss would do."

"Fay-chan you saw how he reacted when he was the one kissing me. Imagine it a lot worse if it were the other way around." Edameonus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Especially not after what happened in town."

"Then he'll just have to remember on his own." Fay replied, not liking the idea, but at least there was a chance and if it meant both of his friends could be happy he only hoped it would work. Edameonus growled again, moving his hand to cover his eyes. Mokona frowned gently, wiping her tiny eyes silently as she watched her father figure fume. Kurogane continued to stand in front of the demon, not knowing what he was thinking.

Fay turned and scooped Mokona up, having heard a small whimper close by.

"I don't know what else to say, Edameonus..." The blonde looked away from his friend, feeling terrible about not having found an answer to the man's problem. The Ginryan allowed his hand to hover in front of his face, looking at Fay. Doing so caused him to look at Mokona as well.

"…" He paused, eyes widening slightly as something started to form in his mind. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, curious as to why Edameonus's expression changed. The blonde looked up, feeling eyes on him, he saw the Ginryan watching him.

"Edameonus?" Mokona wiped at her eyes before she looked up as well. The demon continued to frown, but his expression lost anger, and instead remained sad.

"…I…" He narrowed his eyes at Mokona, lowering his hand to fist it by his side. "…It's nothing… I'm… I'm going to go take a bath…" Kurogane blinked, confused now as the Ginryan moved passed him smoothly. Fay watched worriedly as the man left. As he held Mokona, the Valerian looked up to his lover, not knowing what to think of Edameonus's sudden change. Kurogane shrugged, completely lost. He unfolded his arms and moved to collect the dishes, growling to himself at doing the chore. Mokona wiped her eyes again and looked up to Fay.

"W-what's…?"

"I'm not sure what Edameonus is doing." He petted Mokona as he stood up, setting the small creature onto his shoulder as he helped Kurogane with the dishes. Mokona clung to the blonde's clothing, snuggling into the warmth. Kurogane set the leftovers and Archellevon's plate in the fridge, wondering if the former angel would eat it later.

"Does Kuro-san think it was a good idea to say anything?" He frowned to himself, not knowing what would happen because of it. Raising a hand to Mokona he comforted her as he set the dishes in the sink.

"Hell if I know. That guy's not easy to read." He said nonchalantly, though his expression was pensive. Mokona smiled lightly at the hand touching her, glad for the comfort.

"…Yuui thinks everyone's sad now." The android speaking up caused her creator to jump slightly, Kurogane having forgotten she was there. Fay sighed as he turned to look at the other girl.

"Things are difficult and it's hard to figure out what's best, Yuui." He said. The girl pouted and hopped off the stool, her hands cupped together in front of her.

"Is it because Archy's heart hurts? Does Archy have afraid?" The robot asked, remembering what Kurogane had explained to her.

"I don't know if I would say afraid, but his heart does hurt." His frown deepened as he stole at glance in the direction of the living room.

"Yuui wants to make it better!" she said with a wide smile, looking determined. Mokona looked up and tilted her body to the side.

"How could Yuui do that?" The girl blinked and shrugged, offering the white thing a smile.

"Yuui… doesn't know…" She muttered next. Kurogane sighed and walked over to her, ruffling her hair.

"This isn't a problem any of us can solve."

"Kuro-min's right, they're the ones that have to find a way to fix things." He said, trying to reassure both Mokona and Yuui as he explained things to them. They both frowned and looked down.

"But… they both seem too upset to find a solution…" Yuui pouted, blue eyes moving to focus on her creator. Kurogane shrugged, moving his hand from her hair.

"We'll just have to see what happens." He said with a frown. Fay nodded at his lover's words. Mokona frowned even if she understood what the adults were saying.

"I'm sure they'll figure something out." Fay said, though he had to wonder if they really would.


	34. Thankfully you answered my prayers

**Mirika-rin:** boooooyyyy I've been busy. buuuut here it is~! The next one should take a couple days; I'm going to hang with a lot of friends and be writing on other stuff (new idea mostly) so it'll take me a bit to edit it. C: BUT YOU GET HAPPY GOODNESS THIS TIME OHOHOHO. after a buttload of emo.

**Ashine-chan:** Another chapter for everyone~ and this time with lots of flangst. There are also a lot of things that will come into play at various points from here on out, so keep an eye out.

* * *

Edameonus sat in the dark room, staring at the past angel on the other side of the room. He gently petted Mokona in his hand, mind reeling with what he had decided to do. He slowly moved his vision to the magic creature.

"Life's a bitch, isn't it?" He asked softly to the slumbering animal. He listened as the Valerian stirred in the other room, knowing the pregnancy would give him troubles sleeping. He sighed, realizing he had stayed up the whole night and that the sun would soon be rising.

Mokona stirred at the touch, making a soft sound as she cuddled further against Edameonus, sleep overtaking her once more as the sky outside began to lighten. The demon sighed heavily, knowing that the girl would be upset for not being able to say goodbye, or even know why she had to. Edameonus stood, wearing his trench coat and uniform badge. Mokona didn't move again as she was left alone. His eyes lingered on the former angel before he went slowly over to the boy, bending somewhat so he could run his gloved hand over the boy's cheek. As he had always been Archellevon slept heavily. He didn't stir even at the soft touch against his face. Edameonus grimaced, removing his hand. He sighed, looking down the hallway.

"I'm sorry everyone. Don't hate me anymore than you already do." He went back to Mokona and scooped her up, going to the front door. The others were oblivious to the Ginryan's words. Mokona still slept on, even as she was picked up and carried outside.

Edameonus didn't realize that Yuui was no longer on standby, the girl just peering out of the hallway as the man closed the door swiftly, knowing the cold air would disturb the others. She blinked and gasped, realizing Mokona was going with him. She went to her master's door and knocked on it harshly.

"Kurogane! Fay! Mokona and Edam are going somewhere!" She called gently.

Inside the bedroom, Fay awoke to the sound of someone beating on their door. Sitting up, he looked around, noting it was barely morning.

"Kuro-kun..." He murmured, reaching out to touch his lover. The other man grumbled in his sleep, obviously not wanting to be disturbed. Yuui's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Fay! Kurogane! Mokona and Edam left! Where would they go without telling everyone? Yuui's has a little of worry…" Fay's eyes widened at her words and swung his legs over the bed to stand.

"We're coming Yuui!" He turned to look at his barely awake lover. "Kuro-san we have to hurry."

"Why?" The other man asked groggily, opening an eye to glare at Fay. "What the hell's wrong?" Yuui frowned on the other side of the door, glancing out the window. She gasped as she saw a sudden white light flash, glaring brightly over the snow.

"Fay! Kurogane! There are pretty lights outside!" Fay rushed over to the door opening it, having an idea at what Edameonus was planning.

"Don't panic Yuui." He said briefly as he passed the girl before running towards the front door. The girl nodded, bringing her hands up in front of her mouth as she watched Kurogane follow after Fay, pulling on a thick shirt as he went.

"What the hell's going on, Blondie?" He asked, more alert now.

"They're leaving." Fay said as he looked over his shoulder. Slipping on his shoes the blonde darted outside, not really knowing what he would find.

The sight outside made Fay feel his eyes widen. Mokona was no longer there, but instead it was a mutating ship, spikes and circles moving here and there with a giant ruby on the top. Edameonus was standing in the snow, hands in his pockets. The thing disturbing about him was the fact that not only his horns were showing, but his tattoos and wings were as well.

"…The hell?" Kurogane asked as he joined Fay on the porch.

"Edameonus!" Fay shouted from where he stood. His eyes widened as he watched what could only be Mokona transforming. The demon snapped around, eyes large as he realized he was caught. He growled and frowned deeper, looking away.

"Go back inside, Fay-chan, Kurogane."

"You can't just leave." Fay said as he gritted his teeth, knowing he had done the same once before. Edameonus didn't look at them.

"Got to. Court orders. You know, I was doing a job this entire time. Remember?" He asked bitterly over the blowing wind Mokona was causing. Kurogane frowned, recognizing the situation.

"That's not the reason why you're leaving, why you tried to sneak away." The Valerian said, his breath visible in the morning air, as he felt himself growing angry at the man.

"I've got to report to the entire court this time." Edameonus snapped, facing the blonde now with a vicious glare. "Yuuko asked me to this time. Not like I have much choice for when it happened."

Kurogane growled, going to the edge of the porch. "Don't make excuses and stop running from your problems, asshole!"

The demon continued to frown and shook his head, turning his back on the two as if he hadn't heard them, staring at the creation change. Kurogane growled and was about to start yelling even more if he weren't cut off.

"E… Ed?" The horned man flinched, but didn't turn, hoping that this wouldn't have had to happen. Fay winced as he heard Archellevon behind himself and Kurogane. He also knew things would be even more difficult for the other two men now.

"G… Go back inside! All of you!" Edameonus commanded, his wings spreading slightly. Archellevon felt his tired eyes widen at the scene before him, gently shaking his head.

"B-but… Ed…"

"I said GO! I've made up my mind!" Edameonus snapped next. His eyes turned skywards as he watched Mokona's transformation slow, which signaled she was almost done changing forms.

"Archy… You would know that court duties are extremely important." Edameonus added, not moving to look behind him. He knew if he did he'd reconsider leaving.

"I knew this would come, I didn't tell any of you because I…" He chuckled bitterly.

"I wanted to forget I couldn't stay." Archellevon brought his hands up to his chest.

"That doesn't mean you can leave!" Mokona slowed even more, almost sickly like. Edameonus sighed, turning then to stare at the three on the porch.

"Dammit… I didn't want to have to go!" He barked, making Archellevon flinch. Kurogane moved slightly so that they could see each other, a painful ping growing in both their chests. Fay looked away, knowing that what Edameonus was saying was meant only for Archellevon. He frowned and went to his lover, standing with him to fight off the barely noticed cold. The boy frowned lightly.

"Y… you don't have to leave…" He said softly, though Edameonus had heard it. Inside his pockets his fists clenched.

"Don't you get it? I do! I'm the problem! It's all my fault! If you can't solve the problem you take it away!" Edameonus bellowed, feeling something shatter in his chest. "Court wants me anyway! N-not like I can keep them waiting!"

The blonde's hands tightened into fists at his sides as he listened. He wondered if the ward on the tattoo on his back wasn't working if he could have forced the Ginryan to stay. Kurogane frowned and moved an arm tighter around the pregnant man, wondering how his lover was doing in the cold as they stood outside. Archellevon took a step forward as Mokona stopped moving altogether.

"B-but Ed! No!" He cried, watching as the demon turned his back on them once again.

"It's done with! I'm taking my leave!"

"E-Ed! I-I… I… Ed I love you!"

The Valerian froze, his eyes wide as he held his breath. He turned his head to the side to glance at Kurogane to see if he had heard the teen right. His lover's eyes were slightly wider than normal as well, staring at the former angel. The Ginryan had stopped dead, not even breathing for a moment. He slowly turned to see Archellevon, eyes wide.

"…W…What did you just say?" Archellevon bit his lip, blushing lightly.

"…H-How can… how can I mean that if you don't stay for me to find out?"

The demon looked at the white haired boy with a shocked expression, his jaw clenching. He growled deeply and brought his fists out of his pockets.

"Don't say it if you don't mean it, Archy!" He shouted, heart sinking at the fact the other hadn't meant it.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you toying with me? Why are you trying to love me if it brings you more pain?"

The Valerian found himself scowling at the dark haired man's words. He knew that they would only serve to hurt Archellevon even more so than Edameonus's leaving. Kurogane gripped the edge of the porch tightly in his free hand, watching as Archellevon seemed to shrivel within himself. Edameonus clinched his teeth, squeezing his eyes shut as he felt them burn.

"I-It's not like I don't want you to remember me! I want that with all my heart, but… ugh god dammit! Why the hell don't you remember me?" He cried out, making the boy frown deeper.

"I-I told you... I c-can't..."

Between Edameonus and Archellevon, the blonde stood, his nails digging into his hand. He could feel the Ginryan's aura pulsing around the man erratically. Kurogane glanced over to his lover, seeing his anger boil uncharacteristically while Archellevon seemed to deteriorate.

"NO!" The demon's body quivered, mercury escaping his eyes and falling down his face in complete hopelessness.

"You know I was the one you can't remember! You KNOW I was the one you loved! NOW WHY CAN'T YOU REMEMBER ME? IF YOU REMEMBERED, I WOULD'VE STAYED! TELL ME IF YOU DON'T WANT TO LOVE ME AGAIN, BECAUSE I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU!"

The white haired one fell silent, unable to bring himself to say anything. Edameonus, staring vehemently at the younger, found that he could no longer keep his composure while facing him. He turned away, a little shocked with himself that he'd openly cry.

"… So… that's it then…" He said gently, bowing his head. "I'm going…"

Fay turned his head to look at Edameonus, he stared at the other's back, even if he realized why the man was leaving all of them. It didn't make things right and the man frowned at the idea. He realized if he turned that he would most likely see Archellevon crying as well over the Ginryan. But the blonde didn't have to turn to see Archellevon; the boy made a mad dash by him.

"O-oi!" Kurogane barked as the younger ran horrendously fast in the snow with bare feet, racing toward Edameonus. Kurogane growled and started after him, knowing that if Edameonus still refused to stay that the teenager wouldn't want to walk himself back. Fay watched and rushed off the porch as well after Archellevon, and thinking the same as Kurogane, he knew the teen wouldn't want to be left alone once Edameonus left.

"ED!" Archellevon cried desperately, though the demon didn't turn around again. His wings, rather large, spread open and he looked up to the ship. The boy seemed to run faster, trying to reach the other as he took off up toward the opening. Kurogane blinked when he saw transparent wings spread from the boy's back, lunging at Edameonus who was midway there. Fay slowed down, his body not able to keep up with the others, he stopped, panting as he watched what was unfolding before them as Edameonus tried to leave. Kurogane stopped as well, finding it odd that the teenager would've sprouted wings just like that. Archellevon tackled Edameonus in midair, causing the demon and teenager to go flying back into the snow.

"Oi!" Kurogane called again to them, looking over to Fay briefly in concern. The blonde had seen Archellevon, but not really sure what he and Kurogane had just witnessed. He paused and watched on as Edameonus landing hard on the ground, the teen atop him.

Edameonus grunted as he skidded in the snow, eyes squeezed tightly together as they slid to a halt. Crimson eyes cracked open to look at the sky before looking to Archellevon in slight surprise. The teenager, hugging the other tightly, had buried his face into the trench coat from the impact. Kurogane frowned and began to walk to them, wondering what exactly was going on. The blonde walked forward as well, wanting to check on the two on the ground. He still wasn't sure about what had happened to Archellevon and wondered if either the teen or Edameonus had a clue about the matter.

"A…Archy…" Edameonus murmured, startled that the other had managed to tackle him to the ground. The boy looked up feebly, beautiful tears streaming from his face.

"I… I didn't want Ed… to leave me…" He whispered, resting his cheek against Edameonus's chest. "I-I wanted… to remember… more than a-anything… b-because Ed w… was always there for me…"

Edameonus looked at the younger in confused sadness.

"B-but why? Why the hell would you do this?" He asked desperately, but the boy only smiled gently, closing his eyes.

"Because… I-I… I want to mean it… those words…"

The older man's eyes widened slightly before they softened. "Archy…"

The teenager opened blue eyes, looking at the taller man. "S-so… for now…" He rose up somewhat, a blush over his cheeks.

"F-for now… I-I like you, Ed… p-please… stay…"

Edameonus stared at the other and slowly his face contorted, his arms encircling the boy tightly as he buried his face into Archellevon's shoulder.

A faint smile curled Fay's lips, glad things seemed to be turning out for the better. Kurogane folded his arms and sighed gently, removing his vision from the couple on the ground. He looked to Fay instead. Feeling eyes on him, Fay turned and looked up at his lover, offering Kurogane a small smile as he did. Kurogane watched Fay's smile grow and he felt relieved, though he knew the cold wasn't best for him. His thoughts went to the couple sitting and wondered if they should give them some privacy, now that it looked as if Edameonus wasn't going anywhere.

The silence was broken by the demon pulling away from the former angel, sighing raggedly.

"…Looks like Soel will have to change back…" He muttered softly, looking up at the spikes of the ship. Archellevon didn't move from his position, staring at one of the branched metals.

"Maybe we should leave them? You do have school after all." Fay spoke softly, so as not to disturb the others as he smiled up at Kurogane. The other man nodded and looked at Archellevon and Edameonus briefly. He then began to walk back in the snow, knowing the demon would most likely carry the white haired one back so his feet wouldn't be bothered by the cold. Fay stepped forward, grabbing Kurogane's hand as they walked back inside. He glanced over his shoulder to see the other two still sitting in the snow. Looking forward once more, the blonde felt himself beginning to fill the effects of the winter weather. Kurogane looked over to see Fay shivering slightly and he sighed.

"Idiot." He said casually before moving to scoop the Valerian in his arms and continued walking like he hadn't paused. Fay blushed faintly as he was picked up. Instinctively one of his arms moved to wrap around the taller man's neck as he was carried into the house.

"Kuro-pon's such a gentleman." He smiled as he rested his head against Kurogane's shoulder.

"Tch. You're just troublesome." The taller man replied, though he couldn't help but smirk as he ushered the other into the house. The blonde kicked off his shoes near the door, hearing them dully hit the ground. The dark haired man paused again, looking outside briefly before he stepped out of his shoes. Yuui looked worriedly to them with her hands clutched in front of her.

"Fay! Are you ok? And Edam and Archy! Yuui has worried!" Kurogane sighed and shook his head at her.

"Stop that, everything's ok, idiot."

"Everyone's alright, Edameonus and Archy should be in soon with Mokona. So Yuui shouldn't worry." The Valerian said in an effort to ease the android's mind. The girl gave them a gentle smile and nodded, her clasped hands loosening slightly.

"That's good… Yuui had worried that Mokona and Edam would leave without saying goodbye."

Fay waved off her worry, glad that she wasn't as panicked as she had been before when they had been woken up. "Archellevon wouldn't let them leave, so Yuui won't have to worry about them saying goodbye."

Kurogane set Fay down then, knowing he was just liking the luxury of being held instead of being overexerted like before. The shorter man pouted half heartedly at not being carried anymore. Yuui grinned as her twin was set down.

"Ok! Yuui will make their beds so they won't have to!"

"That would be nice of Yuui." Fay said, smiling at the android. The girl nodded and turned, walking over to Archellevon's couch to fold his haphazardly tossed blanket. Kurogane blinked, realizing Yuui was fulfilling her initial programming. He sighed and went back to the door, looking out to watch Mokona slowly begin to transform back before he closed it, seeing Archellevon and Edameonus waiting for the creature.

"Are you going to go back to sleep?" He asked the other man, knowing Kurogane still had school to go to. Kurogane frowned and looked at the clock, sighing.

"Nah. I'd be up in an hour or two anyway." He rubbed the back of his head, mentally cursing Edameonus for trying to leave so early in the morning. Fay grinned, even as he still worried over Kurogane's lack of sleep. Stepping into the living room, Fay could feel his body growing accustomed to the rise in temperature.

"You're sure? I don't think anyone will wake you up."

"Tch. I'll be fine." Kurogane replied, moving his hands to his pockets as he followed the blonde. Fay moved to sit on one of the couches, careful not to mess up the blankets Yuui had finished folding. The blonde moved his legs to tuck close to him as he watched the android busy herself with another comforter. Kurogane idly walked passed his creation and went into the bedroom, Fay assuming he'd be getting ready for school. Yuui started to hum to herself what sounded like a very cute lullaby, the girl smoothing the wrinkles out of the blanket. Blue eyes followed after Kurogane until the other man was out of sight, before they were focused back onto Yuui.

"Did Kuro-rin program Yuui with music?" He asked the girl, smiling as he listened. The robot stopped humming and looked over to Fay with a tilt of the head.

"Ah… Yuui doesn't know…" She grinned and turned to him. "Kurogane said Yuui was a learning robot, so anything Yuui sees or hears Yuui can imitate. Not for long or even that good though, that's why Yuui has to practice a lot." She giggled, setting the blanket to the side.

"Yuui is getting good then, it's very pretty." The other blonde said as he watched his twin.

"With enough practice, you'll be able to sing all the time."

The girl nodded and giggled. "Yuui would like to know melodies Archy and Fay know!" She walked over to Fay and sat down next to him. "Does Fay know any songs?"

"A few, but I don't think I remember all of them...it's been a long time since I sang last." He grinned as he looked at the girl.

"Sing to Yuui please!" She asked excitedly, grasping his hands gently. Her blue eyes looked at him vacantly, but her smile showed that she really wanted to know. The blonde laughd at Yuui's excitement, sheepish at the request.

"If you want me to, I suppose I can sing something for you to record." Fay thought back to the songs he had heard and sang along to while growing up. Glancing at Yuui again, the Valerian began to sing, a soft melody drifting past his lips as he tried not to be too embarrassed about having to sing after so long. Yuui smiled fondly at her twin, closing her eyes as she listened and recorded. A sweet giggle came from her lips, her joy peaking its limit.

Fay couldn't help but smile as he heard Yuui. Continuing to sing, the blonde thought back to when he used to sing. He concentrated as he tried to remember the verses, some of them still hazy from disuse. The girl blinked her eyes open and continued to smile, listening to Fay as her head turned. She grinned wider, seeing her master leaning against the doorway with his arms folded.

Fay turned to look at Yuui, glad she was enjoying his singing. He looked at her for a moment, confused as to why she was staring off. Following her gaze, the song he hand been nearly finished with died abruptly as he saw Kurogane watching him. He stared momentarily, then turned his head quickly away, embarrassed at having been watched.

A dark eyebrow rose. "What? Finished?" Yuui brought a hand up to her lips to stifle a giggle, feeling it might embarrass Fay even farther if she laughed aloud.

"Kuro-pon was listening." The blonde replied, still blushing at knowing his lover had heard him sing.

"And? Yuui was too." Kurogane replied simply, striding in the room to give Yuui a couple of her clothing articles she'd left in the bathroom.

"Yuui wanted to listen to another song she could record and practice with." He replied while his eyes followed Kurogane. Yuui smiled brightly as she saw her clothes in her creator's hands. She reached out and plucked them from his grasp, cradling them to her chest with an unreasonably cute giggle. Kurogane smirked at her and ruffled her hair.

"Not like I wouldn't have heard it anyway."

"Oh, why does Kuro-tan say that?" Fay asked as he met Kurogane's gaze. The other man stared back instantly.

"Because I would've either heard her singing it when doing chores or heard you singing it to him." He said with a grin, standing up straight.

"I suppose you would have heard it then." His blushed turned a shade brighter at the thought of singing to their child. Fay grinned as he noticed Yuui cuddling her clothes. Kurogane placed a hand on his hip as Yuui looked up to him.

"Does Kurogane have school today?" She asked with a grin, seeing his schoolbooks sitting on the counter by the hallway.

"Yeah… though in a week or two I'm getting off on my winter break."

"Kuro-rinta will be tired when he comes back home." The Valerian said, knowing that Kurogane probably wasn't getting enough sleep still.

"Hn. I'll live." Kurogane replied, looking out the window as a bright light flashed in the morning sun. "Guess that meat bun's done changing back or whatever." Yuui quickly turned her attention to the window with a gasp, looking for Mokona.

"Mokona and the others will be in soon Yuui. Though, Kuro-tan will fall asleep at school." Fay said as he looked to his lover, he knew it hadn't been too long ago when Kurogane was falling asleep at home over his homework.

"What makes you so sure about that?" Kurogane growled, watching as the still overt demon and his past lover made their way across the snow.

"You might, after all you've been falling asleep around the house." The blonde said nonchalantly as he listened to the taller man growl at his earlier words.

"Have not!" Kurogane barked, ignoring Yuui's giggle at his childishness.

"You fell asleep in the bedroom the other day when your parents came." Fay retorted, knowing he was right; he had been the one to find the other man after all.

"That one time does not stand for all the time!" Kurogane moved his other hand to his pocket, sliding the one on his hip into his jeans as well.

"I just mentioned because I didn't want you to." He answered, knowing he was the cause of Kurogane's inability to get enough sleep. Kurogane frowned, shrugging it off.

"I said I'd be fine." He then watched as Edameonus walked onto the porch, seeing he was right when he noticed Archellevon was in his arms and the white thing was sleeping in the teenager's hold. Said man opened the door with Archellevon's help, the demon having to duck in since his horns would've clawed the wood up. Yuui gasped at his appearance, not expecting it.

"E-Edam!" She said in shock, before noticing Archellevon. "Archy! Is Archy ok!"

Fay turned, watching as the others came inside. "Yuui, everyone's alright, so you shouldn't worry." He explained hoping to keep the android from having some sort of breakdown. The girl nodded and became quiet at Fay's words, though she continued to stare at the dark haired man. Edameonus walked over to the couch and set Archellevon down, the teenager smiling as the elder took off his trench coat and draped it around his shoulders. Kurogane watched them, wondering how the huge wings Edameonus had had before were now so tiny on his back. Blue eyes watched them as well, knowing Archellevon at least would feel frozen. He just hoped it didn't mean the teen would catch a cold after everything. Yuui watched Edameonus still, her eyes widened when she saw that Archellevon was holding a sleeping Mokona.

"Mokona…" She whimpered gently, though navy eyes went to her. The boy smiled and looked down to the creature he cradled.

"It's alright, Yuui-chan… Moko-chan's just sleeping…" Edameonus smiled at this before he cast the same spell that Fay had seen when they arrived, the ring of light going around him to conceal the demonic attributes. Yuui watched as Edameonus resumed his previous form, glad that her new friend was alright. The demon ran a hand through his hair, getting the rid of the fly always caused by his horns.

"Hn…" He looked over to the others on the opposite couch and frowned, folding his arms. "…I'm… I'm sorry I made you guys come after me…" He said with a sulk, looking away. "Though I wasn't expecting her to be online and working…"

"We were lucky that Kuro-san didn't have Yuui in hibernation." Fay said as he looked at his twin and smiled. Yuui blinked and returned the blonde's smile with her own.

"Her battery is working a lot better now that she's back here." Kurogane informed, wondering if she had been worked on while his father had switched up her memory.

"Guess she's my savior then." Edameonus smirked and moved to sit next to Archellevon, who proceeded to blush.

"Yuui didn't want Edam and Mokona to leave." The android frowned as she stared at Edameonus. "Yuui was worried and woke Kurogane and Fay." The demon gave her a smile and chuckled, moving his arm to rest against the back of the couch.

"You really like Soel, don't you?" He asked, looking down at the creature.

"Yuui and Mokona are close to each other." She answered, trying to explain how she felt a connection with the now sleeping creature.

"I'm glad…" Archellevon piped up, running a hand over Mokona's ear. "…Yuui-chan and Moko-chan… make good friends…" Edameonus watched the other fondly, obviously not trying to hide his affection. Kurogane felt his stomach turn at the sight and sighed inwardly, shoving his hands in his pockets once again before he began to walk toward the bedroom. Fay patted the girl's head as he grinned down at her.

"They do." Yuui giggled and leaned into the touch before she moved to hug the man beside her. Archellevon smiled at her, but it was disrupted by a loud yawn that startled Edameonus. As soon as it was done he blushed violently, looking down.

"I-I guess I'm t-tired still…"

"Maybe you should lie down? Wouldn't want you falling asleep throughout the day." The blonde said as he chuckled towards his friend. Yuui laughed as well as she hugged Fay to her, nuzzling her twin's side. Archellevon grinned sheepishly, his face still rose red. Edameonus chuckled and stood, shaking his head.

"Come on, lie down." He commanded, which the boy reluctantly obliged. The demon looked over to Yuui's folded blankets and smiled apologetically to her. "Sorry, Yuui, you went through the troubles of doing this…"

"Yuui is alright, Yuui was programmed to do chores." She smiled up at the dark haired man as Fay grinned and moved to rest his arm over top of her shoulders. Edameonus nodded and unfolded the blanket, moving it over Archellevon's now laying down body. The boy blushed and looked briefly to Fay before looking to the ground.

"E-Ed… d-do you have to do that?" He asked, embarrassed. Fay chuckled at the teen's embarrassment, before looking down to Yuui, to give the others some form of privacy. The android was pressed against his side smiling brightly and humming. The Ginryan just smiled with a shrug, standing up straight as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Just go to sleep." He replied and watched as Archellevon pouted softly up to him for blanketing him up.

Now that everything had settled back down, Fay began to feel himself growing tired, the baby wearing him down faster than normal. Edameonus looked over his shoulder to see Fay's expression and he frowned.

"Ah, I woke you up didn't I?" He asked, smiling sadly. "Why don't you go back to sleep Fay-chan?"

"Yuui was actually the one to wake us up, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to sleep some more." Yuui pouted as Fay stood and broke away from her. Edameonus smiled to him and nodded, moving to take Mokona from Archellevon's hands as the boy slowly returned to slumber. Fay walked forward and back into the bedroom. He sighed to himself, happy that Archellevon had kept the Ginryan from leaving.

Kurogane turned to look at Fay entering the room, standing by the closet with some newly folded clothing. He looked back to what he was doing, seeming to be organizing the articles of cloth. Smiling at his lover, the shorter man walked forward towards the bed and slipped into the messy covers.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he lay curled up in bed.

"I could ask you the same." Kurogane replied nonchalantly, setting the shirt in the closet.

"I don't have to go to school so I thought I'd go back to sleep." The blonde said as he frowned at his lover for the remark. Kurogane grunted and pulled the empty bag out of the closet.

"You left your clothing packed…" He answered, showing the blonde the bag that his clothing was in without looking at the Valerian.

"I forgot about them, I only took out the other things I brought with me." He glanced at his bag, knowing that the clothes inside it would be left unused. "Besides, I don't think I'd be able to wear them outside."

The dark haired man shook his head and closed the closet door. "The bag took up room since it was stuffed full." He raised an eyebrow, showing Fay pregnancy books that were still left in the unmoved pockets. "Though I assume you've read all these."

"For the most part." He replied, though it made him wonder if he should take a second look at them to check if there was an explanation for himself not showing more. Kurogane walked over and set them on the nightstand. He then placed his hand back in his pocket and stared down at Fay.

"Kuro-min?" Blue eyes turned to glance upwards at the other man, curious as to why Kurogane was just staring at him.

"Got distracted." The taller man smirked slightly and bent over, planting his mouth over Fay's curtly. Tilting his head upwards, Fay smiled as he returned the kiss. His hand moved to rest against his lover's neck. Kurogane's hand nestled against the sheets next to the lithe man's side, balancing himself as their kiss became slightly more developed. After a few moments, the taller man pulled away slightly, smirking against the pale man's lips.

"Did your family have middle names?" He asked suddenly, staring at his lover.

"Not that I'm aware of." The blonde said as Kurogane broke their kiss and moved away from him.

"Hn… You don't have one either?" He asked softly, bending his elbow as his palm became a little sore from the pressure.

"No, the only middle name I had was 'D' and that was only a title." He explained further as he looked up at the other man. Kurogane stared at Fay, contemplating what the blonde had said. The Earthling moved to sit next to his lover on the edge of the bed, sighing. After Kurogane had settled down beside the blonde, Fay moved his arm to wrap loosely around his lover's waist, his face rested against the taller man's leg. He thought to himself why the man had brought something like his name up all of the sudden. Kurogane slipped his hand over Fay's hair, fingers going through golden tresses easily. He looked to the other side of the room, mind drifting to his child.

"…Dad's going to want me to give him a middle name…"

"Have anything in mind?" Fay asked as he smiled warmly at the soft touch. He tried to think of anything that would fit, but was unable to think of a name that would suit their child.

"Not a clue…" Kurogane replied, his hand moving slower as he tried to think of names that he had heard before and liked, finding that chance very scarce.

"..." Blue eyes narrowed, a soft sigh escaping pale lips, at the feeling of Kurogane's fingers through his hair.

"Any suggestions?" Kurogane asked, moving to lean back on his other hand as he slowly knotted his fingers in his lover's hair like a braid.

"Not really." He paused trying to think of a name that could work. "There aren't many Valerian names that would suit him very well."

"Like?" Kurogane asked gently, staring at the sunlight that leaked onto the floor.

"Valeria has names like Luval and Fluorite and Beryl, they're not very good baby names." Fay frowned a little at the names, knowing there were unsuitable. Kurogane's brow scrunched together as he heard the names.

"They sound like pet names to me." He looked down at Fay. "Are those the only ones you can think of off the top of your head?"

Fay paused thinking back to any of the names he had overheard that had interested him. "...there was the name you gave those men that came to the house after I crashed...Celes."

"Celes?" Kurogane asked, sounding more like a statement. "…Sounds like celery…"

Fay gave a short laugh as he rested against Kurogane. "I don't see you coming up with anything."

"Hey, I'm narrowing it down." The taller man replied offhandedly, looking down to his lover. "…Toshihiko Celes Suwa sounds funny anyway… if he gets in trouble I could see you yelling Toshihiko Celes, though…"

"You poked fun at it though and you make it sound like he'll be getting into trouble fairly often." The blonde said, even as a grin spread across his lips at the thought.

"Why wouldn't he? He's my son." Kurogane said with a slight grin, moving his hand so he could see Fay's eyes better. "Keh. What other names were good?"

"I'll try to make him sweet then, just to show you." The Valerian chuckled to himself at the idea. "...I'm not good with names." Fay knew he was being indecisive over the matter, just as he had been with most of the things he'd been asked concerning the baby.

"Hn…" Kurogane replied, removing his hand from Fay's hair so he could lean on that as well.

"Kuro-san hasn't made any suggestions." The blonde closed his eyes as he tried to think of another name that could work as he felt Kurogane shift and his lover's hand leave his hair.

"Hey, I gave him his first name and you didn't have any complaints about that." Kurogane replied, closing his eyes with a simple shrug.

"No, I didn't." Fay blushed faintly at the memory while he smiled.

"So… you have the chore of giving him his second name." Kurogane concluded shortly, a smug smirk on his face. Using the hand draped around Kurogane, the blonde pinched the other for not helping.

"He'll be born before I come up with something."

Kurogane growled and batted Fay's hand away. "That's what you get for being an idiot." He frowned, clasping the pale wrist in his hand so the other couldn't repeat the action. Laughing at the other man, Fay wondered if he would be able to find a name suitable enough.

"Kuro-pon growls too much."

"Get used to it." The taller man replied, bringing the colorless flesh to his mouth for a small peck. The other man kept silent as he felt lips against his skin, knowing Kurogane wouldn't want to be teased for being affectionate. A small knock came to their door, along with humming.

"Kurogane! Fay! Yuui has sheets!" She called, making the dark haired man look over to the door nonchalantly.

"…She's reacting to her programming easily enough…"

"You made her to do your chores?" He said teasingly as his eyes drifted towards the door.

"Yuui can come in." Fay called to the girl, hearing that she wasn't panicked anymore.

Kurogane glared slightly at Fay.

"You already knew she was made for that." The robot entered the door, holding the basket of folded sheets with her other hand.

"It makes you sound like the lazy one is all." His eyes watched as Yuui walked in and smiled at her.

"Not lazy. You've kept me busy." Kurogane replied, a little irritated. Yuui set down the basket by the closet and looked over to the couple, smiling at their intimacy.

"Kuro-ruu makes it sound like he's still having to do everything around the house." He admitted to himself, however, that Kurogane did seem tired when he came home and knew it was because of him.

"Hn. I know that's not true." Kurogane looked at the robot, seeing she was waiting for an order now that her master was in the same room with her. He sighed and waved his hand, flagging her to go find another item of work to do.

"Her helping out isn't that bad though."

"When Toshi's born, Yuui will be even more help." He said as he watched the android leave.

"Yeah…" The taller man agreed as he looked at the clock. He sighed and patted Fay's shoulder. "Oi, get up."

Curious at the request, Fay complied and moved to sit up next to Kurogane. The half breed moved to stand, going to the dresser to pull out his notebook to finish

getting ready for school. The Valerian watched, a small smile on his face as Kurogane moved about their room. Faintly he could hear Yuui singing to herself while she did chores. Yuuko's voice also hit his ears, along with Edameonus telling her that he wouldn't be showing up due to something causing him to stay. Kurogane turned to the door, narrowing his eyes in the direction of the kitchen.

"Hopefully something bad won't come from this." Fay frowned as he looked at Kurogane, not knowing what to expect from the court, now that Edameonus had told them he wouldn't be coming.

"He wasn't lying at least." Kurogane said lowly, knowing Edameonus had sharp hearing from what had happened outside while they fixed the car. The other nodded, at least glad for that fact. He remembered his earlier talk with the Ginryan the night before, but knew now wouldn't be the best time to talk about any of it with Kurogane. The half human sighed and placed a hand on his hip.

"Wonder how that kid will react to knowing how to get his memories back now…"

"Things look more hopeful now at least." The blonde said as he thought over the new situation between Archellevon and Edameonus.

"Hn. Guess so." Kurogane replied, moving to exit the bedroom to continue getting ready for school. Edameonus voice paused as he heard the other man moving about, before he continued to made a solid sounding report. Fay sighed as he watched the other leave. Lying back down, he turned onto his side to grab one of the books Kurogane had set aside. Skimming through it, Fay wondered if he'd be able to find anything useful about the baby, or at least find a suitable name.

~A couple of Days later~

"Kyaa!" Squealed Mokona as she was tossed up into the air by Archellevon, the boy laughing in delight. He was sitting on the couch in the early morning, waiting for Edameonus to bring them soup. Kurogane had left for school and Fay had decided to go back to sleep, only to be heard moving about in the bedroom. The former angel smiled as he caught the white thing again, giggling to himself. Yuui walked into to the living room, a laundry basket of her sheets in her arms, only to stare in awe as she saw Mokona in the air.

"Mokona's up really high!" Her eyes followed intently as she laughed. Archellevon smiled at the android as he tossed Mokona up into the air again, only to catch her again.

"Yes, Moko-chan likes to be up high, doesn't she?" Archellevon said. Mokona giggled, covering her mouth with tiny paws as she was tossed once more into the air.

"Mokona's having fun." Yuui replied as she smiled brightly at the teen. The small hands of the boy caught the creature and set her in his lap when Edameonus came in, the demon carrying two bowls. The former and smiled widely to him, a faint blush on his cheeks. Their intimacy had grown deeper for the passed couple of days, making the white haired boy's head spin.

"Thank you, Ed…" Edameonus returned the smile as Mokona lay back against Archellevon catching her breath.

"Soup, soup~" She sang as Yuui laughed and set down the sheets she had finished cleaning on the opposite couch. Archellevon looked to the ground as Edameonus set his bowl on the table and took his seat next to the white haired one. Yuui hummed to herself the song Fay had sung to her, trying to get the words correct as she replayed her recording in her mind. Mokona sat up and peered over towards her friend.

"Yuui is singing a new song." She grinned as she swayed back and forth on the teen's lap.

"Isn't it pretty?" Archellevon asked them with a smile, looking up to the blonde on the other side of the room. Edameonus smirked and slipped his arm around the back of the couch where the teenager sat, the boy unaware as he sat forward to reach for his soup.

"Yuui recorded it from User Fay, though he didn't finish singing it." She said a slight from on her face as she looked to where her twin currently was. Archellevon blinked and sat back slowly.

"Why's that?" His eyes widened and his face turned brilliant red as he felt Edameonus's arm around him. The demon tried to suppress his smirk, though it didn't work.

"Fay stopped when he saw Master Kurogane watching." She pouted, not understanding the blonde's reason for having stopped singing.

"Mokona wants to hear Fay sing!" Soel cheered as she looked over to Yuui.

"Why don't you two go ask Fay-chan to sing to you again? I'm sure he's awake now." Edameonus said, his grin ever present. Archellevon looked down to his soup, his eyes still wide with a thick blush over his face.

"Th-they don't have to… I-I'm sure Fay-san's busy… with… something…"

Turning around to face the others Yuui clapped at the idea and smiled. "Yuui and Mokona will go and ask." Mokona laughed as she hopped from Archellevon to the couch arm. As the android passed them, Mokona jumped up and onto the girl's shoulder as they both headed towards the bedroom. Archellevon's face drained of color as his expression silently begged them not to go. Seeing as this was to no avail, he sighed softly and slumped against Edameonus's arm, staring at his soup.

Yuui knocked on the bedroom door, calling for Fay. Said blonde was sitting on the bed, book in his lap as he looked up at the door and smiled.

"You can come in Yuui."

The android smiled and entered, holding Mokona on her head. "Can Yuui and Mokona come in? We want to hear User Fay sing!" Edameonus tilted his head to the direction of the hallway, listening with a grin to his supposed relative and daughter.

"Why would you want to hear me sing? I thought you had recorded it the last time?" He said as he closed the book he'd been looking through, moving to sit it on the nightstand as Mokona jumped from Yuui's shoulder to the bed.

"Yuui hadn't heard the ending." The girl informed moving into the room as she closed the door behind her. Mokona bounded to the bed, grinning widely.

"And Mokona wants to hear Fay sing!"

"I guess I could sing for the both of you." He smiled faintly at both of them. They both cheered ecstatically, getting comfortable on the bed. Fay's blush darkened somewhat, looking at the two who stared expectantly at him. Sighing, the blonde began to sing, at least knowing now Kurogane wouldn't be able to watch him. Yuui closed her eyes and clicked her recording on, humming along with him. Mokona giggled and sat on Fay's lap, dancing smoothly to his voice. Archellevon continued to stare at his soup, moving the spoon in it around slightly.

"H-he's a beautiful singer…" He said, though he couldn't quite make out the words. Edameonus nodded as he listened to his friend.

"...Yeah."

Archellevon shifted his blue eyes over to the other, blush and curiosity on his face.

"W-why… i-is your arm…?" He trailed off, confused. Edameonus tensed as he looked at the teen.

"I can move it if it bothers you." He could feel himself blushing.

"…I-i-it doesn't…" The white haired one said with a blush going deeper, bringing the bowl up to sip it slowly. Blushing, Edameonus turned his eyes away from the teen, so he wouldn't embarrass himself anymore. Archellevon felt uncomfortable under their awkward silence, fiddling gently with his soup bowl as he looked away.

"Y…you… sh-should eat… your soup…" He said softly. Edameonus humming in agreement, reaching forward to pick up the bowl.

"Fay-chan's finished singing..." He said before bringing his own bowl to his lips. Archellevon blushed a little less and sighed shakily, embarrassed by their proximity though at the same time he was comforted by it.

In the other room, Fay laughed as the two childlike creations clapped.

"You two act as if you'd like to hear another one." Yuui nodded fervently, bringing her fists up in front of her.

"Yuui likes Fay singing!"

"Yeah! Another!" Mokona shouted, dancing about in the blonde's lap after having hopped down into it.

"Hmm...let me think then..." Fay said, pondering the idea momentarily. The blonde began to sing once more the melody held a slightly more somber tone than the previous song. Yuui's smile faded in curiosity at the song, wondering why it wasn't as cheerful as the last. The teenager in the other room, set down his partially empty bowl, looking to Edameonus out of the corner of his eye. Edameonus paused, listening to the song Fay had started to sing. He smiled faintly, familiar with the lyrics. He was curious as to why the man would choose that song in particular to sing. Archellevon listened as well, eyes drooping half lidded as he leaned back into Edameonus's hold, bringing his knees up to his chest.

I… I can't hear the words that well…" He said slightly disappointed.

"You can always go and sit with the others, or Yuui can always play it back." The taller man said, smiling down at the teen. Archellevon blushed darkly, navy looking at garnet.

"I-I… like it h-here with Ed…" He said abashedly.

Edameonus paused at hearing the boy's words, only to smile warmly at Archellevon instead. "We can ask Yuui later then."

The shorter smiled gently and brought his hands up to fidget on his knees. "D-does Ed want t-to go listen?"

"I can hear fine from here." Edameonus smiled at the pale haired boy as they sat together. Archellevon twisted his fingers together with a small pout while staring down at his hands.

"Unfair… Ed got to k-keep his inhuman hearing…"

"It's not the best thing to have all the time." He replied as he heard Fay's voice fall silent. Archellevon frowned, but didn't question it; he probably wouldn't like the answer.

Yuui nodded at this time, pulling her legs up on the bed. "Yuui's happy to hear Fay sing."

"Now Yuui can sing them whenever she wants to." The blonde said as he smiled at the android.

"Fay will sing another song?" Mokona asked as she looked up at him expectantly.

"I have to finish reading my books; maybe I can think of a new song to sing later?" The blonde grinned.

"Aww…" Yuui said disappointedly, pouting as she bowed her head. Standing, Fay picked his discarded book up.

"I'm sure the others would like to hear Yuui sing." Mokona jumped onto the man's shoulder as he made his way towards the living room. The robot and Mokona then entered, the taller of the two humming to herself as she followed the bouncing creature.

"Good morning." Fay said as he saw the others sitting together. Walking past them, the Valerian sat on the other couch and flipped open his book to the page he had been reading before.

"Fay has such a pretty voice." Yuui said as she laughed. Archellevon felt himself grow at least three shades darker at Fay seeing their closeness, shriveling up a little more. Mokona laughed at his expression, though she was slightly worried if he was red due to illness.

"Is Archy sick?" Mokona asked as she jumped up onto the teen's lap. Fay chuckled at the small creature while he scanned over the books pages.

"N-no, Mokona-chan… it's j-just…" He muttered the rest, too embarrassed to admit it out loud. Edameonus felt a sly grin start to crawl on his face, getting an idea that he probably shouldn't act on. Yuui walked back to the laundry basket as Fay tried to find what he'd been looking for.

"Mokona shouldn't worry, Archy's not sick." The blonde said his eyes never leaving the book. The white haired one moved a hand to his face, trying to will down the blush. This proved too much for the demon to stand. Edameonus caved to his wanting, willpower not strong enough to resist his idea. In one swift movement he set his bowl to the side and wrapped his arms tightly around Archellevon's neck in an embrace, squeezing his eyes shut with a wide grin.

"It's because he's a cutie and gets embarrassed easily when it comes to affection~!"

The blonde paused and looked up at Edameonus. After his surprise wore off, Fay chuckled at the two, turning away so as to at least not embarrass the teen too much. Archellevon's blue eyes widened and dilated, his face exploding in blush as he was

cuddled.

"E-ED!" he cried, struggling to get free from the vice like grip around his collar.

"Archy's cute!" Mokona exclaimed as she laughed at her 'parents'. Fay glanced over to them, still smiling, as he watched. Edameonus cracked his eyes open to looked at Archellevon's expression before giggling.

Archy, seriously!" He cooed, slipping his arms around the lithe boy's waist to pull him closer.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed~"

"ED! P-please!" He cried, trying to get away and hide his face in the other's sweater at the same time. Fay laughed softly, trying to focus on the book in front of him, to give the other two some privacy. Mokona giggled as she watched Edameonus. A soft peck on the cheek halted all of Archellevon's movements, the actions registering slowly before his face went impossibly red.

"E-E-E-Ed d-d-d-did you j-j-just…?" He asked, turning sharply to see the grinning man looking cat like. Yuui giggled and began to sing.

"It's love~!"

Mokona laughed and rolled off the teen's lap. Across from them, Fay laughed as well, unable to stifle his amusement anymore at the Ginryan's antics.

"Be quiet." The demon pouted, not liking how the other had reacted to it. "You make it seem like you didn't like it." Archellevon's mouth instantly shut, his eyes widening before he sank back into the couch, fiddling with his hands as he muttered a reply.

"What was that? I don't think Edameonus was able to hear you." Fay said as he looked down as his book again, acting innocently as he tried to hide his smile. Archellevon looked over to Fay and babbled like a toddler, not believing that the blonde was encouraging him like this.

"B-b-but Fay-ch-chan I c-can't- i-it's not like I-I… c-can't we f-forget… w-w-wouldn't it b-be simpler t-to…"

Edameonus chuckled again and pulled Archellevon closer to him, burying his nose in the white hair. "God-DAMMIT Archy! Why the hell are you so cute?"

Archellevon felt himself whimper at the contact, squeezing his eyes shut. "Nyah! E-Ed stop!" He begged, but the man only wiggled and giggled like a giddy fangirl.

"Cute! You meowed like a cat!" He announced, making Yuui laugh.

"Like a cat!" Fay glanced up from his book, to see Edameonus hugging Archellevon. He grinned glad to see them happy with each other. Archellevon pouted and placed his hands on Edameonus's arm.

"E-Ed…" He said pleadingly, but the other smiled and rubbed his cheek against the pale hair.

"Not letting go of you, hun, not again." He said, looking down to the ground with a gentle smile on his face. "Especially not after I just got you."

Fay smiled, blushing faintly at the resolve in his friend's words, before he went back to his book. Mokona giggled as she rolled around beside the couple. Archellevon watched her as he listened to Edameonus, feeling his face heat again.

"E-Ed… I…" He moved his head slightly, trying to see the man that had somehow got behind him. The other smiled widely.

"So there. Deal with me hugging you."

Fay chuckled to himself, wondering if he could get Kurogane to be as affectionate. Yuui smiled at the two men before turning to examine the book her twin had been reading. Archellevon stared ahead of him before closing his eyes submissively, sighing shakily.

"F-fine…" Mokona squealed and hopped onto his knee.

"Mommy and Daddy are cuddling! Mokona wants to snuggle too!" She whined. Edameonus removed a hand from Archellevon's shoulder, holding it out for the creature.

"C'mere then." He chuckled, watching as Yuui slowly moved to hover over Fay's shoulder to look at the pictures. Mokona laughed as she complied and jumped up onto the man's hand.

"Baby-chan will be moving soon?" Yuui asked as she finished scanning over the pages Fay was looking at.

"...Maybe Yuui." He said, a small smile on his lips.

"…You're still worried about him aren't you?" Edameonus questioned from his couch, feeling Archellevon relax in his arms as Mokona perched on his shoulder.

"Yes." The Valerian answered as he looked up from his book and to Edameonus. The demon regarded the blonde for a moment before closing his eyes and sighing.

"Have you measured yourself at all?" He asked seriously, making Archellevon blush at the topic and wonder how he knew so much about baby development and the worries that came with it.

"...No." Fay looked at the other confused. "I should have at least felt him move by now." His hand moved to his protruding stomach, as Yuui watched beside him.

"Just wait for it." Edameonus said with a tender smile, resting his head against white hair. "It'll happen eventually." Archellevon's blue eyes shifted in the direction of where Edameonus was, though he didn't voice his curiosity.

"Still doesn't keep me from worrying." Sighing, Fay leaned back against the couch, wondering when exactly the baby would start to move. Edameonus smiled wider.

"That sounds familiar." He chuckled to himself, nuzzling Archellevon affectionately as the boy remained clueless of what he talked about. Mokona giggled and bounced to sit on raven hair, dancing airily.

"Baby-chan's almost here! Baby-chan come quickly and healthy~!"

"Baby-chan will be coming, Yuui wants to see baby-chan!" Yuui said with a childish excitement. Fay smiled at them.

"Seems everyone's eager to see him."

"Why wouldn't we be?" Edameonus replied, thinking of Kurogane's reaction to Fay's birth with a maniacal cackle. Archellevon smiled sheepishly, curiously looking over his shoulder to the Ginryan.

"I think Kuro-san won't be too happy, what with his father wanting to come over more when it will be near time for me to give birth." Fay said as he looked over to the others sitting across from him.

"That's something he's going to have to deal with." Edameonus said with a sadistic smirk, eyes wandering to the ceiling as he thought of how torturous it would be. Archellevon sighed and looked to Fay.

"W-we would b-be moved out b-by then…"

"Yes, it's still a couple of months away. The three of you should be settled into your home before then." The blonde stared at the dark haired man for a moment, wondering about his expression, before he turned his attention back to Archellevon. The white haired man felt his face heat once more at the thought of living with Edameonus and Mokona. Said creature bounced to sit on the Ginryan's knee next.

"Mokona's excited for that too!" She cheered, making the father figure chuckle. Both Fay and Yuui smiled at Mokona.

"Maybe Toriho will have Mokona's new home done soon." He suggested as he flipped through his book.

"That would be fun!" Mokona sang, bounding onto the coffee table from Edameonus's knee. She turned and looked at her father figure, before gasping as her eyes landed on something else.

"Kyaa~! Mommy and Daddy are under mistletoe~!" Yuui giggled.

"Mistletoe, mistletoe!"

"Ah, so they are." Fay grinned as he looked above the two to see a piece of mistletoe hanging innocently above them. Archellevon's eyes popped dangerously open, his entire face going magenta. He slowly looked up, shocked at it meeting his eyes. Edameonus looked up lazily and grinned.

"So it is~" The teenager seemed to turn into stone, not believing that the other was so lassitude about this compared to their alone time a few minutes ago.

"Have to follow tradition; we wouldn't want Mokona and Yuui to think otherwise." The blonde said in a dismissive tone towards the teen. Edameonus's smile fell off his face as he remembered what Kurogane and Fay had told him about Archellevon's memories. He pulled away from the younger and looked at him seriously.

"Oi… let me kiss you this time…" He offered, making the boy's heart skip a beat. Fay grinned before he put a hand over Yuui's eyes, who in turn pouted a not being able watch. Chuckling, he went back to his book so they wouldn't embarrass Archellevon.

"B-but Ed I-I-" The other chuckled and turned Archellevon around easily in his lap, smiling at the younger reassuringly.

"Hey, trust me for once…" He replied silkily, not caring that Mokona was still staring at them in awe. Archellevon hesitated but sighed, relenting in his caution.

"…F-fine…" Edameonus smiled happily, moving a hand to the former angel's neck.

"If it makes you feel better you can close your eyes." The taller added. Archellevon obliged, his cheeks burning a rosy red at the thought of Edameonus kissing him instead of the other way around. The demon smiled at the expression of his former lover's face before he used his hand to pull the teenager to him, bringing their lips roughly together. A muffled whimper escaped the pale teen as he was reminded of the alleyway, but something else made his eyes widen instantly.

Yuui pouted still as Fay kept his hand over her eyes, the blonde himself, looked sheepish as he heard the teen across from them. Mokona stared curiously, wondering about Archellevon's expression. Edameonus opened his eyes slowly at feeling the light haired one twitch in front of him, only to have them widen in shock. He pulled away instantly, staring at Archellevon in horror.

"A-Archy?" He asked, though the teenager didn't reply, eyes wide as visions passed before them and body quivering as he took on all that had been concealed. Fay immediately looked up at the alarm in the other's voice. Seeing the teen's reaction the blonde removed his hand from Yuui and stood, his book dropped to the floor, forgotten. Archellevon let out a gentle cry as his hands shot up to his head, collapsing against Edameonus's chest. The demon looked at him in surprise, casting a quick glance to Fay before looking back to the younger.

"A-Archy! H-hey…" He tried to comfort the other, but this episode seemed to be a lot more violent, the pale one thrashing about with his legs harshly. Mokona jumped out of the way and onto the coffee table, afraid at what was happening. Yuui too stood up.

"Archy's sick!" The android watched, panicked as the teen shook. Watching, the blonde didn't know what he should do. Edameonus, also having no idea on how to help, wrapped his arms around the teenager tightly, closing his eyes as he jerked with the other male's movements. He rammed into the armrest a couple of times, but he was glad it was his back instead of the boy's head.

After a minute or so of this, Archellevon seemed to calm down, slipping into a stillness.

Fay could only watch, worried about what had just happened to the boy. Yuui walked towards him, tugging on his shirt as she frowned deeply, her eyes never leaving the still figure. Edameonus pulled away from Archellevon slowly, looking down to the teenager. He seemed to be asleep then, and the dark haired man sighed. He maneuvered his way out from under him, resting the fair hair against the armrest like a pillow. He was about to turn for a blanket with a shaky lithe hand snagged his sleeve.

"E…Ed…"

The demon snapped around to look at the blue eyes, which were now leaking what looked like joyous tears. The boy was smiling faintly, but warmly.

"Ed… I… reme… I remember…" He informed the others groggily before his hand slipped off of the Ginryan's shirt and onto his stomach. Edameonus stared in shock down at the unconscious one, wondering if he had heard what he thought he did. He slowly brought his vision to Fay, unsure of what to make of it.

"...Maybe I should call Kuro-min and ask?" He suggested, wondering if Kurogane would know something more. "But if I had to guess, he could have finally regained his memories." He stared at Edameonus, a slight frown on his lips as he digested what had happened. Edameonus looked slowly back to Archellevon, wondering what the other had meant before he dozed off. His expression dissolved from shock and he shook his head, contemplating the results.

"I don't know…" He said ruggedly, moving to pull the blanket over the smaller man's body.

"We'll just have to wait until he wakes up, but it might be much longer than normal." He watched the teen sleep, thinking of the fit the boy had had just minutes before.

"More than likely…" Edameonus said as he knelt next to the boy, having done similarly to the other times Archellevon had passed out. Mokona hopped onto his shoulder, wiping her eyes from seeing the boy thrashing about.

"Will Archy be ok?"

"He'll be fine, he just needs to sleep." Fay smiled reassuringly towards Mokona who continued to sniffle at the sleeping teen below them. Yuui pouted and clung to the other blonde, staring at the relaxed youngling. Edameonus brought his hands to his knee and rested his lips against them, pondering relentlessly over what had just happened. He hoped that Archellevon would at least not have any more episodes, or if he did that they wouldn't be so violent.

"You shouldn't worry either, Archellevon will wake up in a few hours." Looking at Edameonus, Fay knew it wouldn't be healthy for the man to dwell on his thoughts. The demon smirked against his own flesh and nodded, sighing to himself.

"Yeah… Fay-chan's right… everything will be ok…" He let his smile twitch slightly as he wanted to believe his own words.

"What should we do then to pass the time?" He grinned as his eyes fell on Mokona and then to Yuui beside him.

"Christmas specials!" Yuui cheered, flinging her arms up into the air. Mokona tilted her head. "Christmas… specials?" The android nodded with a wide smile.

"Kurogane said they're shows that come on around Christmas time, and that Tomoyo made him watch them with her. They're really cute, Yuui heard from Subaru."

"It might be a little crowded." The blonde looked sheepish at the android, not knowing if all of them could fit in the TV room.

"Yuui can stand without being tired, and Mokona can sit on Yuui's head, and Fay can sit in the chair, and Edam… Edam…" She trailed off, looking at the demon. The dark haired man shook his head with a smile.

"I'll be fine without watching them. I want to be here when he wakes up." Fay wanted to protest, wondering if it was the right decision for the man to be left alone.

He sighed in defeat, knowing he would not be able to deter Edameonus.

"Yuui won't have to stand; we can sit in the floor together." The girl jumped in glee and dashed off squealing, Mokona on her head gripping blonde strands for dear life while she too laughed in delight. Edameonus chuckled at them, glad they were having fun, before looking to Fay.

"He won't wake up for awhile longer." He said, still unsure about leaving the Ginryan alone.

"It'll be fine. Go enjoy some time with Yuui and Soel." Edameonus grinned and leaned back against the couch.

"If you're sure." Looking at the man once more, Fay turned and walked towards the tv room where he could hear the others laughing. Edameonus's smile slipped off his face and he turned to stare at the sleeping face. His hand came up and he stroked the pale cheek, wiping away the drying tears before sighing. He hoped the other would wake soon.

~Later~

Edameonus sighed and ran a hand through his hair, sitting back from his meal. He looked back to the doorway for the nth time, mind still on the boy sleeping. Kurogane twitched as he set his fork down, noticing red eyes glancing over to the doorway again.

"Would you stop that? He's been out for a couple of hours, not a few days."

"For once Kuro-san's right, he'll be alright. When he wakes up, he won't want to see you so worried." Fay remarked as he sat beside his lover. Idly the blonde scanned over the book he had been reading throughout the day as he ate. Kurogane felt his eye twitch again.

"The hell? 'For once'? You asshole!" Kurogane barked, making Yuui giggle on her stool. Edameonus sighed and looked to his plate with a pout, seeing he had finished his food a couple minutes ago.

"…"

"Kuro-ruu shouldn't say such things in front of Yuui and Mokona." Laughing, Fay looked up at his lover, tearing his eyes from his book. The other growled and pointed his fork at Fay.

"It's your fault I say them, you prick!" He snapped, Yuui only getting enjoyment out of their bickering. Edameonus moved to stand, picking up his plate.

"Kuro-sama just likes to pick fights with me." Fay lamented as he turned his gaze back to his book. "And then yells at me, when I try to defend myself." He pouted, trying to keep the amusement from his voice as he talked.

"Oh whatever! Don't try to make you the victim here!" Kurogane barked, jabbing his fork into what was left of his meal. Edameonus sighed and rolled his eyes, hoping that if Archellevon woke up soon it wasn't from the half breed's screaming.

"Kuro-min's so cruel." The blonde said as he finished what was left on his plate. "If he's not growling at me, he's pinching me." He grinned while flipping through pages. The other glared daggers at Fay and was about to retort some more before Edameonus slapped his hand on the other man's mouth. Kurogane struggled to get him off, but the demon's eyes were wide and he was looking in the direction of the living room.

"Hear that?" He asked, not waiting for an answer as he dashed into the other room, removing his hand from the taller man's face. Fay stood, closing his book and setting it down as he picked up his plate.

"Seems Archellevon might be awake." Blue eyes fell in the direction of the living room and wondered what would happen now. Kurogane stood and grumbled to himself, glaring after Edameonus with regard about getting back at him or something. Yuui giggled and hopped off her stool, going to clean up the table on instincts. Setting his dishes in the sink, Fay moved to the side and leaned back against the counter as he wondered if the teen truly was awake now.

In the other room Edameonus sighed, folding his arms as he stared at Archellevon's unmoving form. It had been a false alarm. He turned to unfold his blanket on the other couch, going to move it on the pale body. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a rustling over his shoulder.

"…Ed…" Turning quickly, Edameonus stared with wide eyes at the teen. The blanket was still held loosely in his hands as he stared at Archellevon, disbelief and happiness at seeing the boy awake were written across his face. The white haired one was staring back at him with a very faint but beautifully drawn grin on his face, fingers laced in his lap. His eyes were sparkling familiarly, sitting upright on the couch with the blanket still over his legs.

"…How long have I been asleep?"

"Couple of hours." Edameonus said softly, not knowing what to think of the other's expression. Archellevon smiled and closed his eyes.

"I see…" He giggled to himself and opened his eyes again, staring at Edameonus.

"It feels like… I've been asleep for so much longer…" He unfolded his hands and brought them up in front of him, spread out for Edameonus.

"I've remembered you… my love…"

Edameonus felt his breath catch in his throat, his eyes wide as his mind repeated the words uttered by the teen over and over again before he took a the few tentative steps forward, the blanket dropped forgotten, until he was in front of Archellevon. Dropping to his knees the Ginryan looked up at the teen, speechless, his lungs burned as he stared. Archellevon smiled down to him, his hands going up to cup Edameonus's cheeks tenderly.

"Now, now, what's with that face?" He asked, raising an eyebrow with a grin.

"Didn't you expect something out of that kiss? I was expecting you to do it a lot sooner when I saw it in my vision actually…"

"I...you..." Edameonus was shocked, could feel his heart beating against his chest frantically as he looked at Archellevon. "...You remember me?"

"Yes, darling, I remember you…" Archellevon said with a wide grin, closing his eyes. "I remember my loving Edameonus, my one and only Ed." He replied, hands not moving from the beige face. Red eyes widened before tears welled and fell freely down Edameonus's cheeks.

"Archy... Archellevon." He choked out, still in shock as he felt himself staring at the former angel. The taller man chanted the teen's name as his hands moved to rest on either side of the boy sitting in front of him. Archellevon looked sweetly down at the other, his hands slinking to wrap around Edameonus's neck, pulling the dark haired one into an embrace.

"Hush now, I'm not leaving you again anytime soon…" He cooed, stroking the ebony strands. Edameonus wrapped his arms tightly around the teen, bringing them closer together, as he buried his face against the others shoulder. He couldn't help himself shaking as he sobbed against Archellevon, overjoyed and relieved beyond words. Archellevon smiled to himself, blue eyes falling closed as he listened to Mokona and Yuui creep into the room, trying to be silent. He suppressed a giggle and continued to comfort Edameonus, knowing that his memories returning had meant a lot to the demon.

With his arms still wrapped around Archellevon, Edameonus began to recollect himself, as he took in the other's presence. He smiled against pale skin, his heart still racing at the thought that he was remembered. Archellevon opened his eyes and stared at the ground, remembering that Edameonus's tears were mercury and he was now human. He didn't pull away though, wanting the other to still feel comforted.

"Ed… my darling… Edameonus… my love…" He whispered affectionately, grazing his lips against the clothed shoulder.

"Archy?" He asked, his voice raspy from his tears. He felt a sense of happiness wash over him at the endearments he had feared he'd never hear again. Blue eyes slid over to look at black hair as he smiled.

"You really think I'd let myself forget you forever? You're an idiot." He said with a grin, knowing Yuui and Mokona were trying to stifle a giggle.

"I am." Edameonus said in agreement. He smiled brightly as he leaned forward against the teen. Archellevon giggled and pulled away to look at Edameonus. He sighed and moved a hand to wipe away the tears.

"And you're childish." He smiled again and pulled the taller man forward with his eyes closed. "But I guess you have good reason to be… after all, where you're a selfish, greedy bastard, I'm a conniving, emotional reincarnation."

Edameonus chuckled as he smirked at Archellevon. "That's true." The Ginryan said as he held the teen in his arms. Archellevon opened his navy blue eyes and smiled widely, slipping his arms tighter around the thicker neck.

"Ed…" He chimed lightly in a singsong voice. "I'm sorry I made you wait so long for me."

"I'd wait even longer you know." He replied, unable to keep himself from smiling at Archellevon. The other raised an eyebrow.

"With all that pouting you did? It'd be hard to tell." He said with a mocking grin, rubbing their noses together.

"Hmm...I don't pout that much...at least not anymore." Edameonus said as he returned the gesture.

"And you'd better not from now on." Archellevon said with a wink. He smiled seriously, moving a hand to the taller man's cheek.

"I dreamed about you so many a time and never knew it was you. I always felt I wanted to be with you but thought it wasn't meant to be…"

"We found each other again, that's all that matters now Archy." He looked at Archellevon, a warm smile on his face. "But, even if you hadn't remembered, I would have tried to win you over again." The Ginryan grinned, as he leaned forward, his nose nuzzling a pale cheek. The other giggled, keeping his arms secure around the taller man.

"Of course… because you're a persistent one." He kissed the demon's cheek sweetly, glad he had all of his memories back.

"True." Edameonus chuckled; he felt his cheeks darken slightly at the kiss, still not able to fully believe that he and Archellevon could finally be together. The former angel smiled at the taller man, closing his eyes as he relished the feeling of them being together. Sighing, the Ginryan basked in the other's presence, the tension and apprehension he had felt since Archellevon had fallen asleep fell away as he held the teen close to him.

"Hey…" Archellevon whispered gently, looking at the taller man with a grin. "We're under mistletoe again." He giggled, knowing without looking they were under the same predicament as earlier.

"Seems we've been under it a lot." Edameonus chuckled, taking a mental note that he should thank Fay later for the small plants hanging everywhere.

"True." Archellevon said with a smile, unsure of what to make of Edameonus expression. Edameonus looked at the former angel, not knowing if he could kiss the teen, as he was still unsure of himself. He gave Archellevon a sheepish look in return. The other stared at him for a moment before shaking his head, blushing lightly.

"Ed…" He straightened himself against the other closing his eyes as he brought their lips together ceremoniously, ignoring the dull feeling of fear that the attack in the alley had caused him. Removing one of his hands, the Ginryan brought it to rest against a pale cheek as he tilted his head upwards and into the kiss. He smiled as his eyes closed, letting Archellevon direct their kiss so he wouldn't frighten the other away. The younger had to grin, unable to hide his joy from the other. He heard more giggling from the girls, but didn't acknowledge their presence, knowing they were trying their hardest to remain quiet. The taller man, though, sighed and pulled away.

"Hey, you two brats, stop eavesdropping!" Edameonus barked as he registered the two laughing not far from them. Yuui and Mokona squealed and ran down the hallway as to 'get away'. Archellevon giggled and loosened his grip around Edameonus.

"Ed shouldn't be so negative toward the children." His smile grew and he brought his hand to the taller man's chin to bring his attention back on him.

"I'm home."

Edameonus turned back to Archellevon, smiling fondly at the teen.

"Welcome back."


	35. Chapter 35

This is **Ashine-chan** posting as **Mirika** for the time being! She says she'll be out of the country visiting her sister in Germany and while that's going on I'll be posting chapters. I think I have enough for several. Please check out the forum for more info on this fic, chat and discuss as well!

Sorry its taken us so long. ;;; (we've been working on a lot of stuff lately) ENJOY!

* * *

Archellevon continued to grin, his arms slipped off the elder man's shoulders.

"Now then… what should we do?" He asked as he shifted to the side so the taller man could sit by him. Kurogane looked out the kitchen door to watch his creation carefully, not wanting her to fall and damage herself.

The Ginryan unwrapped his arms from the other before he lifted himself to sit on the couch next to Archellevon.

"Whatever you would like, it doesn't make a difference to me." He grinned as he looked at the teen beside him.

The younger raised an eyebrow uncharacteristically before shaking his head, leaning on the taller man's side.

"Well… we're still living in someone else's house…" He trailed off, blushing at his sudden boldness. "S-so… let's just… talk… how were you on the different planet? How long were you there before you came here?"

"I came with Fai-chan a few months ago; I'm to gather what I can on the planet to elevate its status." He explained, a faint blush spread across his cheeks as he felt Archellevon rest against him.

"How long were you on Valeria or Ginryuu is what I meant." He said with a giggle, seeing that the taller man was getting flustered easily by his new forwardness.

"About two months." The Ginryan's cheeks darkened several shades as he answered the pale haired teen.

"Two? Hn…" Archellevon replied, closing his eyes. "So…what about the Court? What happened after I died?" He said forlornly, noticing Yuui and Mokona hovering by the doorway again.

"You were replaced shortly after." His eyes narrowed as he remembered those days after Archellevon had died. "An angel named Ransho took your seat."

"Oh, Ransho, he was a sweet man." Archellevon said with a grin, giggling as he saw Edameonus's eyes glare protectively at him. "Is he only the replacement until I 'get back'?"

"No, they don't know about you. He's a permanent member." He thought back to how he hadn't told Yuuko of the teen in his reports and knew it would only lead to trouble if he revealed such a thing now, especially when Archellevon had regained all of his memories.

"A permanent member?" Archellevon inquired with concern, eyes darting about as he tried to piece things together. "N-now why would that be? If they knew I'd be living again then why would they replace me just like that?" He placed a finger at the bottom of his chin. "Perhaps Yuuko's planning something?"

"You know Yuuko, she's always planning something, but this time it's something big, even for her." Edameonus sighed as he thought about it, knowing he would eventually have to tell Kurogane and Fai.

Archellevon felt his smile creep on, looking to his remembered lover. "You can't keep that a secret from me you know. That's not nice."

He said with a very cute pout, gripping the dark haired man's shirt. "But considering we're not alone, you'll tell me later, right?"

"I will when no one else can hear us." Edameonus nodded before he smiled down at the teen. Archellevon's pout vanished and he smiled happily.

"Ok." He blinked then, eyes widening with thought.

"Yuuko! Of course!" He frowned instantly. "She has ways of finding out that I'm back, and even more so now that I've got all of my memory back… w-what if… what if they find me again? You know they're going to put me back in duty…"

"You're only a human now; you don't live on Jade anymore. There's a chance they might not take you back because of it." The Ginryan had feared something like that ever since the boy had arrived here.

"I know that…" Archellevon said as he sighed in frustration. "That wouldn't matter in Court. You remember what happened to Hisui when he died the first time? They found him on that one planet light years away and gave him the elixir to make him live forever and eventually he got his angel wings back… like nothing had ever happened."

He stood and folded his arms. "What if they do the same to me?"

"I won't let them take you. You know what will happen again if they do." Edameonus frowned, thinking of what they had gone through because of them going to the Court.

Archellevon gave Edameonus a worried look before sighing, outstretching his hands for the taller man to take.

"I know, love… But…Mokona-chan…" He looked over to her. "What can we do?" He asked his companion, studying the creature. "Does she know not to tell of me?"

Edameonus held the other's hands delicately in his own as he blushed. "She was the one that wanted me to not say anything about you to Yuuko."

Archellevon looked down at Edameonus in slight surprise.

"You actually thought about telling?" He said before pouting angrily. "Ed even thought about getting rid of me… how cruel…" He shook his head. "In all seriousness, we need to do something more than that! Even me living is a signal to the Court!"

"I would never want to get rid of you, but I didn't know what to do..." He frowned as he held the other's hands. "What should we do?" Edameonus asked as he looked at the former angel.

Archellevon shook his head and sighed again, moving their hands apart so he could perch in the taller man's lap. "What can we do?"

He closed his eyes to try to think clearly. His head still hurt at the regaining of his memories. Mokona giggled at this, oblivious of their subject matter.

"We could hide away." He sat flustered as Archellevon moved to sit on him.

"As long I can keep you away from them, I'll do whatever it takes." He moved to hold the teen to him, smiling.

Archellevon smiled warmly to the taller, nodding. He knew the words were right and he leaned against the other with his hands on his chest.

"I know…" He sighed a third time and closed his eyes. "Ed… we couldn't hide away, the house is almost complete… and so many people know about us…"

"We'll think of something." He said, determined to not let Archellevon be taken from him again.

It was then the front door swung open, revealing Toriho with a clipboard.

"Youou! Ed! I'm back! I-" He looked to see Archellevon and Edameonus sitting on the couch and gasped with a rather girly squawk, pointing a finger sharply at them. "WHA! You- and… and he! And!"

The white haired one giggled and waved. "Hello, Souhi-kun."

"Dumbass, stop staring and pointing at us, it's rude." Edameonus said as his eyes fell on Toriho and smirked. Toriho still gaped like a fish, though he lowered his hand.

"W-when…?" Kurogane poked his head out of the kitchen with a growl. "Dad! What did I say about calling?"

"Today." Was the other man's answer as he watched his friend stare at them in shock. Mokona and Yuui laughed at Toriho's reaction from their hiding spot.

"Kuro-san shouldn't be so mean to his father, especially when he's only been here a few seconds." Fai shouted teasingly from the kitchen.

Kurogane turned to him and growled. "Be quiet! I told him not to come barging in here whenever he feels like it!"

Archellevon stood from his place in Edameonus's lap, sauntering over to the other Ginryan. "What're you doing here again? Something about the house?"

"W-well that and I wanted to pay everyone a visit." Toriho looked at the teen, still flustered at the revelation.

"Daddy's cruel~" The blonde said loud enough for the others to hear him.

The former angel smiled to himself, placing his hands on his hips before looking over to Edameonus.

"I didn't mean for you to catch us sitting together, though I probably shouldn't have sat on you like that." He giggled and waved his hand. "My new body weighs as much as a feather though…" He jerked suddenly, eyes widening. "…feather?"

"Archy?" Edameonus said as he stared curiously at the teen.

Toriho looked down at Archellevon confused, trying to think of what the other could be talking about. "You mean the one you left behind?"

The former angel smiled and turned sharply to Toriho, ignoring the slight whining coming from the kitchen that was probably the result of Kurogane and Fay arguing. "Souhi-kun! Do you have it still? This might be the solution to the problems that have arisen!"

"Yeah, it's back home though." Toriho said, running a hand through his hair as he stared down at Archellevon.

The teenager nodded and smiled.

"Please bring it to me next time. I've thought of something that could help." He went to sit by Edameonus again, seeming to be pleased with himself. "Now then, what were you going to say?"

"I ordered all the furniture and should be delivered in a few days. So the three of you can be moved in near the end of the week at the latest." He explained before walking over to sit across from his friends.

Archellevon smiled brightly and leaned against Edameonus again. "I'm glad." He looked over to Mokona and Yuui. "Would you ladies like to come in now?"

Yuui and Mokona squeaked, having been caught.

Yuui stepped forward first smiling as she carried a somewhat sheepish looking Mokona. Toriho gave Edameonus a smug grin which caused the other to blush and glare at his friend.

The white creature bounced into Archellevon's lap, getting cozy there. Yuui sat down in one of the many chairs, folding her hands in her lap as she looked to Toriho, who noticed her dress. "Ah… that looks exactly like one of Tsumebe's old dresses…"

"Kurogane took Yuui and Mokona and Fai to the attic to find Yuui some clothes." She smiled brightly at Toriho. Mokona smiled as she cuddled up to Archellevon.

Toriho flinched and looked sheepishly to the kitchen door. "They did, did they? What all did they find?"

Kurogane entered the room and crossed his arms, a slight frown on his face as he heard the subject matter. Fai followed behind Kurogane, curious about what Toriho would say.

"Kurogane found lots of old clothes and things in the boxes." Yuui informed him before she turned her attention to her creator.

"Including your uniform that you arrived in." Kurogane added, making the other man blink and laugh boldly.

"Woops! Haha, forgot to take that home with me, didn't I?"

Edameonus blinked before looking to the other man. "Your uniform?"

"When I landed here, it was for studying the planet, I wore a uniform." Toriho smiled as he looked at Edameonus. Fai watched the exchange wondering if Kurogane's father would explain what exactly the machine Mokona had panicked over was.

As if on cue. "We found something else with it; it wasn't damaged like the rest of the items." Kurogane informed, glaring at the white thing. "Manjuu swallowed it all though."

Edameonus seemed to stiffen and he looked to Mokona with obvious hesitation. "She did?"

"Mokona didn't want Kurogane and Fai to touch it." She pouted as she looked up at Edameonus.

"What exactly was that, I've never seen something exactly like it Toriho." Fai asked as he smiled from beside his lover.

"Well… I-it's… not exactly mine…" Toriho sheepishly grinned while receiving a glare from Edameonus.

The demon sighed and looked to his creation. "I've been found out again, haven't I Soel?"

Fai turned his head to look at Edameonus, more curious than ever about what exactly was going on. Mokona frowned and nodded as she leaned against Archellevon.

Edameonus shook his head and smiled at Kurogane and Fay. "Well too bad. I'm still not allowed to tell."

He looked to Archellevon, who was staring at him with a confused expression. Kurogane growled. "What the hell? Why not?"

"Can you at least tell us when?" The blonde asked, not liking the other's refusal, especially when it concerned matters with the court. Toriho looked at Edameonus and grinned.

The other hesitated before looking to Fay, allowing a heavy breath to exit his lips. "Fine, when we give out the gifts." He said with a grin, making Yuui tilt her head. "Gifts?"

"For Christmas." Toriho informed the android as he leaned forward in his chair and continued to smile.

"A few weeks then." Fai said as he crossed his arms, knowing it was still a long time for them to wait for something that was obviously big.

Kurogane growled and unfolded his arms to place them on his hips. "Why so long?" He asked, trying to even his temper.

Edameonus shrugged and gently trailed a hand down Archellevon's back with a slight blush. "There are other things I'd like to do first."

Kurogane gaped at him in disgust before turning to his dad. "YOU WON'T TELL US BECAUSE OF HIS PERSONAL PLANS?"

"I'm not allowed to; I'd get in trouble with the Court if I told. Edameonus wasn't even supposed to tell me." Toriho said holding his hands up defensively. Fai sighed as he looked over to the older man, realizing that they wouldn't be able to get anything out of either man.

Edameonus chuckled to himself smugly, making Kurogane growl and point at him. "Bastard! You haughty bastard!"

Archellevon raised an eyebrow, wondering if the other man hadn't tackled the Ginryan because he was sitting there as well. "Calm down, Kurogane-san, you'll get to know eventually."

"Archy's right Kuro-min…" The blonde said as he moved to rest a hand atop Kurogane's arm. "…even if it is difficult to wait for an answer."

The dark haired man looked to Fay and sighed, moving his eyes to glare at the still smirking man. Edameonus closed his eyes, leaning his head against the back of the couch in victory. Archellevon shook his head and put his attention on Toriho. "You said we'd be moved in a week?"

"As long as everything I ordered comes in it all should be delivered together in about a week." He said, looking over to the former angel. Fai smiled at the sight of the couple sitting on the couch before he tugged on Kurogane's arm to walk towards the other couch to sit.

Kurogane followed obediently, noticing Fay's eyes landing on Archellevon and Edameonus for a little longer than he was comfortable with. The former angel smiled. "I'm glad then. Thanks for doing all this, Souhi-kun."

"It's not a problem, besides what kind of a friend would I be if I let you and Ed sleep in Youou's living room forever?" Toriho grinned at his friend while Fai moved to sit on the other couch.

Archellevon blushed slightly and looked away, still smiling. "A-ah…"

Mokona giggled and bounced around the living room singing. "Mokona and mommy and daddy get to live together! Yay, for living together!"

Yuui clapped in time with the song and joined in. "Living together! Living together!" The white haired teenager grinned wider and watched them both.

Fai chuckled at the two as he watched them. "That reminds me, once we get the furniture set up we'll have to go and get a couple of trees to set up, not to mention decorations for your house."

Toriho grinned as he looked at his friends.

Kurogane jerked and looked at his father. "I hope you know I'm not helping you this year!" He barked, remembering a bad incident from last year. Edameonus laughed lightly at the childish expression, allowing Mokona to land on his head.

"It's your house, you can help find a tree. Ed and I will help you." Looking over at his son, Toriho smirked. "Besides you don't want Fai-chan to be upset for Christmas do you?"

Kurogane growled irritably, pinching the bridge of his nose. "…As long as you don't drop the entire tree on my foot like last year…" Edameonus snorted behind his hand, earning another glare from the half breed.

"It's not like I did it on purpose. Hopefully there won't be that much snow when we go." Toriho smirked at his son, not wanting to start another fight with Kurogane at pointing out how easily he had caved when it concerned Fai. Said man grinned at his lover, wondering what would happen.

Kurogane pointed to his father. "It was not all the snow's fault!" Archellevon rolled his eyes with a smile, getting used to the arguments between those with Ginryan blood.

"Still didn't mean to drop it Youou." Toriho laughed at the memory, knowing Kurogane would grumble as he always did when they went out to find a tree for the house. Fai chuckled at the two, wondering if it would snow more than what little they had gotten so far.

"Yuui wants to help!" The girl announced, standing out of her chair. "Yuui can do things too!" She said determinedly, but Kurogane's expression made her pout. "No, Yuui, you can't help."

"I'm sure Yuui can help with something else instead." The Valerian offered as he looked over to the android.

"After all that we'll still have New Years to set up for, but that's not nearly as big as Christmas." Toriho said as he leaned back in his chair.

Yuui sat back down in her seat. "What can Yuui do to help?" she said with a new elated grin. Archellevon looked to Mokona.

"Mokona-chan and Yuui-chan can help Fay-san and I wrap some gifts while they go out for a tree." He offered, making Edameonus raise an eyebrow.

"There's also all the cooking and preparations for Christmas day." The older man said as he looked over to Archellevon.

The former angel moved a hand to hover in front of his mouth as he giggled.

"Oh my! We're beginning to sound like housewives, Fay-san!" Edameonus looked at him confused, while Kurogane placed his face in his palm.

Feeling himself blush at the words, Fai nodded. "I suppose that's true, there's not much else for us to do except clean and cook." He smiled before glancing up at Kurogane. "I have to remember to pick up a couple of Christmas cakes this year, since there will be more than just three of us this time."

Toriho chuckled at the thought.

Kurogane frowned at the thought of driving, figuring that he'd have to make Fay go to a driving school eventually.

"We don't need the cake." He growled, though Yuui and Mokona's singing instantly picked up about the sugary treat.

"We get one every year, besides if you don't get one then Tomoyo-chan or your mother will buy one." Toriho explained as he looked over to his son.

"Kuro-rin must not enjoy the holidays." Fai grinned at Kurogane, seeing that his lover wasn't really enjoying their preparations so far.

"Not really, no." Kurogane replied with a frown, moving his arm to rest on the back of the couch behind Fay's head. Archellevon smiled at this action, remembering when Edameonus had done it earlier.

"Tch, you'll have to change that for next year." Toriho smirked at the thought as Fai blushed at the suggestion.

Kurogane froze and looked away, unable to keep his mind off of how Toshihiko would react to Christmas time. Archellevon giggled and stared at them while Edameonus chuckled. "Kurogane-san's blushing…"

"I AM NOT!"

"We'll have to really celebrate next year." Kurogane's father practically sparkled at the thought of his grandchild's first Christmas.

"Kuro-san will be grouchy because he'll being even busier." The blonde chuckled as he leaned against Kurogane.

"And you'll be lazy like always." He retorted. Edameonus and Archellevon smiled together, the taller of the two thinking about Mokona enjoying Christmas in her transformed form.

"I'll be watching Toshi." He frowned as he poked his lover's side.

"Brat, you shouldn't call Fai-chan names, he works all the time." Toriho shouted as he defended the blonde.

Kurogane growled and reached over to pinch his father's nose. "Be quiet old man! I can say what I want!"

Edameonus and Archellevon chuckled at Toriho, remembering how they used to pick on each other as kids. Yuui giggled from her chair, watching as well.

Toriho growled and slapped his child's hand away. "You're just not showing you're appreciation to Fai-chan, ungrateful kid."

The older man rubbed his abused nose as the blonde in question tried to keep himself from laughing at the two.

"I show him my appreciation." Kurogane said blandly, rolling his eyes. "I just don't exaggerate it like you and he does."

He waved his hand mildly in the direction of Edameonus, who cocked an eyebrow. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"All you do is grumble about everything." Toriho said, waving off his son's words. Fai sighed as he sat beside Kurogane, knowing the others would argue even more if he said anything.

"And you provoke me, so why're you complaining when you guys make me angry?" Kurogane said with a solid frown. Edameonus growled and jabbed a finger in the spiky haired man's direction. "Be quiet you sensitive child! You just overreact to anything we say and then blame us!"

"You wanna say that again, punk!"

"Bring it bitch!"

"Now Ed…"

"Kuro-san..." Fai wrapped an arm around Kurogane's waist, not wanting another fight to break out between the two. Toriho had to turn away as he tried to cover up his laughter.

They could almost see the electricity pass between the two through a glare before Edameonus turned his attention on Archellevon, instantly cuddling him with a grin.

"You're too cute when you get all caring like that!" He said with glee as if he hadn't bickered with the taller man beforehand. Archellevon blushed but smiled, accepting the hug.

"Kuro-chan's growing up." Fai said as he leaned upwards to give the taller man a chaste kiss on his cheek. Toriho chuckled, unable to keep himself quiet at the others.

"Oi, oi! What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Kurogane barked, pulling away from Fay to glare at the shorter. Yuui giggled at the affection, hugging herself to share the enjoyment.

"You would have already been fighting with Edameonus a few months ago is all." The blonde explained as he met his lover's gaze. Mokona giggled as she sat on Archellevon's lap.

Edameonus clicked his tongue and looked away from Kurogane. "He likes to pick fights, mature or not." The other glared at him.

Toriho shook his head and chuckled. "Anyway, let's move the subject matter. While we're all together we need to think of a storyline for my grandchild; him looking like Youou and Fay-chan won't be easy to explain."

Fai's smile faltered as he listened to Toriho, remembering the brief talk he and Kurogane had had weeks ago in town.

Kurogane frowned and sank back into the couch more, staring at his father as the subject arose. Archellevon looked over cautiously, glancing between the two men before looking to Yuui. Said android smiled obliviously. "What's wrong with baby-chan having Fay and Kurogane as parents?"

"Men don't carry children on this planet Yuui." Toriho explained as he looked towards the android. "If anyone found out, something bad could happen to Fai-chan or the baby."

The blonde in question kept silent, knowing it would be difficult to explain away Toshihiko's appearance to others.

Kurogane moved his eyes to Fay, once again thinking he'd rather be on Valeria to secure Toshihiko's and Fay's safety. He sighed to himself, regretting both his and the blonde's stubbornness.

Edameonus scratched the back of his head. "Not like we can hide him away… isn't that the last thing we want to do?"

"Of course we don't want to hide him, but he'll undoubtedly look like Fai-chan and Youou. People would be curious about him." The other Ginryan said as he looked over to Edameonus.

"Then we don't have to tell them. Or tell them the truth. Say Yuui had him." Edameonus said with a simple shrug, making Kurogane glare at him.

Archellevon placed a hand on the dark haired man's chest. "It's not that easy… Toshihiko-chan could possibly get confused… or might be upset if they say one thing and we say another…"

Yuui tilted her head to the side in confusion as the others talked, while Fai thought over what the Ginryan had said. He wondered if their child would look more like Kurogane, thinking it would be best so they wouldn't have to come up with an excuse as to why the baby resembled him as well.

"What? It wouldn't exactly be lying; Yuui did carry Toshihiko for a while, albeit for a day or two at most…" Edameonus said with a slight frown, not realizing how difficult it was. Kurogane sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, thinking the exact opposite of Fay.

Toriho sighed as he leaned back in his chair, trying to think of something they could do that would make everyone happy. Keeping quiet, Fai mulled over the idea, thinking it would probably be best, despite his own feelings over the matter.

"What does…Kurogane think?" Yuui asked, completely confused by everything that revolved around the baby. "And Fay?"

The darker haired man looked up and frowned deeply, unable to answer immediately.

"… I don't know…" He closed his eyes and sighed. "If we were all three of us it'd be more obvious than if just I or Blondie went alone with him…" He explained, remembering what he had said to Fay.

"We can say he's Yuui's." Fai smiled as he suggested the idea once more, thinking back on what he and Kurogane had talked about, he knew it would be too difficult to try and explain things to others. If it meant things could be simpler for their child, the blonde was willing to go with whatever plan everyone would come up with, even if he didn't like them.

Kurogane turned sharply to look at Fay, staring at his lover for resurfacing the idea. Archellevon frowned at the Earthling's expression and shook his head, sitting up.

"Well, it is common for people from planets like this to have another woman carry the child for a same sex relationship… or when one partner can't have the child…" He explained softly, trying to help.

"...It doesn't matter to me, whatever's best." He refused to look at Kurogane, not wanting to see his lover's expression. Toriho watched Fai curiously, not understanding the man's decision.

Yuui smiled questioningly to Fay. "B… but…"

She couldn't think of a way to describe it to Fay, seeing Kurogane look away slowly with a scowl. Archellevon moved his eyes to the floor, seeing that more trouble was caused by their actions that they had taken to make sure the blonde had never been alone again.

Mokona frowned, feeling the blonde's sadness and buried her face against Archellevon. Fai continued to smile, as he sat beside Kurogane, still upset about what they would inevitably do about Toshihiko.

"No." Kurogane growled. Toriho and Yuui looked at him curiously, the android frowning delicately when she saw the tanned man's hand clench beside him. "Fay and I brought him into this world, and I'll have it no other way, dammit!"

He barked suddenly, making Edameonus blink. "And if the people in town have a problem with it they can go fuck themselves."

His eyes widened as he turned his head to look at Kurogane. Fai's smile softened at his lover's declaration, which in turn caused him to feel somewhat better about the situation, he still knew it probably wouldn't be as simple as that, but was happy none the less for the other man's words.

Yuui tilted her head to the side, completely lost. Archellevon smiled warmly as well before resting his head against Edameonus's side.

"Well then, I guess there's no real problem is there? You know they're going to spread rumors."

Kurogane snorted. "Let them say what they want. We know the truth and that's all I need. Who gives a damn about what they think?"

"Fai-chan has to promise my grandson won't have his other parent's attitude." Toriho looked over at the Valerian pleadingly.

Looking over at the older man, Fai smiled sheepishly at the request. "I suppose I could try."

"Hey!" Kurogane barked at his father, glaring at him. "What the hell's wrong with my attitude! I blame you for it!"

He pointed a finger at his father, ignoring the chuckle from Edameonus.

"Always yelling for one thing. For the record, I never yelled at you like you do now, brat!" Toriho looked over to his son as he shouted before returning his attention to Fai. "But with Fai-chan, I'm sure Toshi-chan will at least be well mannered and not nearly as loud as you."

Kurogane growled and folded his arms.

"What the hell is wrong with you two anyway! His name is Toshihiko! My name is Kurogane! Do you like shortening things or something?" He snapped. Archellevon rolled his eyes and patted Edameonus's chest, telling the other he was getting up.

"Kuro-chan's says Toshi too." Fai said as he turned and looked at his lover. The older man chuckled, glad to see the blonde was actually smiling once more.

"I do not!" Kurogane growled, seething toward his companion. "I say the name I gave him!"

Mokona hopped off of Archellevon's lap and into Edameonus as the teenager got up. The white haired one sauntered off into the kitchen soundlessly, seeing the importance of the conversation slowly slipping away.

"Do too." The blonde pointed out as he grinned up at Kurogane. "I've heard you a few times."

Amused at watching the couple, Toriho chuckled. "What's wrong with calling the boy that anyways brat?"

"I don't like it." Kurogane said simply, shoving the back of his hand in the direction of his father. Edameonus laughed at the gesture, unused to the movements of humans when showing negativity.

"But You-chan shouldn't be so stubborn when it comes to a simple name." Fai looked at his lover's father curious about the name as his smile widened.

Kurogane gave his father a look somewhere between horror and offense before he stood quickly.

"BLASPHEMY!" He roared, tackling his father from his chair. Edameonus shook his head and laughed, wondering if he should go join Archellevon to avoid getting in the quarrel somehow.

"You-chan...Is that what Kuro-min was called when he was little?" Fai asked, though when he saw Toriho hit the floor, he wondered if the man could hear him.

"LIKE HELL IT WAS!" Kurogane barked over his shoulder, leaving himself open for a noogie that Toriho promptly jumped upon. The android laughed and watched them from the other side of the coffee table, ignoring Edameonus as he got up from the couch without Mokona.

"But it's cute." Fai leaned against the couch arm as he watched the two men struggling on the floor. "Is Kuro-rinta embarrassed because he was called You-chan when he was a little boy?"

"N-no!" Kurogane stuttered as he struggled to get out of the headlock, gritting his teeth as his father grated his knuckles into his scalp. "DAMMIT DAD!"

"Not my fault you can't take a little teasing!" Mokona hopped onto Yuui's lap instead, laughing at their childish bickering.

"Hmm, it does have a nice ring to it." Fai grinned as he thought over the name. "Maybe I should just call Kuro-myu, You-chan from now on." He teased, enjoying the other man's embarrassment.

Kurogane glared at his lover. "If you dare…" He warned hollowly while shoving his father off to give him the same treatment.

"You-chan always has to be a spoilsport." The blonde pouted mockingly at Kurogane, while he tried to keep himself from laughing.

"QUIT SAYING THAT OBNOXIOUS NAME DAMMIT!" The son bellowed as he tried to get his hand free from Toriho's grip.

Yuui laughed and held Mokona's hands while the creature danced in her lap. "You-chan! You-chan!"

"THAT INCLUDES YOU, YUUI!"

The blonde wrapped his arms around his stomach as he laughed. Yuui giggled at Kurogane while Toriho smirked and grappled with his son. "It's not so bad Kuro-chu."

Kurogane growled but said nothing more on the subject, shoving his father off again. "Dammit dad!"

"Hey! You started it!"

"Kuro-rinta shouldn't be so hard on Toriho." The blonde said as he watched the two continue to fight. Yuui laughed, amused by her creator's antics.

"You be quiet!" Kurogane demanded as he held his father away from getting him.

Toriho pouted and finally gave up and crossed his arms. "You suck, Youou, start a fight then can't end it."

"I'M TELLING YOU TO KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT!"

"So mean~" The blonde turned away from his lover and cried dramatically. "Daddy's such a brute."

Kurogane sat up and dusted himself off while glaring at Fay.

"You're contradicting yourself to what you said on the ship." He said vehemently, confusing Yuui once again about the conversation topic.

"Oh, and what was that Kuro-pon?" The blonde asked as he turned back around to face the other man, his eyes devoid of tears as he talked.

"That I was a brute." He said, almost pouting. Toriho giggled like a girl at this and stood, wondering where his friends had run off to, but too afraid to voice his curiosity and find out.

Fai chuckled and moved to sit on the floor beside Kurogane; he briefly glanced up at Toriho as the man moved, before looking back to his lover. "Would Kuro-chan like a hug the or maybe a kiss?"

The other gave him a slightly curious look before narrowing his eyes.

"…Why this all of a sudden?" He questioned, not denying that he wanted either of the options. Yuui giggled and moved a hand over Mokona's eyes and her own, only to peek through the splits of her fingers.

"Because I hurt Kuro-kuro's feelings by calling him a brute." He explained while he rested against the table. "Or do you not want to?"

Smiling, Fai looked over to Kurogane amused.

Kurogane didn't answer and simply stared at Fay for a moment, seeing if there were any tricks attached. He sighed in defeat and flagged his lover over. "C'mere…"

Fai giggled before he scooted over to Kurogane.

"Kuro-pyon's always so suspicious." He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Kurogane's neck as he kneeled beside the other man. The other felt his eyebrow twitch at the smaller man's words, but he brushed it off.

"Tch… annoying blonde…" He said simply, ignoring the squealing from the peanut gallery.

"Daddy's not in a very good mood it seems." Fai laughed before leaning forward to give Kurogane a quick kiss on his cheek.

The other raised an eyebrow at the younger, pulling Fay back to bring their lips together curtly.

"When you say a kiss I expect a goddamn kiss, not a peck on the cheek." He growled, his father blatantly ignoring them by whistling.

The blonde tried to stifle his amusement as he stared at Kurogane, his arms still around his lover as he smirked. "Kuro-puu's cute."

The older man growled again but settled with another kiss instead of arguing or raising his voice. Yuui and Mokona giggled from their seat, only looking away when Toriho started for the kitchen, being the third to go there.

Fai grinned into their kiss, a little surprised at not being reprimanded by Kurogane for his comment. He vaguely heard Toriho walk away from them as he leaned against the taller man.

Kurogane pulled away from Fay gently but kept their bodies close, his mind going back to their earlier conversation on their child whilst they were semi-alone. Yuui and Mokona turned to watch Toriho go, though they were both curious about Kurogane and Fay's relationship.

As Kurogane broke their kiss, Fai opened his eyes to look at his lover, curious as to why the other was being quiet. "Kuro-san?"

"It might be simpler to do it your way…" Kurogane muttered suddenly, staring at Fay with a frown. "But I don't like it when you make it sound like he's something we need to hide. If anyone asks about his parentage, tell them what you want, but they're also going to hear my side."

The smile slipped from the blonde's lips as he looked at Kurogane. His eyes fell away from the other as he thought over his words. "You should know how I feel about it...I would never want to keep him a secret either."

"Then he won't be." Kurogane replied simply, his hands going to rest against Fay's hips. "He can be the center of attention for all I care. If something bad happens then we'll figure it out when it happens. Until then, he gets to know everything about his lineage..." He frowned. "Unlike me."

"I'm sure you would have been told, if it was possible." Fai offered his lover a smile, knowing that Kurogane was still upset about never being told about his father's real history. "But at least we won't have to keep the same from Toshi."

Kurogane's expression softened and he brought Fay forward again to touch his lips against the pale collar bone. "Hn. That's how it should be."

The blonde smiled at the touch, knowing it wouldn't be a good idea to bring up the fact Kurogane hadn't corrected him about their child's name. Instead the Valerian smiled and wrapped his arms tighter around Kurogane.

The taller man sighed when he heard the two girls giggling at his affectionate side, glaring over his lover's shoulder as they sat away from them. "I'm beginning to look forward even more to them moving out… I wonder if I should keep that meat bun away from him…"

"Mokona wanted to babysit for us when Toshi's older." The blonde said as he turned to glance back at the two trying not to laugh. "Besides, Toshi would want to have someone near his own size and age to play with."

Kurogane grinned maliciously. "Something to play with, eh?"

Mokona squealed in mock fear and hid behind Yuui. "Oh no! Mokona's scared of Kurogane now, Yuui!"

"Kuro-tan shouldn't tease Mokona." Fai chided his lover gently as he looked back at the taller man. "Toshi won't be mean to Mokona."

He at least hoped the baby wouldn't be too rough with her at least, considering he would take after Kurogane.

"Hey, twerps will be twerps." The spiky haired man said still grinning. The android giggled at how the white creature nuzzled into her side, moving her robotic hand to pat the little tail gently.

"I guess that's true." The blonde smiled at Kurogane, thinking of their child as he rested against the other man. The taller man watched as Yuui stood with the transforming girl.

"Mokona and Yuui will go find Edam and Archy and play with them, ok?" She cooed at Soel, who sniffed away a fake tear and nodded with a grin. Kurogane sighed and rested his chin on Fay's head, seeing that he was around people who faked emotions a lot.

Fai chuckled as heard Mokona cheer when Yuui walked into the kitchen with her. "Kuro-tan shouldn't tease Mokona about being used as a toy." He grinned, thinking of their child playing with Mokona and Yuui when he was older.

"If that happens I just might not see it." Kurogane chuckled as well, letting his eyes droop halfway closed as he thought of their baby. "…Wonder if he'll have your eyes…"

"He'll probably take after you more than me." He smiled fondly at the thought, excited at the thought of seeing exactly what their son would look like.

"Why's that?" Kurogane asked, a faint blush covering his cheeks as he realized what he had thought was said aloud instead of just pondering.

"You look at lot like your father, so it's not hard to think that our son would be the same." Offered Fai as he leaned against Kurogane. He laughed softly at his lover, knowing the other man was most likely blushing for having asked.

Kurogane felt a muscle close to his eye spasm at the blonde's giggling, knowing it was from him. "You know things could be different. He is your kid too, after all."

Fai unwound his arms from Kurogane to look at his lover. He stared at the taller man for a moment as he moved to sit beside him. "I know." He smiled, his mind wandering to what the other man had said earlier about Toshihiko.

Kurogane watched Fay move about and he leaned against the sofa's edge, slinking an arm around the smaller man's shoulders. He listened to Mokona squealing at something Edameonus did and grinned to himself, thinking about the child playing with Fay in the future.

Smiling as Kurogane wrapped an arm around him, Fai leaned to rest against his lover's side. He shifted until one of his own arms was loosely hugging the taller man to him. "Only a little over a month left Kuro-min."

The other flinched and looked down to Fay, before his expression dimmed and he pulled the younger into a gentle hug. He hesitated and opening his eyes again. "…That's kind of… a short time for him to grow… shouldn't you be showing more?"

"I've...been worried about that." He admitted while he rested his head against Kurogane. "I can't really wear my regular clothes, except for sweaters and a few other things...but I should be showing more by now."

The blonde thought to himself that his stomach should have expanded enough by now at least to where he would be wearing the clothes Tsumebe had given him already. Kurogane frowned and looked to nothing in particular, humming gently. He hoped subconsciously that it didn't have to do with anything health-wise.

"It might… happen a little later…" He said slowly, pulling away from Fay.

"...Maybe." The books Fai had been reading didn't offer much help in easing his worries, but due to the baby only being half Valerian, Fai had thought of their child being born later. He had no idea of knowing what that could mean for him since the books hadn't mentioned anything about too long of an extended pregnancy.

Kurogane paused for a moment, and then pulled Fay closer to him. He hadn't realized how much he cared for Toshihiko, and he wasn't even born yet.

"It'll be fine." He said determinedly, closing his eyes.

"Everything feels okay; I'm just not as developed as I should be." He frowned at what that could mean as Kurogane held him. "Edameonus said I should eat more, but I don't really see how that would help."

"It might give him more nutrients to grow…" Kurogane replied, thinking about the other wasn't showing as much as he thought he'd be. He felt a weight fall into his stomach when he thought about the not showing being a sign that something was wrong.

He nodded silently after listening to Kurogane. "In another month's time...I'll be showing even more." He paused to think of the baby and what he had read. "He might just be small."

As he considered his somewhat swollen stomach, the baby could possibly grow enough so it wouldn't be a problem. Kurogane sighed heavily and nodded, bringing his attention to the hallway to where he could see the people in the kitchen.

"What are we going to do about his birth?" He asked, feeling slightly nervous about thinking of Toshihiko coming into the world.

"I would have to have him here." The Valerian said as he sat beside Kurogane. "It's not like I could go somewhere around here."

Kurogane felt himself frown deeper.

"…You maybe right…" He narrowed his eyes at what he could see of Archellevon and Edameonus standing together. "You'd normally have a place for him to be born on your home planet, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, but people have home births too." Fai moved to look up at Kurogane, slightly frowning when he saw the other man's expression.

"That's common?" He asked, ignoring his usual self law about getting into other people's pasts. It was dealing with his son, so it didn't hurt to ask.

"It is." He shrugged. "A lot of people tend to do it, though they usually have people to help." Fai further explained, thinking to what was common knowledge on Valeria. "There has to be at least one person to help with the birth, because a man wouldn't be able to deliver by himself."

"Hn…" Kurogane loosened his grip on Fay a little, relaxing more so against the couch. He contemplated how the other would give birth briefly and found out he couldn't seem to stomach the idea well.

Sighing, Fai reclined against his lover, mulling over their only option. He knew it wasn't something to worry too much over since the books he had brought with him were at least helpful in that regard.

"Do you want him to be born here?" Kurogane asked suddenly, thinking that most of their problems were due to the fact that he was born on Earth instead of Ginryuu.

"Yes." He grinned at the thought, knowing things would only be complicated if their son was born on another planet, not to mention he wasn't sure if he would even be able to make such a trip so close to Toshihiko's birth.

Kurogane opened his eyes to stare at Fay, and he couldn't help but smirk at the blonde's expression. He flinched when he heard a loud squeal from his android, looking over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow and a sigh.

"Yuui seems to be having fun." Fai chuckled as he listened to the girl. It seemed that everyone was taking a turn for the better, especially Edameonus and Archellevon, or at least from what the Valerian had heard earlier.

Kurogane shook his head and looked back to Fay. "Yeah, she always has fun though." He ran a hand through his hair, thinking about what they said earlier of Yuui and Fay.

"...It seems everyone's happier." His thoughts were still on the others, which caused him to wonder if Toriho and Edameonus had been listening in on them. Fai drew his legs up as he reclined against the couch and Kurogane as his mind went to the baby.

"Are you?" Kurogane asked with closed eyes, feeling his lover next to him shift. "You don't seem to like the idea that you move more in your sleep."

He revealed garnet to stare at Fay, searching his face for an answer.

"I still am." Fai remembered the last time he had told Kurogane he had been happy and smiled softly at the memory. "And I don't like that because I keep waking you up, if you would wake me up and tell me it wouldn't be as bad."

"Why wake you up when you need sleep more than I do?" Kurogane asked bluntly, bringing his knee up so he could use his arm as a way to hold his head up.

"Because I asked you to and waking me up doesn't mean I would stay awake for long." Sighing, Fai looked up at Kurogane, knowing it was probably a waste of time to bring up the subject again.

Kurogane looked at Fay with a frown before shaking his head. "Nah. It's fine how it is." He replied easily, placing his chin back in his palm.

The shorter of the two rolled his eyes as he turned his face away from Kurogane. "...idiot." Fai muttered under his breath, he knew he should have realized his lover would be stubborn about the matter.

"Hey, I don't have to be an alien to have good hearing." Kurogane growled, pulling his lover closer to him. "It's not for long, and you might stop moving around after he develops more."

"You mean I've been tossing around even when we don't...?" He said looking somewhat embarrassed at both his question and at Kurogane having heard him.

The taller man blinked and cast his eyes away from Fay's. "Not… that much…"

Raising his arm, Fai lightly punched the other man's leg.

"You really are a stubborn idiot for not telling me." He frowned, wondering to himself if he should give Kurogane another punch for good measure.

The taller man caught Fay's hand on the rebound effortlessly, sighing as his other hand stayed out the younger but moved to ruffle his hair. "It's not like I'm losing any sleep either. There's no problem. At least not with me."

"..." Blue eyes narrowed at the treatment as he tried to shake Kurogane's hand off him. "Toshi had better not be as stubborn as you..." He said grumbling.

"If not as stubborn as me, he'll get it from you." Kurogane said with a victorious smirk, though he knew it might come back to bite him in the ass later.

"I'm not as bad as Kuro-pon." The blonde retorted as he lightly shoved Kurogane for the suggestion.

The other chuckled and released Fay's hand from his grip, moving his hand to his own knee. "Bad or not, looks like our kid's stuck with it."

"True." He nodded in agreement, knowing it was futile to think that their son wouldn't have any of Kurogane's stronger characteristics. He just hoped that Toshihiko's temper wouldn't be as bad as his father's.

Said man subconsciously brought his vision down to the Valerian's stomach and stared, his mind blurring with visions of their boy when he'd come to them. He wondered if he'd look more like Fay or more like himself and how he'd act, having a déjà vu about doing the same thing in the garage before they were taken to Edonis.

Feeling eyes on him Fai looked up to see his lover staring. He smiled as he noticed where exactly the others gaze was and what the dark haired man was thinking about. Reaching beside him he grabbed Kurogane's hand and placed it on his stomach. Even without his own hand touching his swollen stomach, the blonde could feel the baby reacting with tiny pulses.

Kurogane flinched when he realized Fay had caught him gawking, but relaxed when he felt the other man's stomach under his fingertips. He sighed inwardly at the thought of what it'd feel like for Toshihiko to move. "…What happens… when I touch you here?"

"I can feel his aura spiking." He answered his hand still over Kurogane's as he spoke. "It's not as much as a couple of months ago, but I can still feel it."

"What does that mean? The spiking not being as strong…" Kurogane asked, slightly frowning at the thought.

"It's a sign that he should start moving on his own soon." The blonde chuckled, seeing Kurogane worried made it even clearer how much the baby meant to the taller man.

The dark haired man looked up to Fay and raised an eyebrow; curious for the expression he was given. "…What?"

"Nothing." The blonde shook his head, still amused at his previous thoughts while the baby still pulsed around Kurogane's hand.

The tanned man narrowed his eyes and growled, not liking the secrecy. He brushed it off though, his mind returning to their child.

"…So he reacts to me?" He inquired, wondering if babies in Earth women reacted to their fathers too.

"Yes, he always reacts when you touch my stomach." Smiling, Fai turned to look at Kurogane. "You might be able to feel him, but his aura's not as strong as before so it would be harder to."

"Hn… I doubt I could…" Kurogane said with a cocked brow, his hand slightly moving against Fay's stomach. He heard some more movement in the kitchen but paid no attention to it.

"It shouldn't be long until we'll both be able to feel him move." He offered as he grinned at the idea.

Kurogane brought his eyes to Fay and gave him a smirk, liking the sound of that idea. He leaned forward and kissed the blonde's cheekbone. "Tell me when he starts."

He chuckled at the simple kiss, enjoying the gesture as he looked at Kurogane. "Does that mean I should call Kuro-san at school if he starts to move?"

"Yes." The other replied immediately, a slight frown of seriousness on his face. "School's not important enough to begin with."

"Kuro-rin doesn't have too much school left." The shorter smiled at the other's answer. "He'll probably move in another week or so and by then you might not have to go anymore."

"That's true…" Kurogane replied, thinking about his schooling. He sighed when he realized he had so few classes left. "I'm almost done with school entirely."

"Then we'll just be waiting for Toshi's birth." Fai smiled at the news, happy that Kurogane would soon be finished with classes so the other could stay home.

"Hn… I might not be done by then…" Kurogane said with a frown, slipping his hand away from the shorter man's stomach to lay it on the other hip. "But more than likely I will be by the time he's one."

"You'll still have a break for the holidays; he might be born before you go back." The blonde still smiled as he sat beside Kurogane. He wondered when exactly he would go give birth, silently hoping it wasn't too much longer.

"If he's not then I'll just leave class for it." Kurogane replied, leaning back to rest against the couch again.

"Kuro-rinta really is a bad student." Fai laughed lightly at the idea. "Won't it be a problem if you miss anymore of your classes?" He asked, remembering that Kurogane had said he couldn't afford to not go to school.

"Tch. It's not a problem to me if it's about him." Kurogane clicked his tongue, furrowing his brow at the stupidity of the thought. "And whether I'm a good student or not is your opinion; it doesn't matter either way to me."

"Kya~" Fai turned to pinch his lover's cheek fondly. "Kuro-puu's a grouch~" He laughed, knowing it would only rile Kurogane.

The other growled and swatted Fay's hand away. "And who likes to pinch who here?" He snapped, remembering what the blonde had said about him earlier.

"You do it a lot more than I do!" He replied as he smirked at the taller man. "Kuro-puppy shouldn't shout either." He pointed out as he tried to keep himself from laughing.

"And why the hell not?" Kurogane argued, retracting his hand from Fay's hip to place it on his own leg.

"Because others will hear you." Toriho laughed as he stood nonchalantly at the door, looking like he had been there a while. Kurogane stiffened and growled at his dad, though a blush became present almost instantly.

Fai chuckled as moved, resting his hand on Kurogane's arm to lift himself up to stand. "See Kuro-san should listen more."

A light blush spread across his own face at the thought of Toriho overhearing him, but was able to brush off his embarrassment for the most part. Kurogane subconsciously helped Fay up, moving to stand as well.

"Maybe old men shouldn't listen in on other's conversations either." Kurogane hissed through his teeth, thinking of threats he could say to make Toriho go running to Tsumebe.

"Hey, I'm not old, damn kid!" Toriho glared at his son while Fai laughed. The blonde glanced out the window, surprised to see that it was getting late. Fai hadn't thought he and Kurogane had talked for that long.

"Are too! You're gettin' a grandkid! That makes you old!" He barked, pointing his finger at the taller man. Edameonus leaned out of the kitchen to glare at Kurogane for being loud. "Damn. I thought he'd left or something. Guess some dreams are too good to be true."

"YOU SHUT UP!"

Toriho crossed his arms and grumbled as his son while he contemplated what to do. "...Brat, you're getting old too cause you're gonna have a kid."

Shaking his head at the others Fai looked over to see Edameonus, wondering if the man had been listening to them as well.

"Am not!" Kurogane snapped back, shoving his hands in his pockets. Edameonus rolled his eyes before vanishing back into the kitchen. Archellevon then stepped out into the hallway.

"My, my, you're loud when you're not talking about something important."

Mokona and Yuui's laughter could be heard from the kitchen as Fai looked at the teen, a sheepish smile across his lips. "Kuro-rin is loud."

Toriho chuckled as he looked at his son. "You-chan has always been a loud mouth."

"I blame you." Kurogane snapped, turning his attention to any inanimate object. Archellevon giggled and folded his arms, looking at Toriho.

"So you'll bring it tomorrow? You'd better remember, Souhi-kun."

"I will, Archy." Toriho grinned as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Kuro-kun's embarrassed." Fai teased as he walked around to get a better look at Kurogane's face to see if the other man was blushing.

"I am not!" Kurogane barked, turning to look at almost instantly.

Edameonus leaned out of the door again and growled. "He doesn't know how to shut up does he, Souhi?"

"I SAID YOU BE QUIET ASSHOLE!"

Archellevon shook his head. "They'll never grow up."

"Afraid not." The older man said as he looked over to Edameonus. Chuckling, Fai turned his gaze towards Kurogane.

"Kuro-chu doesn't have to yell all the time." He frowned half heartedly and covered his ears for emphasis. He growled as his attention snapped back on Fay, not liking the exaggeration.

"To get things through all of your thick skulls, sometimes I feel like its mandatory."

Edameonus sighed and exited the kitchen, standing behind his former lover. "And there he goes, a pot calling the kettle black."

"Some of us have sensitive ears." Fai pouted as he stared up at Kurogane, his ears still covered. "And is Kuro-tan saying I'm as thick headed as him?"

Blue eyes narrowed somewhat as the Valerian asked. Toriho chuckled as he nodding in agreement with the other Ginryan.

"Come on, stop bickering. I'm a teenager and you all act younger than me." Archellevon said with an amused grin, daring Kurogane to say anything different as the man opened his mouth to retort.

Edameonus pouted. "Jeez, you make me sound like a crib robber…" Kurogane cocked an eyebrow.

Toriho laughed at his friends as he watched them. "Well, when you think of the age difference...Ed's really old."

The blonde chuckled at the older man before he chimed in as well. "Have to act childishly around Kuro-san, it's the only way he'll pay attention, not to mention its fun. Though I don't know what Kuro-min's excuse is..." The blonde acted as if he were deep in thought as he finished.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Kurogane barked at Fay, glaring at him for what he said. Edameonus puckered his lips.

"Hey, you're as old as I am, Souhi, now I know where Kurogane gets his hypocrisy from." Archellevon giggled and moved passed the older man to stand in the living room.

"Tch. I'm not the cradle robber." He smirked as he looked at Edameonus smugly.

Fai waved off Kurogane's shouting before he moved to walk towards their bedroom in order to change. "Kuro-chii will really have to work on his inside voice when the baby's born, that is unless he wants to wake up at all hours of the night and day because he woke Toshi up?"

Kurogane moved a hand from his pocket to place it on his face and drag it down. "Ugh…" Edameonus looked at Toriho with a slight scowl. "Hey, I bet you're like… a thousand years older than Tsumebe-chan."

"She's still only slightly older than Archy is now!" He pointed at the teen as he shouted. Fai chuckled before he disappeared into the bedroom to change clothes.

"And you say I shout too much." Kurogane said with a frown. Archellevon placed his hand on the other man's finger and pushed it away gently.

"Don't point or I'll break it off." He said with a grin, making Edameonus pause to blush at Archellevon's forceful side.

"You do." Toriho said as he lowered his hand from Archellevon.

"Kuro-san does shout too much~" Fai called from the bedroom, as moved about.

Kurogane gave the bedroom door a curious look. "You need to tell me that from a different room?"

Kurogane growled, turning his head away with an angry pout. Archellevon giggled and shook his head, knowing the maturity levels of some of the people in the house weren't as high as their ages.

"Yes, I do." Fai said as he reemerged from the bedroom, a hand on his hip as he smiled at Kurogane.

The other man didn't look back over and continued to stare at the wall angrily. Toriho laughed lightly at his son's antics before turning to Fay. "Well I have to go. I'll be over either tomorrow or the next day. We're getting ready for something at work." He glanced at Edameonus before smiling. The demon raised an eyebrow and moved to lean against the wall.

Fai stood, curious if the man was talking about whatever he and Edameonus had kept from them, before he smiled at the other man. "We'll see you tomorrow than Toriho."

The Ginryan smiled wider and nodded, waving briefly to all of them before making his way over to the front door. "See ya, Souhi." Edameonus said casually as Mokona hopped onto his head. "Bye, bye, Great Uncle Toriho!" She trilled.

"Goodbye Mokona-chan." Toriho waved at the enthusiastic creature before he turned to leave.

They heard him leave and Edameonus sighed, moving to go sit on the couch against the wall. Kurogane placed a hand on his hip and growled in frustration. "All this secrecy is pissing me off."

Archellevon ambled over to sit next to the remaining Ginryan. "Oh, Kurogane-san, have some patience for once."

"Kuro-min doesn't have much." Fai said as he stepped forward to stand next to Kurogane. Mokona giggled as she lay on top of her father figure's head, pulling at dark strands as she moved about.

Edameonus flinched every now and then before looking up with a frown. "Oi, stop that, twerp."

Archellevon giggled and brought his legs up to hold them. Kurogane rolled his eyes at his lover, moving his attention elsewhere.

"Mokona's playing~" She sang as she swayed back and forth, her small paws holding dark locks of hair. Watching Mokona, Fai smiled. He turned his attention back to Kurogane, wondering why he hadn't been yelled at for earlier.

Archellevon shifted his sitting position to sit on his knees, moving forward to lift the girl off his forgotten lover's head.

"Now, Mokona-chan, you should learn to listen to your father." He said with a grin, making Edameonus blush slightly.

Kurogane raised an eyebrow at the actions before looking to Fay. "…What?"

"Mokona was only playing." She pouted as she was picked up.

The blonde smiled as he looked up at Kurogane. "Kuro-rin must be tired if he didn't yell at me."

Kurogane brought his hand up to rub his temple.

"Do you /like/ me yelling at your or something?" He asked as Archellevon moved to sit back down like he had before with the creature in his lap.

Mokona hummed as she sat on Archellevon's lap while Fai grinned at Kurogane. "No, it's just unusual."

The former angel moved his hands to dance smoothly with the girl and giggled. Yuui poked her head out of the kitchen with a smile. "Kurogane! Should Yuui go charge?"

The taller man looked away from Fay to see his creation starting to lift up her dress. He squawked and rushed to her. "HEY! Don't do that!"

"But Yuui just wanted to show the orange light."

The other blonde chuckled before walking over to the couch and sitting down. Across from him, Mokona giggled into before she began singing lines from one of the songs Fai had sung earlier.

Edameonus watched the teenager and the white thing with a fond smile before looking to Fay. He studied the other before leaning on the armrest. "Not that much longer, huh?"

"Only about six weeks, I think." The blonde smiled at his friend, his hand going to his stomach at the thought.

The dark haired man's smile grew a little wider and he cast a sidelong glance to Mokona. "I wonder if we'll have everything he'll need."

He thought aloud, making Archellevon look at him curiously. "Why wouldn't we? There are all of us to help take care of him."

"We will." He smiled, knowing that if something was to happen or there was anything they needed, Kurogane's parents would help. They were after all parents and knew what to do if anything came up.

Edameonus crossed his legs and sighed, looking to the ceiling. "…I wonder how he'll react to the new kid…"

Archellevon exhaled heavily and glanced to the demon with a frown. "Anything to make fun of him, right?"

Laughing, Fai looked at the two across from him, glad to see they were finally happy around each other. "Kuro-san has said he's not good with kids, but I think he's just saying that."

The blonde wondered if Kurogane realized how fatherly he acted sometimes with Yuui and thought briefly to how Kurogane would be around their son.

Edameonus raised an eyebrow with a sly grin. "We'll see…"

Archellevon leaned into the couch and set Mokona on his companion's head, knowing she wanted to continue playing with hair. "You know if he's not as stimulating as you're making him out to be you can always tease Souhi-kun. You lost 23 years of teasing since he stayed here."

Mokona giggled as she clambered back atop Edameonus's head, her tiny paws kicking as she returned to her previous antics. The Valerian chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"Hopefully it won't start any fights between all of them." He grinned at the idea of not only Kurogane and Edameonus arguing, but of Toriho joining in on any argument they might have.

The demon twitched as the creature continued her actions.

"If it involves Kurogane, there'll be a fight." He said simply, moving to cuddle Archellevon as punishment for placing the creature back on his head.

"Kuro-chan is aggressive." The blonde leaned on the couch arm as he talked, using his hand to prop up his chin while he grinned at the thought of his lover.

Archellevon blushed a little as he was hugged from behind and slightly pouted. Edameonus grinned as well and rested his cheek against the white hair. "Well, Fay-chan's so nice; there's gotta be someone to counteract that."

He waved off the Ginryan's words as he grinned. "I'm not always so nice." A small noise left Mokona as she grabbed Edameonus's hair to keep from sliding off the man when he had tilted his head.

The demon moved his head again to keep the girl stable and to keep himself from squeaking in pain. "I'd believe that. I heard what happened when you guys were first taken on board." He said nonchalantly, noting Archellevon's scowl at the mention of the transportation.

"That whole thing was unnecessarily exaggerated. Kurogane-san and Fay-san went through too much because of that captain."

Fai blushed, looking sheepish at the news. "I was too tired then, to do much." Thinking back to their trip to Edonis, the blonde hoped they would never have to go through anything even remotely similar again.

"Eh, Kurogane was making up for that." Edameonus replied, but he was promptly elbowed in the stomach by the teenager. "O-oi! What was that for?"

He whined, rubbing the spot while Archellevon stood. "You need to pick your fights better Ed. If that topic's over with don't bring it up so often."

"Don't worry about it, it's in the past." The blonde couldn't resist chuckling at the Ginryan's expression as Mokona giggled into dark hair.

Edameonus frowned deeper and crossed his arms, looking up to the younger. Archellevon placed his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow. "Don't give me that look. You're more of a child than Mokona-chan." He said with a smirk, making the Ginryan growl. "

Oi! Leave my maturity out of this!"

"It seems Kuro-chan and Edameonus are both childish." The blonde added as he smirked at the two. Mokona meanwhile smiled as she began singing again.

"You too?" The tallest man in the room asked, deflating. Archellevon muffled his laughter with his hand and leaned to one side to reach over and pet Mokona on the Ginryan's head.

"You don't help yourself when you pout." Fai chuckled as he crossed he legs and shifted until he was sitting more comfortably. Tilting upwards Mokona leaned it to the touch of her second parental figure, still humming softly as she did.

Edameonus stuck out his lip farther while furrowing his brow. The look made Archellevon laugh airily. He moved his hand from Mokona to cup the older man's cheek. "Oh stop that. It's too cute for a tough guy like you."

Looking away, Fai covered his mouth with one of his hands to try and stifle his laughter. Mokona laughed before she tried to cover her own mouth as well.

Edameonus growled again and moved Archellevon's hand. "Stop that yourself."

The former angel giggled and allowed his hand to fall by his side. "Well then, I suggest we start getting ready for bed."

"Mokona's not sleepy!" The small creature began squirming about as she shouted.

Fai chuckled again before he stood. "It has been a long day."

Edameonus moved to stand next to Archellevon, plucking the creature off his head. "Does Soel not want her bath?" Edameonus said with a puzzled expression. "I thought you liked the water."

"Kyaa~" Mokona began trying to wiggle out of Edameonus's hold. "Mokona will take a bath, but Mokona doesn't want to go to bed." Smiling, Fai watched them silently, wondering if his own would act the same.

Edameonus raised an eyebrow.

"So instead of going to sleep and snuggling with me or Archy, you're going to stay up alone and watch me and him snuggle instead?" The white haired one smiled and giggled at the taller man's persuasion techniques, going to his pile of clothing for a different outfit.

Soel pouted as she mulled over her choices, her small paws crossed in front her. "...Mokona wants to cuddle then." The blonde smiled at Edameonus's tactics while he watched Mokona.

The man holding her smiled and rubbed her head gently. "That's my girl." He said affectionately, putting his attention on Archellevon. "You wanna take a bath first?"

The teenager blushed and looked away in hesitation, before nodding.

"I suppose I'll go to sleep as well then." Fai said as he watched the others, happy to see everyone better. Mokona smiled at the gesture before she turned to Fai.

"Goodnight. Mokona will see Fai and baby-kun tomorrow!" She laughed at her own words as the Valerian nodded and walked towards his bedroom.

"Goodnight Fay-san." Archellevon called after the older, blushing lightly to himself as his mind went back to why he hesitated. "S-so, does Mokona-chan want to bathe with me?" He asked with a grin, avoiding Edameonus's eyes.


	36. Chapter 36

Not sure how I mixed up chapters, but this is the right one guys.** Tsubasa-fan** posting as **Mirika** again! She's still in Germany having fun. We have several characters introduced, kinda, and things start getting interesting. This is one of those chapters with things that will be major events later on.

* * *

~Morning~

Kurogane roused earlier than his alarm clock, Fay twitching next to him uncomfortably. He growled to himself, placing his hand on his face groggily with a soft groan. He looked over to the corner of the room where he had set Yuui down to charge. The girl was staring off into the wall, no longer needing to go on standby.

Still asleep, Fay moved at the loss of contact from Kurogane. The blonde frowned in his sleep before slipping back into unconsciousness.

The taller man sat up, looking down to Fay. He stared at the pregnant one before a gentle smirk graced his face. He leaned down and kissed the cheekbone softly. He clicked his alarm off and got out from underneath the covers, standing.

A soft sigh escaped the other's lips at the kiss. Fay began to wake slowly when he felt the bed shift and his lover's familiar warmth leave his side.

Kurogane went over to the closet, knowing Yuui was watching him. She stared very eerily at him, not saying anything in regards of what Kurogane had commanded. She knew better than to speak until spoken to. Kurogane glanced at her momentarily, slightly weirded out by her expression before opening the clothing holder.

Fay stirred once more as his ears picked up Kurogane rummaging through the closet, but it wasn't loud enough to fully wake him.

The other man clicked his tongue when he found that his organizing hadn't gone as well as he had hoped. He leaned into the depths of the closet and pulled out a bag of Fay's that he'd missed. He realized it was a lot rougher than the other bags, knowing it wasn't clothing. He glanced to Fay over his shoulder, wondering if he should open or not.

Despite Kurogane's eyes on him, the blonde remained fast asleep underneath the covers. Yuui remained silent as well her gaze still directed towards her creator.

The taller man set the bag to the side, his eyes lingering on it before going to pick out the clothing for the day. Yuui stared at the bag; she wanted to see what was inside, but her plug-in was short, so she couldn't move. Kurogane slipped off his shirt, shivering at the temperature of the room before looking to Yuui again, seeing she was curious.

Yuui looked from the bag to Kurogane, silently asking if she could see the bag's contents. Her eyes scanned over Fay, who was still sleeping, before she returned her attention to the bag.

The tanned man narrowed his eyes and pulled on his thick sweater. He knelt next to the doll and looked at the bag, curious as well. He sighed and caved, pulling the strings loose.

Leaning forward as much as she could, Yuui watched as Kurogane opened the bag. Her curiosity getting the better of her, the android waited to see what her master would find.

Kurogane looked inside, his brow twisting slightly when his eyes landed on blank squares. He pulled one out and looked at it, flipping it over in his hand. Doing so caused one of his fingers to press a button, revealing a child with blonde wisps for hair and pure blue eyes, along with a woman that looked like Yuui before she changed. Kurogane eyes widened and he snapped to look at Fay.

Red eyes fell on Fay to see the man still asleep. Yuui looked at her twin as well, wondering why Kurogane was looking at the other man before she turned back to look at the strange thing the taller man held.

"...Master Kurogane?" She asked quietly, talking despite not being given an order.

Kurogane narrowed his eyes and looked at Yuui, silently telling her to still not speak. He looked at the hologram, noticing that it was moving gently, like a small recording. His expression softened, remembering what the Ginryans had told him about Fay's past. He looked at the woman, wondering how her smile could be mimicked so well by his lover sometimes.

Yuui instantly quieted, knowing better than to question the man. She couldn't help her curiousness however when she saw Kurogane's expression change as he looked down at the machine in his hand.

Kurogane gently set it down, knowing it was important for Fay to still keep it after leaving Valeria completely. He reached in the bag and pulled out another, it doing the same thing when he flicked his finger over an identical button, showing the boy with a man with shaggy black hair. Kurogane's expression scrunched up, wondering if he had seen the man before.

Yuui tilted her head and looked away from Kurogane.

"Kuro-myu?" Fay said hoarsely as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair, slowly waking himself up as he looked over to the other man. As was custom for the blonde he had woken up again shortly after Kurogane.

The man flinched, but not noticeably. He frowned and continued to stare at the reflections of the past.

"This scene seems familiar. One of us finding something we shouldn't and the other noticing before he should." Kurogane looked over to Fay then, not hiding the fact that he was holding the hologram projector.

Fay stared confused for a moment before he noticed what the other man was holding.

"I'd forgotten about those." The blonde said as he moved closer towards Kurogane.

Said man stared up at the Valerian, setting down the one revealing Fay's father to them. "Why would you forget something that you brought despite your loathing for your home world? These are really important to you, aren't they?"

"They are important, but I don't look at them very often and with everything else going on I just didn't think about them." The blonde explained as his eyes scanned over the bags contents.

Kurogane turned back to the bag, clicking off the first two holograms before setting them back inside.

He stood, unplugging Yuui while straightening up. "Either way…" He tied the string back and handed the bag to Fay.

Taking the bag, Fay opened it once more, rummaging through its contents to see what exactly he had packed away in it.

"Kuro-kun?" He asked as he looked over to his lover.

Kurogane had gone back to the closet, pulling out another shirt to put on. "Hn?"

Yuui stood, dusting off her new dress before smiling.

"You looked through all of them?" Fay smiled as he paused in checking things. He wondered what Kurogane had thought about the pictures, despite knowing that the man didn't really ask him many questions about his past.

"No, just two." The other replied, shuffling on another sweater. Yuui watched him, tilting her head as she wondered why she didn't feel any different with clothing on.

"Maybe later I could show the rest to you?" He thought if nothing else the other man would at least be interested in how the frames were made. Fay smiled to himself as he picked one up from the bag and pushed a button other than the one Kurogane had on it. A short slideshow began playing before the blonde as he watched silently for a few moments.

Kurogane stared at the expression on the other man's face, frowning deeper as he watched the nostalgia flicker in Fay's eyes. "…." He closed the closet door gently, listening to Yuui join the other, staring at the frames.

Pushing another button the screen went blank and Fay set it aside to pull out more. He smiled over to Yuui, as he turned on yet another which showed a younger him playing with an elderly man along with his father, who stared in awe as the images moved about on screen.

Kurogane rubbed the back of his head, sighing. He cursed the two in the living room silently for keeping him up the night before with their secretive giggling. He looked to Fay with narrowed eyes, not wanting to blame him or the baby though.

"You moved a lot again." He brought up finally, feeling guilty for not saying it sooner.

"And you didn't wake me again." Fay said as he looked up at Kurogane with a frown. He still felt guilty over the matter knowing Kurogane was loosing sleep because of him.

The taller man folded his arms. "You woke up right after I did, so there was no point to bother you." He frowned back, leaving Yuui to stare curiously between them.

"..." Fay didn't reply, knowing it would be a waste to ask for the other man to wake him if it happened again. Yuui grabbed one of the frames Fay had left and turned it on, her eyes taking in the new person with a much younger version of her twin.

Kurogane continued to stare at Fay, knowing what the other was thinking. He walked forward, letting his arms fall to his sides.

"I wonder if you're moving a lot in your sleep in this past week because he is…" He thought aloud, making Yuui blink. The girl looked over to her creator with a tiled head.

"Maybe, but him moving only when I'm asleep would be odd. It could be he's getting closer to moving on his own." Fay said as he tried to think of a reason behind his erratic sleeping.

The other sat back on the bed, eyes falling on the shorter one's swollen stomach.

"Why would that be odd? Maybe he's only uncomfortable when you lie down." The other shrugged, ignoring Yuui as she draped herself over his shoulders with a giggle.

"I should be able to feel him move when I'm awake is all." He looked up to Kurogane as Yuui began singing faintly behind the taller man.

The Earthling looked back up to Fay's face, staring at him pensively. He then lifted one arm, gesturing Fay to come to him.

The blonde looked at Kurogane curiously before he complied and moved from the bed to stand. Yuui grinned before slipping from her creator to inspect Fay's things again.

Kurogane kept his arm opened until Fay was standing close enough to hug. He pulled the Valerian against him, smirking slightly to himself.

"Have any more thoughts of his name?"

"I've not found anything that would be good enough." The blonde said as he wrapped his arms around the other's neck.

"Fay was really little in this." Yuui pointed out as she held up the picture she had been looking over earlier for the couple to look at.

Kurogane looked to the girl, furrowing his brow. "Who's that old guy? He seems to be popular in the holograms." He said, noticing that Yuui had turned most of them on.

"My other grandfather, on my mother's side." The blonde said as he looked over the scattered pictures playing back at them. "He wasn't around very often, but when he was he always made sure someone was taking pictures and things."

Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like dad."

Yuui giggled at another picture, lying on her stomach so she could swing her legs lazily in the air. "Like Toriho! Like Toriho! Ah! What was Fay's oji-san called?" She said with a grin.

"Ichiro." He paused to grin at the thought. "I suppose they were similar..." The blonde said as he remembered vague images of the man and how his eccentric behavior had seemingly been passed onto him.

The taller man looked back to Fay, a curious look on his face. "…That… was his name?"

"Yes, is it strange?" Fay asked as he looked up to Kurogane questioningly. Yuui sat looking over the picture and smiling at the odd man.

Kurogane shook his head, looking to Yuui again.

The girl sang softly to herself, staring at a hologram with the woman again. "She looks like Yuui! Yuui looks like Fay! Fay looks like her!"

Kurogane turned his attention on Fay after listening to the android. "You freaked out from seeing Yuui the first time because she looked like her, right? Why do you have pictures of her now?"

"Seeing what you think is your long dead mother in front of you living, is a lot different than looking at a picture Kuro-chu." The other answered simply as he stared up at Kurogane.

The other furrowed his brow again, looking to Yuui. "…"

The girl hummed happily, completely oblivious to what was going on around her.

"I don't think about it anymore though, so there's no problem." Fay said in regards to seeing his mother in Yuui. He smiled as he reached up to cup his lover's cheek. "Kuro-san's thinking of something?"

The taller leaned into the touch, looking into blue orbs. "Hn… nothing really." He responded, ignoring Yuui as she sat up on her knees to wave around the holograms, knowing she wouldn't hurt them.

"Kuro-chan's always saying that." The blonde said as he gave the other a smile. He listened as Yuui hummed, amused at the images moving in front of her.

"Should I not say it?" Kurogane raised an eyebrow, his grip loosening on Fay as his red eyes shifted to Yuui, seeing the robot getting off the bed.

"I just thought Kuro-rin had something on his mind." The blonde replied before he turned his attention to the pictures scattered across their bed. He could see a much younger version of himself smiling as his grandfather fell in front of him in an overly dramatic pose before the image moved to another one.

"Hn… just that name…" Kurogane replied, staring at the pictures as well. He looked at Fay momentarily before letting go of the smaller man, walking over to the bed to collect the pictures.

"It's still early; the sun's not come up. Go ahead and go back to sleep."

"You're the one that needs to sleep more." The Valerian replied as he watched Kurogane gather up his things.

"Hn. I've got an early day, unlike you." The taller man replied, turning off all the recording devices before placing them in the bag that they came from. Yuui handed over hers, knowing Kurogane wanted them.

"Which is why, you should try to sleep more." The blonde retorted as he watched his lover.

"I'd be up in an hour or so anyway." Kurogane sighed, feeling like they had been through this argument before. He set the bag to the side of the bed next to the night table, knowing Fay would want easy access if and when he wanted to take them out to look at them.

The other man sighed, not wanting to start the same argument again with Kurogane despite his feelings about the matter. "..."

The dark haired man stood straight then, placing his hands in his pockets as he looked at the other. He had a set frown on his face, pondering something. He closed his eyes and sat down on the bed. "Fine, I'll lie down for a bit. But I'm not gunna go back to sleep."

Fay stared for a moment, surprised at the taller man's sudden words, before he smiled. "Kuro-rin should set his clock just in case."

The tanned man grumbled but obeyed, clicking the button on his clock. Yuui saw this and bowed slightly.

"If Kurogane and Fay are going back to sleep, Yuui will find a chore to do." She smiled brightly before exiting.

Kurogane watched her and lay down. "…A lot more obedient than I remembered…"

"Yuui does what Kuro-rin asks all the time that is if it's something important." He watched as the girl left them alone before turning his eyes back to Kurogane.

The taller man frowned slightly as a muscle near his eye twitched. "The hell does that mean, 'if it's something important'?"

He growled, moving an arm behind his head as he closed his eyes.

The Valerian laughed lightly before moving to lie next to Kurogane. "She usually doesn't listen if it's something like her hugging you is all."

Kurogane cracked his eyes to look at Fay from the corner of them. "She's learned that from you then." He murmured, bending one of his knees slightly to get more relaxed.

"Kuro-pon's the one who programmed her." Grinning, the shorter man moved to lie on his side facing Kurogane as they talked.

"She's programmed to learn with the people she reacts with. That meat bun and you are around her the most, so I'm blaming you two." The other man said simply, closing his eyes again.

"I'm not always so energetic." The blonde replied as he sighed, getting comfortable beside the other man. Fay thought idly to how Yuui and Mokona seemed inseparable during the day.

"So?" Kurogane snorted, moving his other hand to his stomach indolently. "You can be at times, and those are the times she learns it from." He looked at Fay with a frown. "Though it's different… now that you're with him…"

Fay smiled when Kurogane looked over to him. "I think Yuui has been picking up things more from Mokona than she did with me."

"You're just trying to get out of it." Kurogane replied with a slight smirk, staring at Fay as the blonde gave him a grin.

"Kuro-kun can think what he wants then." Smiling, the blonde sighed in contentment as he enjoyed Kurogane's presence.

The Earthling chuckled deeply and tilted his head back to look at the ceiling. "Fine. I'll do just that." He blinked and returned his attention back on Fay. "…Do you name people after others on your home world?"

"Of course." The blonde gave his lover a confused stare, wondering about the sudden subject change from Kurogane.

The other stared back, raising an eyebrow. "…What? I get curious too." He said with a slight blush, though he narrowed his eyes to pretend it wasn't there.

"You ask odd questions though." Fay pouted half heartedly over at the taller man as he chuckled at his own words.

"What's odd about them?" Kurogane inquired gruffly, knowing the pout was fake instantly.

"They're out of the blue." He answered while he still smiled at the other man beside him. "It's as if Kuro-min just says whatever comes to mind at the moment."

"Am I not allowed to do that?" The half breed commented back blandly. "If a thought occurs to me and I think it's important for someone to know, I'm going to say or ask it."

"I never said there was something wrong." The blonde looked at Kurogane, still curious about why the other would ask something like that in the first place.

The ruby eyed man sat up slightly, but only to shift into a different position. He faced Fay, resting his head against the palm of his hand.

"You gave me a look that suggested otherwise." He hesitated for a moment, before looking away. "I ask for good reasons anyway…"

"I was only curious is all." Fay said as he watched Kurogane. He grinned as the other settled back down beside him.

The dark haired man didn't say anything back, both of them falling into a somewhat comfortable silence. Kurogane felt his eyes droop slightly, though he moved his free hand up to rub one, knowing it'd be pointless to lose to fatigue.

Fay grinned, knowing better than to laugh when Kurogane would most likely fall asleep soon. He watched, his lover, reminding him of a small child fighting off sleep.

The spiky haired man noticed the blonde watching him and he growled.

"The hell are you staring at? Get back to sleep." He commanded lazily, though he himself continued to battle with his exhaustion.

"What does Kuro-chan think I'm staring at?" He asked Kurogane, his smile widening as Fay continued to watch his lover.

The other frowned deeper.

"Tch. Troublesome." He moved his hand from his eye to Fay's side, pulling the other closer. "You won't go to sleep unless I'm doing this, will you?" He asked, holding the smaller man in a one arm embrace.

"It helps." The other answered as he moved himself closer to Kurogane. He came to rest against the dark haired man as they always did when lying together.

Kurogane sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Meaning you'll probably be woken up again when I leave for school." He grumbled, resting his lips and nose against the blonde locks.

"I usually fall back asleep when Kuro-pipi leaves." He grinned when he felt Kurogane against him and closed his eyes. "So it's not a problem."

"Hn…" The other grunted, feeling this disagreement was pointless to have as telling Fay he was moving. He thought to himself for a moment, wondering why Toshihiko wasn't reacting like he should've been.

Fay smiled to himself as he took in Kurogane beside him. He could almost feel sleep pulling at him at the comfortable warmth provided from the man that held him.

Kurogane wiped his eye again on the hand that supported his head, feeling it was stupid that he allowed himself to snuggle back into bed with the blonde. He grumbled something to himself incoherently, thinking it'd be wise to leave after Fay had fallen back asleep.

The blonde could feel Kurogane move beside him, even as he felt himself falling back to sleep. He was glad, however, that Kurogane would at least be able to rest a little longer before he had to leave.

The Earthling closed his eyes, letting the tension of being awake dissolve as he felt Fay's breath even out against his chest. He felt like he had just closed his eyes when he heard the distant buzzing of his alarm, grumbling obscenities to himself harshly.

The blonde beside him didn't wake up as the alarm clock made itself known almost angrily at Kurogane from the nightstand. Even as the piercing noise persisted, Fay remained asleep beside Kurogane.

The taller man kept his eyes closed, reaching swiftly behind him to slam his hand down on the button that would turn it off. He sighed, before wrapping his arm back around Fay, whispering 'fuck it' to himself.

Fay shifted, moving slightly closer to Kurogane, when he had felt the other's arms move, before a small sigh left his lips and the Valerian drifted back to sleep again.

Kurogane felt himself smirk at the picture Fay made when sleeping, before he felt his eyes open.

Yuui poked her head in the doorway then, hearing the alarm go off while standing in the kitchen. She smiled to herself when she saw them sleeping, but she knew it was time for her creator to get up.

Kurogane felt the girl's presence almost instantly and found himself staring at the mop of hair in front of him. He sighed heavily and tilted his head to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Master Kurogane's alarm went off." The android said simply as she looked down at her creator and smiled.

Kurogane narrowed his already half lidded eyes at her. "…What did I say about callin me master?" He slurred quietly, not wanting to wake Fay. "An I heard the damn thing…"

"Kurogane has to go to school though." She replied, looking at her creator confused.

"…" The man awake sighed, pulling away from Fay gently so the Valerian wouldn't try to snuggle back into his chest. He sat up, moving his attention to Yuui then. "…Fine." He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. "Anyone else up?"

"No not yet." The android said. Beside Kurogane, Fay's hand moved to rest closer to the blonde before he stilled once more.

The half human stood from the bed, the robot moving out of his way on instinct.

"What've you been doing? Checking up on the mini-bots in the computer room?" He asked her casually, remembering how she played with them while he was reprogramming her.

She nodded in agreement as she smiled. "Yuui looked in on Kotoko and Sumomo. Yuui was going to start on chores, but Yuui heard the clock making noise."

Kurogane placed a hand on the girl's head, ruffling her hair affectionately.

"Why don't you go work on their software instead? I don't think the house needs anymore cleaning for now." He said with a softened expression, knowing she liked the dolls, even if they weren't complete.

The girl's smile immediately brightened at the order before she nodded excitedly at Kurogane. "Yuui will go and work."

"Good." Kurogane replied, removing his hand to let her go out of the bedroom. He turned to the nightstand, opening the second drawer to dig through and find hidden school supplies. He paused after a moment, checking to see if Fay was still asleep.

A soft laugh left Yuui as she turned and left the room. The android headed towards the crowded TV room and the small computers waiting. As red eyes fell on the Valerian, the blonde didn't move, having fallen back to sleep already despite Kurogane not beside him anymore.

He sighed, somewhat relieved that the other hadn't been too disturbed. He stood straight and closed the small cabinet, turning on his heel to go to the living room where his school supplies waited. Upon doing so, he stopped dead in the hallway, making a disgusted face at the cuddling couple on the couch.

Yuui turned towards the door as she heard Kurogane move from the bedroom and into the living room. She smiled before returning back to the work she had been told to do.

It wasn't long before Kurogane folded his arms, leaning against the computer room's doorway.

"… You've activated them?" He asked, seeing the one with pink hair sitting up despite the lack of metal to cover the wires.

The girl nodded as she looked over to Kurogane. "Sumomo and Kotoko are running." She grinned to herself as she turned her attention back to the small androids.

The man smirked at his creation before entering the room, walking over to examine the two miniature dolls. He picked the one with bells in her hair up, seeing a rather bland expression on her face. "…They still need work though…"

Yuui smiled brightly as she looked up at her creator, excited at the prospect of the others being able to move around like she did.

Kurogane turned the little droid over in his hand, seeing her back was open. His brow scrunched up and his other and moved to the table where a scalpel was. He began to carve at some wiring, the small robot looking down to the other with a serious look. "You messed with them some more, didn't you, Yuui?"

The android gave him an almost sheepish look while nodding, before she turned to look down at the other girl sitting on the table.

Kurogane dodged a spark that exited the smaller robot, which flinched. He sighed, setting down the scalpel, he was about to connect some wiring when he noticed he could see a silver tent on his finger. He blinked and tried to rub it away, only to realize it was his fake skin that melted slightly from the spark. "…That's fucked up."

Beside Kurogane, Yuui leaned over to see what the man was talking about. As her eyes landed on the digit, Yuui stared. "Kurogane's finger is silver." She stated, amused at the idea.

"Yeah, which isn't a good thing." He set down Kotoko, who was then able to sit up. He raised an eyebrow at that fact, before he examined his finger. "…Should be able to be covered by a band aid. Otherwise I'll have to wear gloves all day to hide it." He looked to Yuui. "I don't have any skin like yours in my tone."

"Yuui will go get a band aid for Kurogane." The android smiled cheerfully as she smiled and headed towards the bathroom.

He watched her go before looking to Subaru and Kamui, noticing they were still off. He narrowed his eyes, still suspicious about what Edameonus was hiding.

"Kamui." He said sharply, reaching down to Sumomo to see if she was as tangled as Kotoko.

At the order, Kamui's screen lit up to show the disgruntled A.I. scowling. "What do you want?" He asked as he looked over to Kurogane.

The living man scowled right back. "Did you detect anything awry with the security system?" He asked, looking down to Sumomo as she gripped his metallic finger.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, why?" Kamui asked as he watched his creator curiously.

Kurogane walked over to Kamui, setting Sumomo down next to the keyboard. "What about around the house? Did you detect anything in the past month with an abnormal spike of energy?"

He asked looking over to Yuui's programmed computer.

"I suppose, but it would be hard to tell with all these strange people roaming about." The computer crossed his arms as he answered Kurogane.

Kurogane narrowed his eyes. "If there wasn't a spike earlier on that was extremely noticeable, you would've alerted me. And if there was one that lasted until recently then you would've known that too." He ran a hand through his hair. "Meaning what that meat bun said about a barrier is bogus. What the hell was it then?"

Kamui frowned before staring at the man, curious about what he was possibly referring to. "If there was anything like that I would have noticed."

"And Subaru wouldn't have noticed either since he's got weaker detection radar than you." He placed his hand on his hip. "Have you detected any sort of signal?" He asked, noticing Sumomo trying to use the caps lock and the shift keys to stand.

"A signal has been detected but it's not too strong." The A.I. answered as he stared almost with disinterest over to the dark haired man.

The other narrowed his eyes. "Great. Where's it going to?" He asked while picking Sumomo up, not wanting her to clumsily hit the escape key by trying to stand when she couldn't.

He paused for a moment before answering. "Destination is unknown, but it's not going to anywhere around here...it's going out into the atmosphere." Kamui said, a bit more curious about what exactly was going on.

Kurogane placed his real hand over his face and sighed in aggravation. "Perfect… why the hell would he be doing that? And why was dad so excited about it?" He tried to figure it out, but found his mind was still intoxicated from lack of sleep. He sighed and carried Sumomo back to Kotoko, who was staring at him.

"With all of these odd people about, you should pay closer attention to what they're doing." Kamui grumbled as he looked away from Kurogane.

The creator clenched his fist and glared at the computer. "When they work you to death and drop logs on you, I'll say that to you prick."

Kamui scoffed at the man, a frown set on his face as he ignored the human in front of him.

Kurogane glared at him even though he wasn't looking, before moving his attention to his finger, rubbing it with his thumb. It didn't hurt, but it was definitely something he didn't need to show his classmates. "…If it's not a strong signal then it's not anything like a transmission… though I'm sure that meat bun's sending out things that're on a different energy scale…"

"If whatever it is is emitting a signal, it could be for calling others here or any number of other things." The other said as he glanced over to Kurogane.

"…No… I don't think the signal's strong enough to be sending backup of any kind." He narrowed his eyes at his finger, staring at the unfamiliar metal. "…Maybe it's a signal telling whoever's receiving it that we're, or rather, that demon's, not going anywhere…" He looked to the door when Yuui came in, the girl humming to herself in obliviousness.

"Yuui brought Kurogane a band aid." She smiled triumphantly as she held said object up. Kamui sighed as he watched. "You could ask that guy."

Kurogane smirked at the girl, ruffling her hair with his real hand in gratitude while the fake one took the band aid.

"Asking that guy is like manipulating your hardware to not be such a brat." He said solemnly, unwrapping the bandage. "He couldn't give a straight answer even if he was paid to read it off a billboard."

"Then I guess you'll never know." Kamui said with a frown as he glared. Beside Kurogane, Yuui smiled at her accomplishment, happy to have been able to help.

Kurogane glared at Kamui with new vigor, sticking the band aid to his finger over the melted skin.

"You have a one track mind, I should fix that." He threatened vehemently, causing Subaru to come on. The other computer opened his eyes to stare at Kamui with a frown. "Kamui… you shouldn't try to provoke him, he did create us, remember?"

"He's the one that started things!" The A.I. snapped as he continued to grumble towards Kurogane.

"Of course I started it, otherwise neither of your would be on now. That doesn't give you permission to pick a fight though, brat!" Kurogane hissed, not wanting to be too loud and wake up those with sensitive hearing.

Kamui glared daggers at the human while Subaru looked over in worry, not wanting his counterpart to get into anymore trouble. Yuui laughed as she watched her fellow computers and their creator.

Kurogane rubbed his temple with a sigh then, thinking it too early to deal with this. He turned away from the computers to go to Kotoko and Sumomo. "Yuui, watch over these two and make sure they don't break anything, Kamui, see what you can find of the signal and narrow it down if there's more than one. Subaru, message me if and when extra terrestrial activity starts appearing again."

All three computers nodded in understanding at the order. "Yuui will make sure to watch Sumomo and Kotoko." The android said as she smiled up at Kurogane.

The creator of them smirked gently and messed up Yuui's hair. "Good. You're acting more like those around you everyday, kid." He informed, seeing the girl had become more like a human. "I might be able to take you out to town eventually if you keep it up."

"Yuui wants to go to town one day." She replied cheerfully as she smiled at Kurogane.

He looked over to the other computers, wondering if he'd be able to make them bodies like he had for Yuui. He frowned slightly, remembering the technology on Edonis and the ships.

"Maybe…" He moved his hand to his pocket. "And if that guy comes snooping in here again, go on lockdown. He doesn't need to know anything from us unless he's willing to tell some secrets for me first."

"Understood." Kamui said simply as Subaru nodded in agreement. Yuui's smile widened as she stood in front of Kurogane and the thought of going outside with the others.

The living one then turned to exit the room, his eyes widening slightly when he was stopped dead in his tracks by the former angel staring at him from the doorway.

Archellevon had a set frown on his face, hands to his side. Kurogane raised an eyebrow, wondering why the teenager was giving him that look. "…You need something?"

Yuui tilted her head to the side in confusion as she watched along with the other two computers in the room as Archellevon stared up at Kurogane.

The younger man narrowed his eyes before turning away. "Nothing. Just going to the laundry room to get another blanket." He said bitterly, making Kurogane furrow his brow.

He didn't reply as Archellevon left his presence, turning his attention to Yuui. "…Stay in here."

Yuui nodded as she remained standing in the middle of the room. Behind her Kamui looked from where the teen had stood back to Kurogane questioningly.

Kurogane turned again and exited the computer room, following Archellevon into the laundry room. He folded his arms as he watched the teenager pull out a blanket with his back turned.

"…Has he told you what's going on?"

"No, not yet." Archellevon replied, his back still to Kurogane as he went gathered a blanket in his arms.

"Why not?" The other glared, noticing that the other was trying to find more reasons to not turn and look at the taller man. "He's told my dad, why would he hesitate to tell you too?"

"I'm sure he told Souhi-kun when they were alone, so he may be waiting for when we're alone." The former angel explained as he hugged the blanket to his chest.

Kurogane hesitated for a moment, seeing the doubt radiate off of the younger. He sighed and stood straight again. "You've been alone more often than not. He might not tell you." He turned halfway out of the door. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't trust you." He looked at Archellevon. "Go on back to sleep." He said before exiting to continue getting ready.

Archellevon nodded, grateful for the other's words. He turned when he heard Kurogane leave, walking out of the laundry room to rejoin Edameonus on the couch.

The demon grumbled something in his sleep and instantly wrapped his arms around the teenager protectively. The half breed once again appeared in the living room after a few minutes not looking over to the two on the couch as he started to stuff his strewn books into the bag from the coffee table.

Smiling to himself, the teen shifted until he was comfortable atop Edameonus. He closed his eyes and began to drift off back to sleep while he listened to Kurogane gathering his things.

The other man awake looked over finally, seeing them together. He frowned but said nothing, wondering if he should've really asked Archellevon if Edameonus had told him. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, zipping his backpack up to sling it over his shoulder.

Archellevon barely registered the other man as he felt himself falling back asleep against Edameonus. Other than the Faynt sounds of Yuui in the tv room, the house remained quiet as Kurogane prepared to leave.

The conscious one walked into the computer room to look at Yuui with a raised eyebrow.

"What're you doing? I can hear you in the living room." He scolded, seeing Kamui and Subaru had become blank screens again.

"Yuui was straightening up." She smiled cheerfully as she turned towards the door and to Kurogane.

The man sighed and shook his head, pointing to the chair. "You can wander through the house again, but if you're staying in here sit at least." He commanded, noticing Sumomo was sitting in her lap with a small makeshift tambourine.

The girl nodded in understanding as she moved to sit in the computer chair. "Yuui will start on chores when everyone is awake."

Kurogane nodded in agreement, turning to exit once again to head to the bedroom. He opened their door gently, knowing Fay was still asleep. He hesitated when he saw the blonde sleeping. He shook his head and went over to the Valerian, leaning over to peck the cheek.

"I'm going." He grumbled deeply, though he knew the other couldn't hear him.

A soft sigh escaped the Valerian's lips as Kurogane pressed a kiss against his cheek. After, the blonde didn't move, still asleep.

Kurogane smirked subconsciously and moved to stand straight again, though he didn't leave the bedside. He stared at his lover, eyes trailing down the figure under the blanket. He could see the blanket fold delicately around the alien's stomach and his smile grew. He caught himself though, from repeating himself. He blushed in realization at what he was doing and turned sharply to leave.

The Valerian remained asleep, despite his lover's eyes on him. His breathing systematic as he lay on his side, Fay remained unaware of Kurogane close by.

The half human exited their room, closing the door with nimble skill to remain silent. He then went through the living room, not taking heed of the three others in the room before putting his shoes on. Within the next minute, he was outside on his motorcycle, despite the snow around him. He looked briefly up to the house full of sleeping people before he took off down the road to town.

~Several Hours Later~

Fay stirred as sunlight poured into the bedroom window. He sighed, before opening his eyes. Seeing Kurogane gone, the blonde knew the other man was already at school. Sitting up, he yawned and stretched his arms before he moved to get out of bed.

Fay could hear Yuui laughing with Mokona in the computer room, the two girls seeming to be completely unaware of him and possibly others still being asleep up until that moment.

He grinned at the girl's laughter before he noticed the slight chill in the room. Standing the blonde moved to the closet to dress in warmer clothes. Once he had finished, Fay left the bedroom to see if anyone aside from Yuui and Mokona were awake.

Archellevon was still asleep in the living room, but Edameonus was munching on something while still looking through the fridge. He smiled at Fay when he entered. "Morning."

He grinned as he watched Edameonus raided the refrigerator. "Good morning." Fay replied back as he gave his friend a smile.

The demon closed the door once he found something more to eat. "Sleep well?" He asked nonchalantly, creating a leisurely morning conversation.

"I suppose, though I still kept waking Kuro-san up." The blonde said, as he thought back to what Kurogane had suggested about his sleeping habits.

Edameonus raised an eyebrow, placing a hand on his hip.

"Maybe Kurogane's just a baby when it comes to sleeping." He suggested, taking a bite out of the fruit he held.

"Could be." The blonde grinned, thinking back to this morning when he had lay back down with Kurogane.

Edameonus leaned against the counter, staring at the tiled floor. "…Then again… that sensitivity to you moving a lot was heightened since he's probably thinking it's caused by something else."

He shrugged. "Just wait until the child starts moving and he feels it; he'll not let go of you."

Fay smiled at the thought, wondering if it would be soon when he and Kurogane would first be able to feel their son move. "He thinks the baby could be starting to move and it's making me move in my sleep as a result."

Edameonus stopped chewing and looked over to Fay. He swallowed and gave the other a curious look. "…What gave him that idea? And why would it only move in your sleep?"

"That's pretty much what I said." He said while walking away from the doorway. "Though the baby should be moving soon regardless."

Edameonus watched him and shrugged.

"If anything it'd be within the week." He smiled at the younger, having been with him through the entire pregnancy. "The traveling to different time zones might've done something to the wait for it though; maybe that's why he's not moved yet."

"That could be possible..." He had never considered the effects traveling could have had. "We'll just have to wait and see."

Edameonus smiled and finished off the fruit, tossing it into the trash can once done with it.

"Don't worry about it, Fay-chan. It'll turn out ok. If there was something really wrong you would've noticed by now."

He nodded, glad for the reassurance. "Everything's been fine so far."

The taller man leaned against the counter once again.

"But maybe he's right. Perhaps that's when the baby's most uneasy. Maybe you should lay down with Kurogane when he does his studies so you both can figure it out." He offered, knowing Fay would want to be with the dark haired man if he could when the child first twitched.

"Yes." Fay smiled, remembering how Kurogane had said he would come home if their child had decided to move when he wasn't home.

The demon looked to the doorway, hearing rustling from the other room. He smiled to himself when they were joined by a sleepy Archellevon, the teenager looking really small in his tousled pajamas. "Mornin, babe." Edameonus cooed, seeing the younger rubbing his eye with a yawn.

Fay chuckled at the nickname as he watched a blush erupt across Archellevon's face. "G-good morning Ed."

"Sleep well?" He repeated the question, seeming to have the same reaction to anyone waking up. The older man walked over to Archellevon and leaned over, placing a kiss on the white hair in greeting.

Archellevon blushed deeper as he smiled. "Yes." He answered as he felt lips press against his hair. The blonde nearby chuckled before he turned to see if he could find something to make for breakfast for all of them.

Edameonus pulled away slightly, looking at the younger curiously. "It got cold last night, you weren't disturbed by it?"

"I grabbed another blanket this morning." He said as he smiled up at Edameonus. Behind them, Fay began opening cabinets and gathering pans.

The tallest man in the room looked over his shoulder to see what Fay was doing. "Ah. Do you want help with that, Fay-chan?" He asked, seeing the other start to collect ingredients.

"I'm alright, it's been awhile since I last cooked and you and Archy have helped more than enough these past few months." The blonde answered as he looked over his shoulder at Edameonus.

"Well it doesn't hurt to help out." The other chuckled, watching as Archellevon walked passed him to assist Fay in setting the breakfast food on the counter.

Fay grinned as he stepped to the side to give Archellevon room. He reached over to turn on the stove, setting a pan on one of the burners, as he began preparing breakfast for them.

Edameonus sat down at the table, placing the back of the chair against the wall so he could see the two working together. It wasn't long before two girls came running in, Mokona once again transformed into the little girl. Edameonus blinked as she ran to him, and he picked her up on instinct. "Soel? Why're you…?"

"The little people wanted to see me!" She giggled.

"Sumomo and Kotoko liked Mokona." Yuui said as she ran into the kitchen with the now transformed creature. Fay chuckled as he began cooking.

Edameonus looked at them curiously, Archellevon did as well. "…Who…?" The demon asked, seeing the white haired girl struggle to get out of his hold. He set her down and she ran to Archellevon, tugging on his baggy pants.

"Mokona wants to show you!" Archellevon blinked and looked over to Edameonus, who shrugged and stood.

Yuui smiled as she remembered Kurogane's instructions from earlier. "Kotoko and Sumomo would like to see people, though they aren't finished like Yuui."

The other blonde in the room smiled, having an idea about who his twin was referring to as he stirred the pans contents.

Edameonus walked forward, shrugging. "I used to work on machines, so there shouldn't be any harm in it."

Archellevon felt himself stiffen as he remembered what he had overheard the half breed say. "A-ah, Ed… I don't think we should." He said slowly, making Mokona pout.

Seeing that they wouldn't be leaving soon, the android walked over towards her twin to investigate what he was doing. Fay offered the girl a smile as she leaned over to watch him cook.

Edameonus looked at Archellevon curiously and the teenager smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe we can look after food?" He suggested, moving to pick Mokona up. The girl smiled and hugged her mother figure, giggling as she watched Yuui over Archellevon's shoulder.

Fay moved, stirring the food he was currently cooking as Yuui watched him with interest.

"Mokona wanted to show them." The smaller girl turned her attention to the pale haired teen and pouted as she hugged Archellevon.

The youngest man smiled weakly, placing a hand on the girl's head to pet her hair. "I know, sweetie, we… can see them later though." He repeated, fearful of what the lockdown system was.

Mokona instantly cheered up at the other's words before she turned her head to see what Yuui was up to. Fay grinned as he flipped over the food, letting it now cook on its other side. Beside him Yuui watched intently.

Edameonus saw the white haired man's expression falter and his eyes narrowed, though he didn't voice his observation. He instead moved back to his seat. Archellevon followed him to the table, setting Mokona down in a chair.

Across from the small family Yuui reached up into the cabinets, gathering plates and glasses for everyone before she went about helping Fay. The other blonde smiled before he moved to turn off the stove and then began plating everyone's breakfast.

Archellevon stood straight to look at Fay, a small smile on his face. "That was quick." He commented, going to the refrigerator to pull out juice for Mokona.

"It doesn't take long to make omelets." He said as he smiled over to the teen. Yuui giggled, her hands carrying plates as she skipped over to the table to give the others their meals.

"…Omelettes?" Edameonus questioned, completely confused at the name of the dish. Archellevon giggled to himself and sat down between Mokona and Edameonus. "It's a common food made with mainly eggs. Other ingredients can be added."

Yuui laughed at the Ginryan's expression as she set a plate down in front of him along with a fork. Across from them, Fay did the same as he finished preparing the last of the plates.

Mokona clapped happily as hers was given to her, using her fork clumsily to start off her meal. Archellevon chuckled softly and leaned forward to grab her glass so he could fill it.

Setting the dirtied dishes into the sink, Fay turned, carrying the last of the plates to the table. Yuui walked past him to grab the glasses she had set out earlier for everyone.

Edameonus began to eat, smiling to himself at the taste. "Wow. These are different, but they taste amazing."

Archellevon smiled to him, thanking Yuui as she handed him his cup.

Fay smiled at the compliment before taking his own seat at the table. Mokona laughed as she nodded in her agreement while Yuui handed out glasses to the others.

Archellevon let his smile slip somewhat, reminiscing about what Kurogane had told him that morning. He glanced to Edameonus out of the corner of his eye, bringing his fork to his lips. The android, having completed her task, sat down at the remaining seat, folding her hands in her lap.

"Yuui should ask Kurogane for a stomach eventually."

"Kuro-rin will have to try and make adjustments then." He grinned at the thought of his lover, knowing the man would be annoyed at having to do even more work on his creation.

"Yuui wants to eat something 'amazing'!" She pouted, making Edameonus choke on his juice.

Archellevon shot a glare at him, knowing what he was thinking, before smiling to Yuui. "But wouldn't it be a trouble to do? You'd have to clean out your stomach."

"Yuui might not be able to taste anything." She said, as she tried to think over the idea. The girl's twin smiled Faintly, knowing it wouldn't be possible to turn the girl into a complete human.

Mokona smiled before lifting her glass up to drink.

The android smiled anyway. "Oh well! Yuui can't be perfect yet. Kurogane said Yuui was the first success in a while, so Yuui's happy with that." She giggled, making Archellevon smile too. Edameonus looked at her funny. "…I wonder…"

The Valerian looked up and over to Edameonus, curious about what the man was contemplating. Smiling, Mokona turned to look over at her father figure, curious about what he had said.

"…I used to work on machines a lot… I wonder if I'd be able to do something about that." He said with a grin, placing his elbow on the table so he could rest his chin in his palm.

"You should ask Kuro-rin about it when he comes home." The blonde suggested as he ate, not knowing how they could possibly help Yuui.

"Eh, I dunno if he'd let me." The other said with a sheepish smile, but Yuui seemed enthusiastic about it.

"Edam could help? Yay!" Archellevon took a drink of his juice, glancing over to Edameonus in suspicion.

"It wouldn't hurt as long as the two of you don't start arguing." Mokona laughed at Fay's remark before she picked her fork back up and began eating again.

Edameonus pouted slightly.

"How mean. I'm sure when he talks about something useful he's able to have a delightful conversation." He leaned back and folded his arms. Archellevon set down his drink with a laugh, finding how the other instigated even when the half breed wasn't there funny.

"Not entirely." Fay countered remember how he and Kurogane still managed to argue, even if it wasn't too serious, whenever they talked at length.

Edameonus laughed, feeling somewhat victorious over the person who wasn't there. "Well then I don't know if we'd be able to work on a project together or not."

Yuui tilted her head in curiosity. "Project?"

"Both of you like to tempt each other into a fight." Mokona laughed at the Valerian as Fay smiled around his fork at his own words.

"Oi, oi! I'm not that bad!" Edameonus pouted again, though he noticed Yuui still staring at him. He smiled at her. "Project? They're… things that are in development."

The blonde smiled at his friend, thinking back to previous encounters between Edameonus and Kurogane. "Both of you act like children when around each other, I couldn't imagine what would happen if the two of you were alone for any amount of time." Setting his own fork down, Fay shook his head at his friend. "The last time the two of you were together, you punched him."

"If anything they'd duke it out and resolve something." Archellevon said while bringing his fork to his lips. Edameonus shot him a glare and unfolded his arms to continue eating. "Not my fault he's not mature enough and has a temper. I blame Souhi."

"That probably wouldn't be for the best." The blonde said, remembering both the first fight both men had had and how Kurogane tended to loose control of his temper when truly angry.

Edameonus frowned and shook his head. "Nah, if he gets angry enough he'd probably show more traits like a Ginryan does… he /hasn't/ got that angry has he?" He looked over to Fay, a little more serious than he usually was."

"Only once, on the way to Edonis, he hasn't since then." He answered as he stared at Edameonus. He thought back to what he had learned of his lover's childhood, knowing Kurogane's temper had gotten the better of him more often then.

Edameonus's eyes widened slightly, straightening in his chair. "Ah? That's odd. Usually a Ginryan has to molt before they can do something like that."

He ran a hand through his hair, noticing Yuui looking at him in curiosity. Archellevon leaned back in his chair, continuing to eat as he listened to what the other was saying.

"I was told he never did that." Fay explained as he focused his gaze onto his friend. He wondered if his lover's barely controlled anger at such a young age was due to his parentage.

Edameonus frowned and raised an eyebrow. "So… he didn't change?"

Yuui blinked at the other man's statement. "Change? Change what?" The demon smiled at her apologetically.

"It's a trait of the Ginryan race. The angrier a person gets, the more like a dragon they become. Either that or the more magic they use. Markings, horns, tails, wings, the whole thing. Sorry I didn't explain before."

"Kuro-san's never developed any of those traits before." That was something he never wanted to see from Kurogane either as he frowned at the thought.

The other leaned back in his chair. "Considering he hasn't shown them so far is great news.

Since he's not molted like me or Souhi, there's a Fayrly good chance he'll continue to not change and he probably won't pass it on either."

Archellevon looked at Edameonus with a frown. "And you couldn't have told them this at court?"

The other man countered the look. "There were more important matters…"

"It's good to hear regardless." The blonde said as he sat back in his chair, relieved by the news.

Mokona looked up to Edameonus with a small frown. "Ed changes into a dragon?" The man smiled fondly to her and ruffled her hair, knowing she hadn't been conscious for the last time.

"It's alright, Soel, I more often than not stay in this form."

The small girl giggled at the treatment while Fay finished his breakfast, still thinking about Kurogane as he did.

Archellevon looked over to the blonde and continued to frown, knowing the demon had placed more worry over them. He sighed and stood, gathering his plate.

"Perhaps Kurogane-san should be told about this as well…" He said to Edameonus and Fay.

"I doubt he'll ever get that angry again." The other reasoned as he watched the teen move. "But I could tell Kuro-san when he comes home."

Archellevon smiled and placed his plate in the sink.

"It might freak him out a little, maybe you should tell him while you're about to go to sleep so he doesn't think on it long?" Edameonus took a remaining bite of his omelet, watching the white haired girl try to drink by herself.

"He would stay up, because he'd want to be stubborn and want answers then." He said amused at the image. Mokona laughed as she hopped down from her chair and took her dishes to the sink.

"Hmm… I wonder if that's a Ginryan trait too…" Archellevon muttered, making Edameonus glare at his back. Yuui stood as well and went over to the sink to help Mokona out.

"Possibly, we should ask for Tsumebe's opinion on the matter." He smiled as he looked over to Edameonus.

The former angel laughed airily and turned to look at the blonde. "Perhaps we should…" He moved away from the sink so Yuui could do as she was programmed. "Anyway, I'm Fayrly certain that no matter what your child will have some sort of magic."

"Yes, he's only one-forth human...he may even be the same as I was when I was small." He said, remembering how strong he had been at such a young age.

Edameonus stood and looked at Fay. "Which may or may not be a good thing."

Yuui giggled slightly when Mokona handed her a plate, seeing the little girl was enthusiastic about anything.

"He's already shown signs of being slightly stronger than an average baby." Fay said thinking back to his child's aura. He knew if Toshihiko developed his powers early it could cause them some problems.

Edameonus handed Yuui his plate. "I suppose since we're out away from town it won't be too bad if we teach him how to use magic instead of suppressing it like Souhi did Kurogane." Archellevon once again shot Edameonus a look.

"I'm not sure if Kuro-tan would have developed any powers on his own. Though I'll make sure to help Toshi control himself." Fay said before he finished his own meal.

"He seemed to threaten Souhi pretty well that one time." Edameonus grumbled, remembering what the other had told him when he found out Fay was still pregnant.

Archellevon sighed and walked over to the demon. "Your mouth is a lot bigger than you let on sometimes."

"He can only manifest anything when he's livid." The blonde said as Yuui smiled and took his dishes to the sink for him.

Edameonus folded his arms, glaring at Archellevon out of the corner of his eye. "Guess that's a good thing." The teenager shook his head, waving a hand as he made his way out of the kitchen.

"Which makes me wonder why you always want to rile him."

"They're both aggressive, so it's only natural they'd want to pick on each other." Fay shook his head, thinking of how juvenile both men were at times.

Edameonus placed a hand on his hip. "I'm not that bad…" He reiterated from before, watching the younger man leave the room. Mokona chased after him, obviously wanting to drag him to the computer room.

"You don't anger as easily as Kuro-chu, but both of you do like to fight and argue."

Edameonus smiled and shrugged sheepishly. "When you put it like that, I guess the only argument I have for that is it's in my blood."

Fay chuckled as he nodded in agreement. "I guess you're right." The blonde smiled to himself as he stepped out of the kitchen.

Edameonus followed him out, looking over his shoulder at Yuui who had started to wash the dishes. Archellevon was sitting on the couch with his legs crossed, smiling to Mokona as she pouted. "But Mokona wants everyone to see…"

"Maybe when Kuro-rin comes home, he can show everyone." He suggested as he sat down in one of the chairs.

Archellevon looked over to the Valerian and smiled to himself. "It depends on what happens when he gets home." He said softly, watching Edameonus enter. The demon looked at him and narrowed his eyes, recognizing the tone in his voice.

"I suppose." He looked over at the teen questioningly as he reclined in the chair across from Mokona and her mother figure.

Edameonus growled to himself, walking over to Archellevon. The former angel looked up to him curiously before the demon grabbed his wrist and dragged him off of the couch.

"Come with me for a sec." He said simply, pulling the teenager into the hallway in confusion.

"Wha…Ed? Why…?"

Mokona and Fay watched in confusion as the pale haired boy was dragged away by Edameonus. The small girl frowned as she leaned forward on the couch and watched her parents leave.

With his still good hearing, Fay could make out what they were saying even as Edameonus closed the laundry room door.

"Ed! Your hand!"

"Answer me this; what the hell's going on?"

"…What're you talking about? There's-"

"I know you and you've not changed; you faltered when Soel said something about the computer room. And just now you gave Fay-chan a look."

Fay stilled as he listened to the Ginryan's questioning, wondering what was wrong with computer room. Unable to hear anything, Mokona frowned before moving to sit on the blonde's lap.

"That's… irrelevant." The blonde heard Edameonus's hand smack against the wall. "Tell me the truth."

"…"

"Archy…"

"I woke up this morning to get a blanket… Kurogane-san was talking to Yuui-chan and others in there…"

"And?"

"…I… He was saying… that if you go in there the computers would activate a lock down system… I didn't know what that was for him… so…"

Blue eyes narrowed at the news, curious about Kurogane's actions this morning after he had gone back to sleep. Mokona looked up at the man, not knowing what to think.

"Why would he put his computers on lock down if I came in?"

"…He said that if you're not going to give him answers he'd return the favor…" Edameonus growled and Fay could hear him take a step back.

"That prick…" There was a pause. "O-oi… what is it?"

"…He also talked to me for a moment… seeing as I walked in on him…"

Fay wrapped an arm around Mokona, reassuring the girl as he listened. Even if he knew Edameonus had wanted privacy, he couldn't help but listen to Archellevon's explanation.

"…About what?"

"Ed… why haven't… you told me what's going on? I-I know it's court orders but…"

"What did he say?" Edameonus asked sharply, seeming to get angry at Kurogane for saying something to Archellevon.

"H-he… just pointed out that you've told Souhi about it… a-and… well…" Yuui poked her head out of the kitchen to smile at Fay.

"Dishes are done!"

"Thank you Yuui." He said, taken off guard from the sudden shout. Mokona smiled up at her friend's excitement.

"Whatever he said ignore it. Souhi only knows because it directly affects him. And I still had to hold back from telling him when I first got word."

"…"

"Hey, stop with that look… I'd have told you too if you were there…"

"It doesn't matter… what else… did you want to know…?"

"…When you were talking to Fay-chan… why were you wording what you said so vaguely?"

Turning his attention back to the others, Fay wondered why exactly Archellevon had said such a thing to him. Mokona stared up at the man confused at his sudden silence while Yuui moved to fold blankets.

"It… seems as if I've started to take up traits from my other life… I think I may have spoken too soon when I said I was no longer a dream seer…"

Edameonus let out a small and sharp breath, and Fay could tell he was surprised. "W… What? How is that possible?"

"I don't know… but so far it's nothing big… just the events of the next day or maybe even what'll happen when I wake up next…"

The blonde sat surprised at the news, hoping that wouldn't come back to cause trouble for either man in the future.

Edameonus growled lowly. "If court found out you were a dream seer again…"

"They won't." Archellevon replied sharply, a ruffling sound caused by him folding his arms caught Fay's attention briefly. "I've remembered something I laid out for myself back in Edonis."

"And that is?"

"…If I told you it would mess up the chance for it… well, I suppose we're both guilty of secrets then…"


	37. Chapter 37

**Ashine-chan** posting as **Mirika** again. Took out some paragraphs to try and shorten things up, but this is a chapter that reveals/explains a lot and wasn't able to shorten it much... I will try and shorten things in future chapters, so those of you who thought chapters were too wordy, etc. don't worry, I'll do my best. Also for spelling errors, I may have missed some. ( when I use find and replace in word it replaces all fai with fay, so you might sees words misspelled like 'fayth' and such. PM me, tsubasafan, and I'll fix it.)

**EDIT**

Phio- While you may start Christmas preparations at last minute I know I and several friends families start early. Some even start in November while others by gifts throughout the year for gifts and such.

As for Toriho, he's overexcited because, if you remember, he's wanted to have a large family and had to sacrfice that, having a grandchild if a huge thing for him as it should be and as you and others will see later Ginryans tend to overtly physical when it comes to others, especially family. ( i.e. why he likes to wrestle with Kurogane, etc.) But once they move is over, the other's really don't show up that often, only when somthing big happens as they aren't apart of the main storyline...

Ok, so I took out pretty much all the references to trees and changed some of the dialogue. But in the future please, if you have complaints and want to ask about things, again please PM me. (tsubasafan)

* * *

As Mokona rested against the blonde, the Valerian frowned not liking the newly formed couple arguing after going through so much already.

Edameonus sighed. "Fine. I won't make you tell… it wouldn't be fair."

"Ed… y… you're not telling me… because of what reason? Is it just court?" Yuui sat down on the couch where Archellevon had been after folding the blankets, humming to herself.

Mokona smiled towards the android, distracted from worrying over her parents. Fai instead continued to listen to the others.

Edameonus didn't answer Archellevon immediately, the former angel stilling with the lack of response. "…I see…"

"Archy, listen. It's got nothing to do with you…"

"Just tell me a straight answer and stop beating around the bush, Ed… you still… trust me, right?"

"That's a stupid question you shouldn't even consider asking. I trust you more than I do myself sometimes."

Back in the living room, Fai smiled, glad that they weren't going to fight too badly. Mokona smiled as she rested against the blonde, not nearly as upset as she had been.

"S-so…"

"Yeah, just court orders." There was another pause. "It's almost time to tell them anyway, so don't worry about it."

"…"

"You're making that face again."

"What? Oh stop that! Child!" Edameonus chuckled and Fay could hear a soft peck.

"Ed… really?"

"What? Am I not allowed to kiss your forehead?"

"It makes me feel like I'm not as old as I really am…"

"Well you're not anymore…"

Smiling the blonde turned away from the couple as he looked down at Mokona to see the small girl humming along with Yuui.

The android giggled at Mokona before scooting forward on her seat, moving the books around on the coffee table. After more mumbling and talking from them, the laundry door opened with Archellevon walking out first.

Fai stole a glance in the teen's direction, glad that things had been resolved for the most part, for a moment before he moved his attention back to Mokona and Yuui.

The white haired teenager moved into the living room silently, seeing the two girls enjoying themselves. Edameonus passed by him to sit on the opposite couch. Yuui looked at them with a smile. "Edam and Archy are back!"

Mokona looked between both men, wondering why they weren't sitting together. The same thought went through the blonde's mind while Yuui smiled, oblivious.

Archellevon placed a hand on his hip. "Souhi-kun's coming over today right?" He began, eyes not wavering from the two girls and Fay.

Edameonus scratched his face with his index finger. "I think so, he might be bringing Tsumebe-chan too…"

Mokona clapped her hands. "So we could make Christmas cake!"

"We should have enough for that." The blonde offered as he looked over to Archellevon.

Edameonus groaned and put a hand over his face. "He'll want me to carry something as heavy as that…"

Archellevon smiled and moved to sit next to the other. "You'll do it for Mokona-chan and Yuui-chan though, won't you?"

"Just the same as Kuro-kun, he'll do it regardless of how much he complains." The blonde smirked knowing both men hadn't been looking forward to that part of the holiday.

Archellevon grinned as well, giggling at Edameonus's sudden blush. "You know you could help out when that comes around!"

The teenager shrugged simply. "I might be helping the girls make food for you when you come back instead."

"You can't expect Archy to lift such heavy things." Fai said, knowing Edameonus would agree despite his complaints. The demon didn't reply to Fay and just continued to pout. Archellevon rolled his eyes teasingly.

"It's not like Souhi-kun and Kurogane-san won't help you out either."

"Besides you act as if you can't lift something that heavy." The blonde said as he looked over to his friend, seeing that the man wasn't helping himself as he saw him pouting.

Edameonus folded his arms and looked away from the other two males. "Tch. What's that supposed to mean?"

Archellevon reached over and poked his cheek. "He means you're stronger than the average human and could easily lift a tree if you really wanted to."

The other man blushed at the mention of his strength. "So?"

"You're just wanting to be difficult." Mokona laughed as she saw the smirk spread across the Valerian's lips.

Archellevon leaned back into the couch and cast his eyes aside. "Such a child sometimes."

Edameonus glared daggers at him, lip curled into a huff. "So says the teenager."

Archellevon smiled warmly to him. "You know good and well I was older than you when I last lived, Ed." Yuui laughed at their pointless conversation, entertaining herself with a system check.

"It seems Ginryan's are just more immature than others." Fai said as he smiled over at the teen.

"Oi! So mean!" Edameonus whined, making Archellevon giggle. The younger looked over to Yuui and blinked, wondering why her eyes were flashing. The android just smiled back, showing nothing was wrong.

"It's true." Mokona giggled as she stood, moving over toward Edameonus as she did while Fai continued to tease his friend.

The demon looked down to the girl and smiled weakly, not really aggravated by the joke the other two had going on. He picked her up and placed her between him and Archellevon. "Just like how you're really stronger than Kurogane?"

"Yes, which is why I intend to win our bet after the baby's born." The blonde said as he smirked at the thought. Though he knew Kurogane probably wouldn't like the idea that his lover was stronger.

Archellevon laughed lightly. "I bet that's going to be enjoyable for everyone but him. He's used to human strength though, perhaps that bet is unfair?" Yuui blinked and smiled, seeing everything was in order.

"Kuro-rin was never specific." He said as he grinned to himself at the idea. "And if he knew now, he couldn't just call it off."

"His pride wouldn't let him." Edameonus said, grinning as well. Archellevon giggled again and adjusted his position so he could stroke Mokona's hair affectionately.

"I'm sure you'll not let him live it down afterwards." He said to the Ginryan as he put a hand on his stomach as he usually did. The blonde grinned at the thought of his lover's expression once Kurogane had realized Fai was stronger than he appeared.

Edameonus's smile widened. "You know it. Whenever there's a chance." He looked over to Archellevon and Mokona, expression softening at the family-esque way they appeared to him. "Though I'm sure I'm eventually going to give him a counter reason."

"Oh?" The other asked amused at his friend. Around them Yuui went about straightening the living room.

"I don't know what it'd be though. Kurogane usually teases about weird things." Edameonus said with exasperation, even if he himself hadn't dealt with a lot of the younger man's antics.

"True." The blonde replied, knowing from first hand experience. He looked outside briefly, seeing the sun was still shining brightly outside. Briefly, he wondered when Toriho would pay them a visit.

As if on cue, the ones with abnormal hearing could make out the sounds of a car driving down the road. Archellevon blinked when he saw the other two men stiffen slightly from realization.

"What is it?"

"Someone's paying us a visit." Fai said as he stood to go and open the door for them, seeing that it had probably been left locked after Kurogane had gone to school.

The former angel blinked and smiled, standing as well. "I suppose that someone's Souhi-kun?" Yuui straightened and looked over to the door curiously, confused at how the three men knew this.

"Of course." Fai looked over his shoulder to smile at the teen as he unlocked and opened the front door for their guests.

Archellevon moved to where the blonde was to pull his coat off the hanger. "Well then, if you wouldn't mind." He smiled to the taller man. "Please allow me to talk with him out at the car. Ed, please come with me."

Fai nodded knowing they would want to speak without the chance of him overhearing. Stepping aside he moved out of the doorway just as he watched Tsumebe step out of the car and head towards the house.

Archellevon stepped onto the porch, allowing Tsumebe to pass him. "Hello, Tsumebe-san." He said with a smile, and the woman smiled back. Edameonus poked his head out of the door curiously, wondering why Toriho was just waiting for them by the car.

"Hello, Fai-san, Edameonus-san." The woman said as she smiled warmly at both men. Fai nodded and returned her smile as he moved out of the way so she could step inside.

Archellevon strolled over to Toriho, the snow crunching under his feet. "You have it, I suppose?" He said with a friendly grin, Edameonus following him like a lost puppy.

"We should let them talk then." Fai said as he closed the door behind Tsumebe. "Would you like something to drink, it is fairly cold outside." He offered his lover's mother.

Outside Toriho grinned as he watched his friends approach him. "Of course, I wouldn't have dropped by otherwise."

"May I have it then?" Archellevon asked, outstretching his pale hand. Edameonus folded his arms, curious as to why the shorter wanted his feather.

"Yeah." Toriho said as he rummaged around his various coat pockets for the item. He smiled when he found it and pulled the delicate looking feather out and offered it to the teen.

The former took the almost glowing white item and smiled forlornly at it, remembering his old self. "Since the feather is apart of me, I can transfer the magic I used to have from it. Since I was an angel, even this little part holds a lot." He stepped away from the car and house, holding the feather like a quill.

The other man stared, never having thought of that possibility. "If you take back what little powers that gives you, won't that cause problems?" He asked, not liking the idea if it meant the court would be involved once more.

Archellevon raised his hand to the air and looked over his shoulder with a secretive smile.

"It would on any other grounds…" He then began to write a script in a circle, startling both Ginryans when the magic formed in glowing runes where it touched the air. "But now I've got a way to bypass all that." He stepped back once finishing waiting for the circle to take effect.

Toriho looked over to Edameonus, wondering if the other Ginryan had any idea what their friend was doing as he stepped back from the teen.

The magic ring swirled together then, imploding quickly and leaving nothing. Edameonus was about to ask what the point was to that before it exploded back a little larger than before, showing a woman's back covered by long black hair. "Hello, Yuuko-san."

Edameonus's eyes opened wide, not realizing this was a different Yuuko. "WHAT?"

"Yuuko-san?" The other asked, just as confused as Edameonus. He did note however that this woman shared the same face as the Valerian court member, but just by looking at her he could feel the difference in the strength.

The white haired one smiled to his companions. "Yes, Yuuko-san." He turned back to the woman, who had turned then. She smiled knowingly to them all before putting all her attention on Archellevon.

"So you've found what you were searching for?" The former angel nodded and folded his arms.

"You're a tricky one sometimes, even in a different space." Looking to his side, Toriho found Edameonus staring between the image of this alternate Yuuko and Archellevon. As he listened to the two discuss matters it was obvious to the Ginryan that this was the person who had sent the teen to them.

The witch's smile grew somewhat and she closed her eyes. "It would appear that way wouldn't it?"

Archellevon smiled back in response.

Yuuko turned completely to them. "You summoned our communication for something, yes?"

The former angel stiffened. "That I did."

He sighed, hoping Archellevon had a good reason for summoning someone this strong. Though he had to admit to himself, this was turning out into something the former angel would have done in his previous life as well despite any consequences.

"I've found what I was searching for, and unfortunately he comes with a price." He looked over his shoulder to Edameonus, the demon flinching with the expression he was given. "It seems he'll live much longer than I, and if I wish to stay with him for as long as I can, then we'll be separated again and more than likely will repeat this all."

Both Ginryan's frowned at the idea; what with the teen's sudden reappearance neither of them had thought that far into the future. Edameonus's hands clenched into fists at the thought of loosing his lover again.

Yuuko raised a thin eyebrow. "I see… go on."

The teenager looked back to her. "I would like to make a wish. One that allows me to resign from court so I can stay with Ed." Yuuko smiled at him, scrutinizing him with large ruby eyes.

"There will be a price."

Edameonus frowned at the woman, not liking the idea of the boy having to pay a price for something that large. Beside him Toriho stared at this Yuuko, thinking it strange that this woman granted wishes. Though it further proved to him that she was strong.

"I will pay what I must." Archellevon said determinedly, making the woman yet again smile.

"Alright then." She looked over to Edameonus. "Though the price you'd have to pay would be too great." Archellevon flinched visibly and looked over to his lover in shock.

"W-what? You can't… he…" He looked back to Yuuko warily. "I said I'd pay for whatever way was needed…"

"If I'm able to, I'll pay it." Edameonus said, determined not to let any harm come to Archellevon.

"Ed…" Archellevon pleaded, turning to him once again.

The witch nodded and closed her eyes once more. "Since you wish for the same thing, it would make sense that both of you would pay a price." Archellevon's brow furrowed and he looked tentatively back to the woman.

"What is it then?" He asked, his attention focused on the woman's image as Toriho watched silently.

Yuuko pointed to Edameonus. "You wish for him to stay with you for as long as you live; only growing as old as his prime. Since he bares the bulk of the wish, Archellevon will pay the bigger price whilst you give what you've been hiding in your pocket." Archellevon blinked in confusion while looking at the demon.

Edameonus averted his gaze as he dug into his pocket and pulled out Fai's earring. He had taken it the first time he had seen the stone discarded with the computers. Toriho gave him a questioning look. "It's yours."

Archellevon blinked at the revelation, before his expression softened. "You had that this entire time?"

Yuuko smiled knowingly. "To get rid of anything that allowed the others to disturb the happiness that's settled over those two, yes?"

Toriho shook his head at the other Ginryan, a smirk formed across his lips as he thought about what the other had done.

Archellevon lifted his hand with the feather, drawing symbols and letters around it quickly. Just like the magic circle had before, the piece of jewelry imploded with the circle around it. But instead of just reappearing, Yuuko showed her hand and a small flash of light appeared, revealing the earring. "I have received your payment."

Red eyes focused on Archellevon, Edameonus wondering what the woman would have the boy pay her. Toriho wondered the same as he looked at Yuuko.

The witch set down the earring and looked at Archellevon, seriousness written on her face.

"I know you've read into the future, so you know why the other had to pay such a small price to you."

The former angel smiled and nodded. "It's more important to the others who will receive it."

Yuuko smiled. "With that said, your price."

The other two men looked at each other in an attempt to figure out what the woman had meant. Both were concerned, knowing Archellevon didn't possess any object Yuuko would be willing to take.

Yuuko pointed to Archellevon, the younger man stiffening under the finger. "You, Archellevon, will pay your rank in the Supreme Galactic Court as a Judge Member. Instead, you'll have to deal with the position of being the Assistant Member of the Ginryan Branch."

The white haired one gasped, eyes lighting up. "A…Are you serious?"

Both Toriho and Edameonus stared in shock at the woman; not believing what she had said could even be possible for either of them to do let alone herself.

Yuuko smiled and held up a scroll that looked centuries old.

"I have received your payment. If you will send me your signature." Archellevon frowned and lifted his quill again, touching it against the transparent magic. He quickly scribbled his name in angelic runes, lowering the feather to show the name vanishing from the screen. Yuuko opened another scroll and the name dissolved onto it.

Both watched confused at the transaction, but glad that the price hadn't been severe.

"The signature is for the Court." Yuuko said simply, seeing the other two men's puzzlement. "I will give it to them when the time comes."

Archellevon's smile broke out once again on his face. "So, this is all?"

Yuuko nodded and mirrored the grin. "You two are free to do as you please now."

While Toriho still suspected something might go wrong, Edameonus stared in disbelief at the woman, not believing what she had said.

Archellevon bowed to her. "Even though being an Assistant to both Fei Wang and Ed will be a task all on its own, the work will definitely be worth it." He smiled and straightened.

"Thank you, for a second time, Yuuko-san." The black haired woman nodded and closed her eyes.

"With that then, let us part once more."

Edameonus looked over to the teen, once Archellevon's words registered and looked at him in a questioning manner while Toriho smirked and nodded knowingly.

"Goodbye Yuuko-san." Archellevon nodded, his hands gripping at his sides. The vision of Yuuko flickered and vanished then, leaving the three men out in the snow. The former angel hesitated before turned to look at Edameonus.

Toriho smiled before he walked past his friends and towards the house, knowing they'd like to be alone. The other Ginryan could feel his heart pounding against his ribs, as what had gone on sunk in. He stared at Archellevon and smiled.

Archellevon looked down to his feather for a moment before smiling at Edameonus again. He opened his palm and the plume started to float, the glow becoming brighter. Archellevon closed his eyes as the feather came forward, dissolving and disappearing into his chest. For the briefest of moments, Edameonus could see the former angel's wings open wide, before vanishing.

He watched as wings dissolved just as quickly as they had appeared. Looking at Archellevon, Edameonus could feel the small amount of power the feather had contained in the teen now.

The younger shivered with the flow, his body staggering forward. He caught himself and looked up at Edameonus with sleepy eyes. "We're… we're finally able to be together…" He said weakly, eyes watering with relief. "Without fear…"

Edameonus moved forward and grabbed the teen, afraid he would fall. He smiled as he hugged Archellevon to him, glad that they wouldn't have to worry about the wrong people finding out about the former angel.

Archellevon buried his face into the taller man's trench coat, hands going to the other man's back to clench the fabric there. He sighed shakily, the intake of energy sending his nerves off the deep end. "Ed…" He whispered fondly, tightening his grip.

"Archy?" Edameonus asked, his voice muffled while he buried his face against the boy's hair.

"I can never leave you now…" Archellevon said as their bodies continued to press together. "I'll always be by Ed's side now…" He could feel his face warm and his lips curled into a smile, wondering why it had been so simple to stay together after all that they had been through.

"I'm glad." He said softly, overwhelmed by the thought that the two of them could finally be together without any restrictions placed on them.

Archellevon pulled slightly away to look at Edameonus, his hands not letting go of the tough fabric. He smiled at the taller warmly.

He returned the smile, and moved one of his hands to thread through pale hair as he cupped the teen's cheek. Edameonus smiled as he stared down into blue eyes.

Archellevon leaned into the hand, sapphire meeting garnet. He lifted himself on his toes, inching closer to Edameonus on instinct.

The Ginryan felt the corners of his lips curve into broader smile as he leaned downwards and met Archellevon halfway. Edameonus hugged the other to him as he kissed the other.

Archellevon closed his eyes as their lips met, relishing in the feeling of his past lover's lips against his own with the feeling of freedom once again. His hands slipped somewhat, resting with his palm splayed against Edameonus's shoulder blades instead of tightened fists.

Feeling the other against him, Edameonus had to refrain from deepening their kiss, not knowing how the other would react. Instead the taller man hugged the teen close as he enjoyed being so close with Archellevon again.

The smaller man felt the blush dwindle slightly after a moment of their union, whimpering before he pulled somewhat away. His face contorted with embarrassment and an apologetic smile and he looked to the ground. "I-I… I'm sorry… the incident… came back to mind…"

He smiled and shook his head. "There's no need to apologize to me."

Though the teen pulling away from him made Edameonus almost reconsider hunting down the men that had attacked Archellevon and giving them another beating. He was at least glad the teen didn't seem too afraid to be with him.

The teenager sighed and looked up to Edameonus, the smile still there. One hand slithered away from the older man's back to his beige cheek, caressing it smoothly. "My love…" He said to himself, seeming to glow with the knowledge that the one in front of him was now his alone.

Edameonus smiled and leaned into the touch, having almost forgotten the feeling of the smaller hand against his cheek. He moved his hand to rest atop Archellevon's, entwining their fingers together as he looked down at the teen.

Cerulean eyes shifted to the hand briefly before mingling with the other man's gaze once more.

He felt the butterflies have a panic attack one by one, along with a quickened heart rate. He realized that, though Edameonus was his past self's true love, he was this new self's first love as well.

Moving their hands, Edameonus brought the smaller hand to his lips for a brief kiss, his lips feeling the slightly chilled fingers as he did. The Ginryan continued to smile, his mind still going over the idea that he would be able to really stay with Archellevon this time.

A thin eyebrow rose at the demon's expression. "Just what are you thinking?" Archellevon giggled, feeling like he was supposed to in his youth.

"I'm thinking about how we don't have to be apart anymore." He said. His smile widened at the sound of the other's laughter. "And that your fingers are cold."

"My fingers are always cold. I remember you telling me that years ago." He said with a knowing grin, slipping his hand away to curl his finger's against the leather jacket.

"Maybe we should go inside? My magic has made my body warmer than before, but it's still cold out here."

"Don't want you catching a cold." Edameonus smirked before he grabbed one of the other's hands, hoping that his own hand would help warm Archellevon's. He smiled, before he pulled the other with him towards the house.

The other obeyed wholeheartedly, allowing himself to be led to the porch. Unbeknownst to them, the message from the dimension witch was still open. She smiled when she watched the two of them enter the house before the magic dissipated. Looking down to her hands, she looked at the two rings that had been duplicated from one.

"Whereas the journey for these two have come close to an end…" She looked up and took the glass jar off of a Mokona look-alike and its black opposite. She slipped the earrings on accordingly and let her fingers linger on the red and blue gems. "…Four more paths will cross tomorrow, and a new journey shall begin…"

"Hopefully Souhi hasn't smothered Fai-chan since he left." Edameonus said, chuckling at the thought as both of them stepped up and onto the porch.

Archellevon smiled and giggled, shaking the snow off of his shoes. "Tsumebe-san's there to hold him back." He intertwined their fingers with a blush, wanting to keep close to Edameonus and make sure his hand was warm at the same time. "Besides, Kurogane-san's not here for them to wrestle around and destroy something."

"Damn, he's going to be really annoying once the kids born." Edameonus's eyebrow twitched at the thought, he knew Toriho would be a hundred times worse after Fai had given birth. He sighed before opening the door, making sure to kick the snow from his shoes before stepping inside.

Archellevon laughed lightly and shook his head, knowing it would be true. The idea sent him on a spiral of his own thoughts, having him wondering about certain things he had adapted with the feather's magic. He followed Edameonus inside and took off his coat, smiling to the woman on the couch. "Hello again, Tsumebe-san."

Said woman laughed faintly. "Hello, Archellevon-san." Fai and Toriho sat on either side of her, while a tray holding a kettle and several cups sat on the coffee table.

Edameonus led the younger to the other sofa, both of them sitting down. Mokona looked up from the corner of the room from her doll and squealed, getting up to run to her 'parents'.

"The two of you must be cold; I made some tea for all of us." Fai said as he smiled at the small family across from him. Next to Tsumebe, Toriho grinned over the edge of his own cup as he looked over at his friends.

Archellevon smiled to Fay before flinching slightly at Toriho's expression, blushing a little. "Th-thank you, Fay-san…"

He picked up Mokona to set her in his lap while Edameonus scooted forward to reach for two cups of tea.

"No problem." The blonde said as he leaned back against the couch. Mokona hummed softly to herself as she sat on her 'mother's lap.

Edameonus sat back with the tea, handing one over to his companion. Archellevon shivered slightly when his cold fingers touched the warm porcelain of the cup. "Besides my feather, is there anything more to your visit?" He asked, smiling over to the elder men and woman.

"The company I order the furniture from promised me that everything would be shipped on time." He said while smiling at the couple. Tsumebe grinned as well as she sipped her own drink.

"But other than that, Tsumebe-chan and I just wanted to visit."

Edameonus paused from drinking to look at his childhood friend. "Oh? What does that mean, 'on time'? Soon?" He asked, almost too excited for even his own liking. Archellevon wondered if it was more for the house itself or who he'd be living with once they moved in.

"Means they won't be delivering a month from now instead of near the end of the week." He clarified as he set his cup down on the table.

Mokona cheered at the news, causing Archellevon to move his drink aside from her flailing hands. "Yay! Mommy and Daddy and Mokona will all live in their own house now!" Tsumebe looked over to Archellevon curiously, though a smile was on her lips. "Mommy, you say?"

"Uh huh, Archy-mommy is Mokona's mommy now." The small girl said excitedly.

Fai and Toriho both chuckled at Mokona while Tsumebe smiled fondly. "That's wonderful that Mokona-chan has both parents now."

Archellevon blushed deeply and looked away from the others, though a smile surfaced brightly.

"Y-yes…" Edameonus bit the inside of his cheek while looking at the younger, having to resist the urge to tackle him from being cute due to the tea in their hands.

Mokona giggled while the adults around her smiled. Fai grinned, wondering idly how his own child would interact with the others once he was older.

"S-so… we'll have our home done by the day after tomorrow?" Archellevon asked, trying feebly to change the subject. Edameonus placed his free hand over his mouth, muffling the squeal that tried to break loose as he looked away.

"Should be moved in in the next few days." Toriho said as he wrapped an arm loosely around Tsumebe.

Mokona once again cheered, crawling off of Archellevon's lap with some struggled announcement of telling Yuui. The teenager took a gulp of his tea, still not looking at the others while his blush died down some. "Th-that sounds… great…"

"Then after that we could finish decorating for the holidays." The other said, amused at the knowledge that his son and Edameonus weren't happy about it.

Edameonus paused in fawning over Archellevon silently to glare at Toriho. "Seriously? I'm not here on Earth to celebrate their traditions."

The former angel looked over to Edameonus with a quirky smile. "You seemed to like the mistletoe pretty well…" A faint blush dragged itself across the elder man's face.

"O-oi…"

"I'm sure you'd want to celebrate with Mokona and Archy?" Fai asked, even if he already knew the other man would cave.

Edameonus looked hesitantly at Fay. "Th-that's…"

Archellevon sighed and set his tea down on the table before slinking up against the armrest. "Don't argue… we can decorate with all the pros and cons so everyone's happy." He said with a renewed smile.

Edameonus raised an eyebrow to Fay before shaking his head with a sigh. "Fine, fine, I give up."

He lifted his hands slightly to wave at them. "Not like Soel will want to deviate from her plans anyway." Archellevon smiled wider. "It's nice that you want to keep her happy."

"Kurogane will argue the entire time." Tsumebe said cheerfully as Toriho chuckled. "He has since he first helped me when he was little." Fai smiled at the news, thinking he would have to ask his lover about when he came home.

"Either that or bitch and moan." Edameonus grumbled, setting his tea down as well. Archellevon looked over to his counterpart with a glare for the language. "And you won't?"

"He will, and probably whine for good measure as well." Toriho grinned as he looked over to his friends.

"Hey, that's not true!" Edameonus barked halfheartedly, glaring with a slight pout at the other

Ginryan. Archellevon laughed lightly and waved his hand. "Face it; you're just as bad as Kurogane-san. Didn't we already have a conversation about this earlier today?"

"We've had a few actually." Fai said as he watched the older man pout like a child.

"Tch, I still don't agree." Edameonus said as Mokona rushed back into the room, tackling his lap with a giggle. Yuui followed after her with a grin.

She looked over to Toriho and Tsumebe and smiled. "Hello!"

Both waved and nodded to the android in greeting. "You'd think with how old Ed is, he'd be more mature." Toriho said as he sighed. Beside him Tsumebe smiled at her husband.

Edameonus let out an exasperated groan and cuddled with Mokona. "They're picking on me again, Soel. Calling me childish and old at the same time. How mean!" He whined, making Archellevon giggle.

Mokona laughed as she returned the other's affection. "You're not helping to prove otherwise." Fai pointed out as he watched.

Edameonus looked over to the blonde and sighed, snuggling with Mokona more. "S'not like you have to point it out." Archellevon picked up his tea again, seeing Edameonus had given up his pride for now.

The blonde chuckled at his friends behavior while Toriho rolled his eyes at seeing not much had changed in the other Ginryan.

The white haired man looked up to Fay then, curiosity randomly being stirred. "Fay-san… why is it that you've not had any serious bouts of morning sickness or other behavior like it?" He asked, making Yuui and Mokona look over to him in puzzlement.

"I'm not sure, sometimes a person won't have most symptoms...I've only really been exhausted now and then and moving around in my sleep." He said, wondering why the teen had asked.

Tsumebe smiled to Fay knowingly. "It's different for all pregnancies; your next one might be a lot worse than this, it might be the same." She said gently, making Edameonus frown slightly.

"Yes, it could be." Fai blushed lightly at the talk of more children as he regarded the woman's words. Toriho smirked before he looked over at Edameonus curiously.

The demon sat up, Mokona sitting upright in his lap before she began to subtly bounce up and down. "It might just be delayed too." He added, looking over to Archellevon. The former angel smiled back sadly, knowing the other was remembering some of his pregnancies.

"I would have been showing anything like that already, it's only a few weeks until the baby should be born. Tsumebe's right; things could be different next time." The blonde said as he looked over towards his friends.

Edameonus and Archellevon turned their attention on Fay, the dark haired one shrugging lightly.

"Let's hope it's just that." The teenager once again looked at the Ginryan, only with a slight scowl.

"Fai-san shouldn't worry and relax. You'll have a handful once Toshihiko's born if he'll be anything like Youou." Tsumebe said as she smiled gently at the blonde beside her. Fai nodded and chuckled in agreement.

"Oh man, if we had another Kurogane running around, I think we'd all be doomed." Edameonus said, sighing dramatically as he hugged Mokona. Archellevon rolled his eyes with a smile while

Yuui tilted her head curiously. "Another Kurogane running around? Yuui doesn't understand…"

"He means personality wise Yuui." Fai explained as he smiled towards his twin. "And Kuro-san's not too bad."

Tsumebe laughed as she listened to both men.

"Well he hasn't punched you, Fay-chan." Edameonus said with a pout, making the girl in his lap laugh happily. Yuui smiled and nodded, understanding what they meant now.

"The last time was my fault and you should know by now he has a temper." The Valerian said as he looked over to Edameonus, he knew when both men were together they always fought, even if now they were almost friends.

The disguised one shrugged, smiling slightly. "As long as baby-chan doesn't pick up his traits that's fine with me."

Archellevon raised an eyebrow. "You're pushing it a little when you say things like that."

Fai picked up his own cup and took a drink while Mokona laughed at the idea of the soon to be born baby. Tsumebe smiled at the small girl while Yuui busied herself around the living room.

The humble silence was broken annoyingly by Toriho's Christmas jingle of a ringtone. He smiled and started digging in his pockets for his phone.

"Now who could that be?" Edameonus perked up slightly, wondering what was making that sound.

Tsumebe laughed softly at her husband's choice of ringtone as she watched him pull out his cell phone. Mokona smiled at the music and began humming the few lines that had played before Toriho answered his phone.

"Hello? Okay, this is he… oh really?" Toriho lounged a bit before pointing to the phone and mouthing words to Edameonus. "It's the movers." The demon looked at the phone curiously, making Mokona giggle behind her hands.

Setting his cup down on the coffee table, Fai reclined back against the couch, hoping Toriho wasn't receiving any bad news about Edameonus's house.

Toriho's smile slipped somewhat as he listened, but it came back tenfold. "Alright, good…yupp, I'll be here. Thanks… uh huh, bye." He closed the small device and set it on the table. "Even better news than before; the movers will be here tomorrow around noon." Archellevon smiled, but blushed as he remembered he'd be moved in with Edameonus.

"It seems we'll get everything done sooner than we thought now." Tsumebe said as she smiled up at her spouse.

"After the furniture's moved in we'll start putting up decorations." Fai said, knowing how Mokona would enjoy doing so.

Said girl squealed as predicted, clapping her hands together. "Mokona's excited now!"

Archellevon smiled to her and tried to will away his blush before anyone would notice. "Ah, yes, it is exciting isn't it?"

The demon groaned instantly, placing his hand over his eyes dramatically. "Really? Do you guys have to emphasize that part?" Toriho laughed at his friend, waving at him. "We're just making sure you know you're going to help."

"It's fun to see yours and Kuro-kun's reactions." Fai smiled while Mokona laughed as she looked up to see her father's face.

"Fai-chan's right, besides it's not like you couldn't lift a tree by yourself if you wanted to."

Edameonus frowned. "So you've said before. But isn't that kind of dangerous to do while on an alien planet? I'm sure a human would stop and stare if they saw a normal looking guy waltzing around with a tree on his shoulder."

Archellevon giggled slightly at the image produced by that statement.

"That's why the three of us are going instead of just you." He countered as he smirked over towards his friend. Fai smiled as Tsumebe laughed at her husband's antics.

"Yeah, so you can make it look like you're doing something when I'm really carrying the bulk of it." Edameonus rubbed his cheek against Mokona's.

"Oh well, Kurogane's 'strong', I can be lazy with you two."

Archellevon frowned slightly at his lover. "Don't slack off too much; we don't want a repeat of that log incident."

"Youou's been helping me since he was little, and Ed just has to pay attention. The only dangerous part is cutting down the tree." Toriho explained, knowing that nothing like that would happen again if they could help it.

"How do you cut down the tree? You don't have lasers here to help." Edameonus asked, making Yuui look over to him in curiosity. Archellevon finished off his tea slowly before leaning forward to set his empty cup on the table.

"An axe." Toriho said, as he tried to keep himself from laughing. Fai wasn't too surprised about the older man's words as the other Ginryan was, having figured they would use something simple.

Edameonus's eyes went slightly wider. "An… axe?" He asked, almost skeptically. Archellevon smiled at him and patted his shoulder. "Don't dwell on it too long, Ed. It's not as old school as you might think it to be."

"It's not a big deal." The other man said as he sat beside Tsumebe, smiling at Archellevon's comment. Grinning, Fai sat back watching them, wondering what it would be like to celebrate with everyone.

Yuui looked to the table and saw a few of the empty glasses before standing, walking over to set them on a tray. She smiled as she worked; noticing Edameonus was watching her intently while he talked. "Big deal or not, that's such a primitive method…"

"You're going to have to get used to it. Here you have to work more." The older man said as he looked over to his friend as he wrapped an arm around Tsumebe's shoulders.

The other man scoffed. "From the looks of these humans in town it seems they don't like the idea of work."

Archellevon reached over and pinched Edameonus's cheek roughly with a somewhat angry smile. "Don't insult the people you're going to be around for a while. You might make friends with some Earthlings."

Fai smiled, wondering if he should point out that Edameonus and Kurogane were already, in a way, friends. "Archy's right, there's lots of people you can make friends with."

"Ow, ow. Archy~!" The Ginryan whined, tearing his attention off of Yuui when the former angel grabbed his cheek. The android stood straight again to walk into the kitchen. Archellevon removed his grip and Edameonus rubbed his cheek, pouting. "Eh, either way I don't look forward to it."

"Such a sour attitude." Toriho rolled his eyes, his smirk still present as he looked over to his two friends. "Edameonus-san already has a few friends." Tsumebe said as she smiled at the other Ginryan.

Edameonus looked over to the woman and smiled sweetly to her.

"Well, if you don't count Kurogane's relatives, that is." Yuui came back in with the empty tray, setting it down on the table like a maid would.

"Not to mention Youou, though he'd never admit to having any friends." The older man grinned amused at the idea while Fai had to look away from them to keep himself from laughing at Edameonus's expense.

Edameonus waved a hand at Toriho, not wanting to linger on the subject. "Hey, what exactly did he make Yuui-chan for?" He asked no one in particular, though the android perked up. She smiled and moved her hands behind her.

"Yuui is a custom made personified computer, or persecom, used for helping out Master User Kurogane Youou Suwa in any way possible."

"Kuro-rin is having Yuui do chores around the house." Fai answered as well as he smiled at the girl.

Edameonus raised an eyebrow. "So… that's uh… slightly odd…" He trailed off, and Yuui tilted her head.

"Odd? Yuui is odd?"

The demon shook his head slightly with a smile. "I just find it weird that he'd make something like that when he'd be living alone. There's not that much to do around here if it's just one person…"

"You'll have to ask Kuro-san about it." Fai shrugged, not knowing what else Kurogane had planned for Yuui aside from what little his lover had told him.

Edameonus leaned forward, still looking at Yuui. He hesitated for a moment, before looking down to Mokona. "Ah, that reminds me. I need to ask the court about something." He stood, the girl in his arms, before smiling at the others.

"If you'll all excuse me." Archellevon frowned slightly, wondering if it was good or bad news.

Mokona smiled brightly as she hugged Edameonus. The others watched, curious about the man's sudden exit. Toriho grinned; wondering if was about the other Ginryan's earlier revelation to him.

Archellevon sighed and leaned back on the couch, drifting off into his own thoughts. Yuui brought her hand up to her mouth in slight worry. "Did Yuui do something wrong?" She asked, looking at the former angel's expression.

"Archy's just worried over Ed is all." Toriho's eyes fell on the teen. He guessed that Edameonus hadn't told Archellevon about the court's decision.

The boy snapped out of his stupor and looked with wide eyes to Toriho, a faint blush on his face.

"O-oh, I…" He smiled apologetically. "It's fine. Yuui-chan didn't do anything wrong…" He smiled wider. "What… were we talking about earlier?"

"Holidays and making fun of Ed." He offered as the other's smiled at Archellevon's expression.

"We'll be busy for the next few days until you and the others are settled into your new house." Fai said, wondering if the teen was excited.

Archellevon continued to smile, though he deflated into the couch. "Y-yes… moving in…" He glanced in the direction of where Edameonus had disappeared to. Yuui moved to sit next to the teenager, smiling at him.

"You must be happy; you won't be sleeping on the couch anymore." Fai offered, feeling bad that both Archellevon and Edameonus had to sleep in the living room and didn't really have a place to put their things.

"A-ah… oh no! No, it's not that; I'm happy that you and Kurogane-san let us take the couches for our stay! They weren't uncomfortable or anything!" He waved his hands in front of him, smiling sheepishly. Tsumebe grinned warmly, knowing what the boy was acting off about.

"At least now the three of you will have beds to sleep in." The blonde nodded and smiled, he hadn't wanting the teen to get flustered. "And places to put your things." He said sheepishly.

Archellevon folded his hands in his lap. "Y-yes, the house they built is very large…" He looked down, feeling his cheeks grow hot again. "I-it's a little too big for just three people…"

"Ed would complain." Toriho said simply as he grinned at the teen. "He's spoiled with staying in all those luxury apartments and houses the Court provides."

The angel looked away slightly. "I-it's fine… I know he likes things like that…" Yuui tilted her head and raised her hand, index extended, to poke the teenager's cheek.

"Archy's face is two degrees hotter than the rest of his body. Is Archy sick?" The white haired one whipped his face around to look at the android with wide eyes, blush deepening. "Ah, now it's three degrees."

"It's a blush Yuui." Explained Fai as he tried to spare the teen from getting too embarrassed.

"He's a brat; staying here a while will sort him out." Toriho chuckled at the idea as Tsumebe chided him gently.

Yuui smiled at the knowledge, but noticed it wasn't changing on Archellevon's face. "Why is Archy making a blush?" The boy bowed his head again, staring at the ground. "I-it's j-just… I-I've n-not done a l-lot a-and…" He trailed off; feeling like this was getting him no where.

"A person blushes for different reasons; he's blushing more because Yuui's pointing it out to everyone." Fai smiled at the androids curiosity. While Toriho smirked and tried to keep himself from laughing.

Archellevon didn't say anything more, still avoiding eye contact with anyone. Yuui tilted her head. "More? Archy was blushing beforehand from a different reason?" Tsumebe smiled sweetly to the robot. "It's alright, Yuui-chan, maybe we should change the subject?"

The woman sat up slightly against Toriho. "When would you all like to wrap the presents? We'd have to take turns stepping out of the room so we can get them all wrapped without the person knowing what it is."

Yuui looked over to the others on the opposite sofa. She blinked before sitting up straight, eyes going a darker shade of blue. "Accessing internet information." She paused for a moment before ringing slightly, a smile on her face. "Oh! Wrapping gifts!"

"Yuui will be able to help and I'm sure Mokona would too." The blonde smiled at his twin as he sat beside Tsumebe. He had to admit he was curious about the whole gift wrapping idea and wondered when they would start.

Yuui clapped her hands, a metallic pat coming from them. "Yay! Everyone will have fun then!"

Toriho looked at her in mild surprise. "I didn't know you could access the internet."

The android held up one finger and smiled wider. "User Kurogane said I should try to learn everything from interactions instead of always accessing the World Wide Web."

Fai grinned, remembering the conversation he and Kurogane had about Yuui picking up mannerisms. "Kuro-san was right; Yuui will learn more from experience."

"Yes, so Yuui refrains from using it unless Yuui is really, really confused." She smiled widely, making Toriho grin as well.

"So Youou wanted you to act like a normal human being?"

The robot tilted her head slightly. "Yuui doesn't understand; act like a normal human being?"

"To have your own personality." Tsumebe said as she smiled at the android warmly.

Yuui smiled anew, clinching her hands in front of her in determination. "Yuui will have her own personality!" She blinked and looked at the elders again. "How does Yuui do that?"

The older woman laughed gently. "Yuui will just have to stay around everyone and eventually you will." Fai smiled as well, knowing Kurogane would be proud to see his creation become more human.

Yuui nodded happily, relaxing into the couch next to Archellevon. "Yuui will try hard."

It was then Edameonus came back in the room, carrying a sleeping Mokona. He smiled at the others, taking an empty seat with Mokona still snoozing on him.

"Everything okay?" Toriho asked as he looked over to the other Ginryan. Fai listened as well, still uncertain about what both men were keeping from them.

Edameonus repositioned Mokona on him to make the girl more comfortable before looking over to Toriho. "Yeah, just making sure that everything was still working properly in both areas."

Archellevon looked up to him, a delicate frown and small curve of the brow etching his face.

Fai looked at the other man curious, the idea that the others were keeping something big from him and Kurogane not setting well with the blonde as he kept quiet.

Edameonus placed a hand on Mokona's head, smiling fondly to her. "Seems like she's grown slightly more powerful. She was able to maintain her human form while broadcasting a longer transmission."

Archellevon looked down. "Longer? You mean a transmission to the rest of the Court?"

Edameonus leaned his head back against the chair, sighing softly. "Well, I was informed last you know. They've come up with most of the shit." He looked over to Archellevon, who hesitated.

He folded his hands in his lap and smiled at Edameonus. "I wouldn't know, but then again your decision making is always hasty, so it's no wonder they told you last."

"That's why they have Fei Wang with the other representative from Ginryuu; he thinks his decisions through first unlike some people." Toriho said as he smirked. The Valerian watched them, wondering if anything would slip from either man about what they were hiding.

Edameonus snorted, tilting his head to the side as Mokona snuggled into the crook of his neck.

"Fei Wang's a psycho. He over thinks everything way too much."

Archellevon smiled weakly. "Is over thinking suddenly bad? I thought a lot about how I was going to get out of court you know." Edameonus laughed sheepishly, smiling at the former angel.

"It's best to be cautious about things, that way you don't end up making yourself look like an idiot or screw up."

Edameonus stuck out his tongue at the other Ginryan. "S'not like I cover my eyes and run through things. I just come up with a solution quicker than most would."

Archellevon shook his head. "Sometimes your solutions are not the easiest routes."

"Or the smartest." The other man added. Fai grinned to himself, seeing that the other three wouldn't be talking about what he wanted to know for the time being.

Edameonus glared at Toriho. "Should you really be talking, smartass?"

Archellevon laughed airily, but he was quickly interrupted by a sharp bang of the front door flying open.

"I can talk if I want to." Toriho said as he returned the other's glare, ignoring the slam at the door. Fai was drawn from his thoughts at the noise as he peered towards the door.

Entering the house was Kurogane, the man's hair dusted with snow along with his shoulders and backpack. He kicked the front door closed before making a beeline to the bedroom, not stopping to discard his thicker clothing. Yuui watched him, curious as to why he was making such a sour expression. Edameonus whistled. "Someone's either pissy or tired."

Fai shook his head before standing. "Seems like Kuro-san had a bad day at school."

The blonde sighed before walking around the coffee table and towards the bedroom, knowing it wouldn't be good for anyone if Kurogane overheard Edameonus and both of them started arguing.

When he entered the bedroom he saw Kurogane lying with his face in the pillow, backpack slung onto the floor, though his arm was still in the strap. He didn't move, though Fay could tell the human knew he was there.

"I take it you had a bad day?" He asked while he closed the door behind him and walked to sit on the bed next to Kurogane.

The other grumbled into the pillow, but otherwise didn't move.

"Kuro-kun still has his coat on." Fai pointed out as he saw the snow on his lover slowly begin to melt on his clothes and in his hair.

More mumbling, but this time Kurogane let his backpack slide off completely from his arm and he rolled over slightly so he could unzip the thick jacket without opening his eyes.

He smiled and leaned over to run one of his hands through Kurogane's damp hair. Fai watched the other man, wondering what had happened.

The taller man opened his eyes when he felt the other touching his scalp.

"…What?" He asked coarsely, letting the coat sit on the bed around him like a sheet.

"Tired or angry?" The blonde asked as he smiled at Kurogane.

The other man's brow furrowed. "Both." He sat up and shoved the coat off the bed to join his backpack. He then looked to Fay, hesitating a moment before he tightly encircled his arms around the pregnant one.

"Kuro-min's had a long day then." He smiled as he moved his hand once more to thread hid fingers through Kurogane's hair as he tried to comfort the other man.

"Hn…" The other hummed, closing his eyes as he buried his nose into the shorter man's shoulder. He sighed heavily; glad that he'd soon be out of school.

"Maybe Kuro-tan should take a nap?" He chuckled at Kurogane, noting that the man really was tired if he wasn't talking much.

"Hn. Don't move." Kurogane replied, moving his arms to hold Fay around his pale shoulders. He had his eyes closed, so he was agreeing with the Valerian's suggestion.

Fai laughed softly at the other before he leaned forward to plant a chaste kiss against the taller man's forehead.

Kurogane growled and cracked his eyes open to glare at Fay. "Dammit, I said don't move. You don't have to throw fits when you're awake too."

"I only gave Kuro-san a kiss; I would hardly call that throwing a fit." Fai said as he stared at the other man skeptical.

Kurogane closed his eyes and moved one hand to rest against the blonde's neck in the back. "Either way, you're moving, and I don't like it, so stop."

"Kuro-chan's being a grouch."

"You're being a prick." Kurogane growled, not moving or opening his eyes though he so wanted to strangle the other man or at least glare at him.

Fai sighed before closing his eyes and hugging himself to Kurogane even more so. "That's not very nice." He said after a several minutes resting against Kurogane.

The other man didn't reply, his grip slinking from Fay's shoulder to the other man's side. He wasn't breathing like he did when he was sleeping, but the shorter could tell he was trying to nap now.

It was several minutes later, after trying to sleep, that Fai frowned and opened one of his eyes to look at Kurogane. He had felt the other press against his stomach lightly and wondered what the other was doing. "If Kuro-myu wanted me to wake up, you should have asked instead of pressing against me."

"Nnn… I didn't touch you any differently…" Kurogane replied irritably, moving his hand from Fay's neck to cover his eyes with a sigh.

"You were pressing against my stomach; I don't think I dreamt it." He said, not liking the idea of Kurogane lying to him.

Kurogane cracked his eyes open and moved his hand so he could glare at Fay. "I'm telling you I didn't touch…" He trailed off, the other man's words registering. "P…Pressing against your stomach?"

"We are lying close to each other, you didn't move in your sleep?" Fai asked, still not believing that he had been imaging things.

"I wasn't asleep yet." Kurogane admitted, staring at the other in disbelief at his own thoughts.

"Besides, I was the one telling you not to move, why would I go and be a hypocrite?"

Fai frowned, thinking maybe he had imagined it. He sighed, not wanting to start another argument even if he would have sworn he had felt Kurogane touching him. The blonde paused and gripped Kurogane's shirt in one of his hands as the sensation he had felt before settled on his stomach, though it was a much sharper feeling than before. "Kuro-san...you're really not." His words died in his throat at the realization as the feeling passed once more.

When Fay trailed off, the taller man refrained from saying anything. Kurogane's eyes widened slightly and he froze against Fay, not sure what to do.

Fai removed his hand from Kurogane's chest to rest against his stomach. As he moved his fingers over his swollen belly, the Valerian didn't feel anything abnormal. He froze, his eyes widening as he felt movement against his hand a few seconds later.

"…S…so what's up?" Kurogane asked after a moment.

"Would you like to feel?" The blonde asked softly, a faint smile spreading across his lips as he removed his hand from his stomach.

Kurogane flinched slightly, a gentle yet shocked expression appearing on his face. He didn't move for a moment before slipping his hand off Fay's hip to rest against the man's protruding stomach.

The blonde shifted beside Kurogane in order to let the other's hand rest atop his abdomen. He grinned to himself as he studied his lover's expression before he felt the baby move for the third time.

Kurogane's eyes widened even more, his hand twitching against the Valerian's stomach. His lips parted slightly as if to say something, but he merely stared in the direction of the shorter man's baby bump.

"Seems he's going to be active." The blonde said, relieved that nothing was wrong with their child. He still grinned as he watched his lover, amused at Kurogane's expression.

He sighed and leaned slightly down to kiss Fay shortly, his hand remaining on the Valerian's stomach.

"Hnn… Don't think I'll be able to get to sleep now, you certainly picked a perfect time to start moving, twerp." He nagged, directing a playful smile to the other man's stomach.

"That's not a very nice thing for Daddy to say." Fai smiled before moving his own hand to join Kurogane's. "He might have started moving because you were so close, after all Toshi does react when you're touching my stomach."

"So he likes me being close to him?" Kurogane asked, a faint blush moving across his cheeks as another proud smile surfaced, similarly to when Fay had first told the half human he was pregnant.

"Yes." He grinned at not only Kurogane's smile, but also because he could feel their son moving again underneath their fingertips. "He'll move a few more times for now it seems and later he'll start up again."

"At least he let us know he's doing alright." Kurogane replied, the smile not wavering from his face as he leaned down again to run his nose affectionately against Fay's cheek. "It wasn't really reassuring that he didn't make you go through the usual pregnancy problems…"

The blonde smiled at the gesture, thinking back to the conversation he had with the others not long ago.

"All pregnancies are different Kuro-chu." He did agree though with Kurogane, having Toshihiko finally moving meant that he was healthy enough to be moving on his own.

The other man scoffed, wondering if the baby would wiggle anymore before sleep was finally stubborn enough to take him. It didn't help, though, that his father had taken that opportune moment to burst into the room.

Fai jumped, startled at the noise behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see Toriho grinning brightly down at them and gave the other a sheepish look in return. "Hello, Toriho."

Kurogane tilted his head slightly away from Fay before growling. "Why don't you try knocking?"

Toriho ignored him and stormed over to the bed, kneeling beside them. He looked at Fai for a moment, who simply grinned, before placing both hands and an ear against Fay's stomach. "Did I hear you two correctly? Did I? Did I?"

"Yes you did." He face was flushed as he sat up. He looked over at Kurogane and offered his lover a smile as Toriho listened for any movement from his grandchild.

Kurogane glared daggers at Toriho as he too sat up. Toriho's brow furrowed slightly when Fay moved, though he looked pretty determined to hear or feel any flinch coming from the unborn child.

Fai winced briefly, the feeling still unusual and unexpected to him as he felt the baby move once more inside him. He could almost feel Toriho's excitement, knowing he had felt the movement too.

The older man instantly squealed, eyes closing tightly as he experienced the baby moving. "Tsumebe, I felt our grandchild move!"

Kurogane placed a hand over his face at his father's antics. They could almost see the sparkles pouring off of him.

"Maybe you should let them have at least a few more minutes to themselves dear. Toshihiko will still be moving later." Tsumebe said as she came into view, standing in the doorway as she watched her husband.

Toriho looked up to her, eyes brimming with excited tears as he pointed to the swollen stomach.

"He's moving." He squeaked excitedly, almost inaudibly.

Kurogane growled again and leaned forward, pulling Fay away from his father's grasp. "Listen to mom, dad, for the love of anything holy."

"That's wonderful news, but I think Youou and Fai-san would like to be alone for the time being. I'm sure Fai-san wouldn't mind you approach him later though." She offered as she looked at the couple and smiled. Fai blushed and nodded, thanking her silently.

Toriho got up obediently, still staring at Fay with an almost glow in his eyes. He then decided to ignore his wife's words and he hugged both Kurogane and Fay. The half breed let out a strangled grunt before growling. "Dad…"

Fai smiled as he was hugged not minding it because he knew that aside from himself and Kurogane, Toriho had been ecstatic about news of future grandchildren.

"Ok, ok, I'm going now." Toriho said, mostly to himself. He sighed and let go of the two men before going to his wife by the door, taking a quick glance back before closing the door. Kurogane sighed and placed a hand on his face. "Ugh…"

"It seems Kuro-pon won't be getting a nap." The Valerian said as he looked over to the taller man amused.

"Well I was enjoying not getting a nap until about a minute ago." Kurogane grumbled, lying back down in his former position.

"It wasn't that bad." Fai chuckled as he lay back down beside Kurogane, only to look up at the man once he was next to him.

Kurogane sighed and looked down at Fay. "It was still 'bad'. The fact it even happened at all makes it the worst." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back onto the pillow. "But since mom was there to step in, I guess I can let it go…"

"You know how excited he is, you'll have to get used to it." Fai said as he lay beside Kurogane, watching him.

The other grunted in recognition, the surprise of his father running in seeming to wear off. He hesitated from removing his hand from Fay's stomach, but eventually did when no more movement met his fingertips.

He smiled and moved one of his arms to wrap around Kurogane, his hand coming to a rest between the other man's shoulder blades.

Kurogane opened his eyes slowly, cocking a brow at the thought of the shorter man's comfort. He let out an exaggerated breath, but Fay could tell he liked the idea of napping with him.

Fai sighed as he lay against Kurogane, a faint smile in his face as he thought to their son, wondering when he would make himself known again.

~The next day~

Edameonus sighed and pulled off his coat, feeling that it had become hotter. "Damn, for professionals they sure can't do shit. We had to do most of the work." He barked, making Archellevon roll his eyes.

"Ed, they don't know where you want everything; you're not specific enough."

Kurogane growled to himself, shoving the couch all the way into place. "Would you two stop complaining?"

"Kuro-wan should rest instead of arguing too." Fai stood off to the side watching the others move the heavier furniture into place. He smiled as he watched Mokona and Yuui run around the newly furnished house laughing.

Kurogane stood up straight and massaged his left shoulder, glaring at Fay. "Tch, they're wasting energy on whining instead of getting their asses in gear and working."

Edameonus frowned and picked up a table with one hand. Toriho rolled his eyes at both men as he moved a chair into place. "At least wait until after we're done."

The blonde side stepped Mokona, who darted past him, and walked over towards his lover, seeing that Kurogane was having problems with his shoulder.

The half breed moved both hands to his hips and growled at his father, though he watched his lover from the corner of his eye. "And you, quit being a pansy and move heavier things too."

Edameonus set down the table with a thud, noticing Archellevon was watching with an affectionate smile.

"I'm going to moving the beds next brat, which the frames still need to be assembled." The older man said as he glared over towards his son.

"Maybe Kuro-wanko shouldn't work so hard or at least not lift as much." The Valerian said, not wanting anything else to happen to the other man's mechanical arm.

Kurogane turned to Fay and his expression gentled. "Huh? What're you talking about?"

Yuui fell onto the carpet, giggling at the feeling of it since Kurogane didn't have that much carpet or at least not as thick as this.

"Your shoulder." He replied while pointing at the area. Fai smiled as he listened to the two girls rolling around on the new carpet as well.

Kurogane looked to where the other was pointing before shrugging. "It doesn't hurt; it just locks up easier than my right arm. My shoulder used to do that a little with my real arm too."

"If you're sure then." He sighed, knowing Kurogane would push himself regardless.

The other man smirked slightly and placed his real hand on Fay's hair. "Don't give me that look." He said gruffly, knowing that the others were busy with their own tasks.

Edameonus picked Mokona up and frowned at her. "Oi, careful, Soel."

Mokona laughed as she was picked up, her excitement plain to see, as she squirmed in the other's hold. "Kuro-chan's stubborn."

Fai looked up at Kurogane as his hair was mussed by the taller man. The other scoffed and lowered his hand to the pale cheek.

"And you're not?" He asked lowly before turning his attention on Yuui, who had decided feeling up the sharp edge of the table was ok.

Edameonus frowned. "Soel, stop acting up. I know you're happy, but don't go and hurt yourself."

"Not as much as you." The other said as he kept his gaze on Kurogane. Mokona giggled.

"Mokona will behave!" Toriho smiled at the small girl before he lifted several metal bars, which was one of the bed frames, and walked back towards one of the bedrooms.

Archellevon followed Toriho, seeing that he could help out in this area. Edameonus sighed and gave her a stern look.

"You'd better." He set her down; noticing Kurogane had gone over to Yuui to make sure she didn't scrape herself on the wood.

Mokona ran back to Yuui who smiled at her friend's return. Fai rolled his eyes as he watched Kurogane amused that the man was worrying over the android when she was only playing. He grinned and crossed his arms.

Edameonus smiled to himself before looking over to Fay. He smiled wider after remembering the discovery yesterday. "Excited?" He asked the blonde while walking over to him to get the box next to the Valerian.

"Of course, I only have a few weeks left to go now." Fai said as Edameonus came towards him. Mokona laughed before she once again began moving about the living room with Yuui behind her.

Kurogane turned to the other two, listening to their conversation. Edameonus crouched next to the box so he could pick it up. "That's good to know. After what felt like an eternity on Valeria and then all of what's happened, it's almost breathtaking to know Toshihiko's so close to finally meeting us all."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to see his uncles and grandparents and everyone else." Fai said, smiling at the thought. It had felt like his pregnancy had taken forever to get to this point and the blonde was eager to finally be able to see his son.

Edameonus blushed a little at the thought of being called 'Uncle Ed', but he smiled widely.

"Yeah, but something tells me he'll have one hell of a set of lungs." He looked over to Kurogane out of the corner of his eye, making the other man growl.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It's unavoidable." Fai said in a deflated tone, though in truth he was happy to think of how Toshihiko would behave. "Kuro-san's loud, Toshi will be too."

Edameonus chuckled and set the box on the table he had just positioned.

"Well either way, he'll have traits like both of you. And unfortunately since you've both got alien blood in you, he might have those of Ginryan and Valerian races." He turned to both of them.

"You might have to cast a spell on his abnormal attributes like we had to, Fay-chan." He said seriously, making Kurogane frown deeply.

"True, though with his human ancestry they might not be as pronounced. A simple spell will work." He replied knowing it wouldn't do to have a stranger catch a glimpse of the baby is he shared some of his parents more exotic features.

"Does he always have to wear it?" Kurogane asked, somewhat coldly, not looking at the others.

"You guys don't even have to wear your disguises as much as you do."

Edameonus raised an eyebrow before sighing. "You've… actually got a point there…"

"Someone could easily see any of us. It would bring unnecessary trouble." Fai countered as he thought over the idea.

"Yet he waltzes out into the open field in his whole Ginryan-or-whatever garb thinking it's alright." Kurogane growled, mostly at the idea of it all, while gesturing it Edameonus.

The demon frowned and turned to the other. "Hey, the amount of power I used at those times made the magic on my disguise falter."

"I'll have to put a disguise on Toshi, the only way it can be taken off is either by me or if he his powers were stronger than mine." The blonde said, knowing there wasn't a way for their child to accidentally show himself to a stranger.

Kurogane folded his arms and stared at Fay, knowing that the precautions were necessary but loathing them all the same for reasons he didn't know. Edameonus started to place the things onto the table. "You know, Fay-chan, we /are/ out in the country. I've counted only two cars passing by tops everyday, sometimes that's Souhi and Tsumebe-chan. Letting Toshihiko run around in his true form wouldn't be bad for him as long as it's here and maybe behind the houses."

"...Maybe." He was still weary of something happening to Toshihiko and didn't know if he wanted to chance anything bad occurring because they hadn't been cautious enough.

Kurogane snorted and leaned against the wall. "If anything bad happens I'll beat the shit out of anyone who tries to exaggerate the situation."

Edameonus paused and looked at Kurogane, smiling to himself briefly. "You know, you really are a good guy when it comes to your child."

The other man squawk, slightly taken off guard by the compliment, from Edameonus no less.

"Toshi's going to be in a lot of fights from watching Kuro-min it seems." A sigh escaped the blonde at the thought, knowing he would worry at the site of their child coming home with bruises and scrapes.

"…He'll learn the consequences of those fast and might not get in so many after the first one." He said lowly, ignoring Edameonus's smile.

"You still got into all sorts of fights." He retorted as he turned his gaze to Kurogane. "Though I doubt he'll be too ill-tempered."

"You are his mother, after all." Kurogane replied, shrugging. Edameonus bit his lip in order to refrain from chuckling, setting some recently bought cushions onto the couch.

Fai smiled at the title, his mind wandering to their son briefly. "Kuro-san is still going to teach him to rough house."

Kurogane smirked and pushed himself off the wall, going over to examine some of the things still in a box. "Can you really blame me? Family habits die just as hard as personal ones."

"Can't be helped then, just as long as he doesn't end up with any broken bones." Fai said as he watched Kurogane rummage through one of the boxes still lying around the house.

"Oi, I'm not as careless as Dad." Kurogane said, waving the back of his hand in the direction of his lover. Edameonus snorted at the comment, thinking back to the case they all went through.

"Careless and reckless are two different things." He muttered to himself, though Kurogane shot a vicious glare in his direction.

"Still doesn't mean it couldn't happen." He said, hoping their son would at least inherit his healing abilities just in case something did happen.

"Tch." Kurogane snorted while pulling out curtains still in the plastic bags they were bought in.

"Oi, Yuui, c'mere."

Turning towards Kurogane's voice Yuui obediently walked over to her creator ready to do whatever job was asked of her. Fai rolled his eyes at his lover, but he also knew Kurogane would keep their son safe.

The mechanic stood straight and undid the curtains from their container. "Put these up for me." He commanded, hooking the plastic hooks onto the curtain so it would stay on the metal rod.

Yuui took the material and nodded in understanding before she walked away from Kurogane to do as she was told. Fai sighed and moved over to another box, seeing if there was anything he could help with.

Edameonus was slightly surprised when he saw the androids arms extend longer than normal, reaching above where even Kurogane would've needed a stool to reach. Said man turned from her and started on the next curtain, knowing it wouldn't take her long.

A shrill cry came from the bedroom with the others and the blonde smiled at hearing Mokona's excitement over her new home. Yuui grinned as her arms retracted after she finished and turned to see if there was anything else needed of her.

Edameonus looked up in panic at first before sighing with a relaxed smile. "Soel seems to like it here." He said, mostly to himself. Kurogane stretched his arm slightly to hook the end of the curtain's edge to a metal curve before gesturing Yuui to him.

"Yes, she's been excited since she saw the moving trucks this morning." Fai said as he pulled out bedding from one of the boxes he had opened. Grinning, Yuui walked over to Kurogane once more.

Edameonus frowned slightly as he set the lampshade over the light bulb on the counter.

"…Makes me wonder if Archy's excited too…" Kurogane looked up from the girl and scowled. "S'not like he's dreading it; he seemed to like the idea of living here when you two mentioned it."

"Why wouldn't he be?" The blonde asked skeptically as he looked at his friend. "I'm sure he's been looking forward to it for awhile now."

Edameonus shrugged and clicked the lamp on to test how it worked. "I dunno, I just get weird vibes from him of late, especially now since we're moving in."

Kurogane dumped the rest of the curtains onto the table with a grunt. "That's a normal feeling a person gets, not surprising it's coming from a teenager like him."

"He has experienced a lot since coming here. It's a big change to move, he might just be adjusting?" He suggested as he laid the packaged comforter onto the couch before he moved to pull out what was left inside the cardboard box.

"Maybe…" Edameonus said pensively before smiling gently. "It might wear off if we live together again… it's been so long since we were allowed to see each other on a regular basis."

"It's a new start for both of you." Fai said, thinking the same could be said for himself and Kurogane.

The demon smiled wider and went to the table where Kurogane was so he could work on the curtains as well. "Yeah… thanks… for helping with so much…" He looked to Kurogane and Fay with a small blush of gratitude. The human blinked and looked away with a huff.

"You've helped much more." Fai said, thinking back to how the man had helped him with his own worries both on Valeria and on Earth. "It's the least we can do." The blonde had his back turned to the others as he picked up pieces of discarded plastic from the floor.

Edameonus chuckled and straightened out a white curtain with pink flowers. "Guess we're mostly even then with the favors." He picked up the white ones and slung them over his arm.

"I'll go and put these in Soel's room." Kurogane watched him out of the corner of his eye, trying not to show that he was flattered by the gratitude.

Smiling, Fai watched as the Ginryan disappeared into the room Mokona had picked out for herself. Setting what trash he had gathered onto a chair, the blonde made his way to Kurogane.

The other looked at him with a frown. "What?" Taking another curtain to hang up, Yuui started to hum again as she went to the last remaining window.

"I have to have a reason for standing next to Kuro-san?" He asked amused as he looked up at the other man.

"You were giving me that look." The other man replied, watching the android reach for the metal bar. "Like you knew what I was thinking and you were trying to be sneaky about it."

"Kuro-kun's paranoid; I wasn't looking at him differently." The Valerian said as he shrugged his shoulders innocently.

Kurogane sighed and brushed it off, knowing the other was just as stubborn as he was. He set the red curtains to the side so they could be moved into the kitchen. Yuui clipped on the other fabric before smiling to Kurogane and Fay. "Will Yuui and Kurogane and Fay visit everyone?"

"I don't see why not. I'm sure Mokona would want Yuui to visit." The blonde smiled at the android as he stood beside Kurogane.

His twin smiled wider. "And will Mokona visit Yuui?" Kurogane turned his attention to the girl for a moment and kept silent, taking a break from any work.

"Of course." Fai replied as he moved to lean against the table. Yuui smiled brightly at his answer, glad for the news that she and Mokona would still visit each other.

~Elsewhere~

Archellevon smiled and wiped his forehead, looking at the work he and Toriho just finished.

"Wow, who knew putting metal sticks into place would take so much work? At least the box springs weren't too heavy." He giggled weakly, blushing slightly when he had heard how they lightly squeaked whenever moved.

"It's not too bad, just a lot of lifting." Toriho smirked, thinking they at least had one room nearly finished now. "The mattress and box springs are the worst because you have to maneuver them around."

He frowned slightly when he realized the perverse thoughts barging through his head like a parade. He turned from the elder man in hopes of avoiding questioning. "S-so, what next? S-sheets? P-pillows? Cabinet?"

"You can make the bed and I can get the dresser." The other said, curious as to why the teen was stuttering all of the sudden.

"Ok…" The former angel replied, biting his lip as he practically dashed out of the bedroom to get the bed supplies Fay had unpacked. He tried to will away the blush, wondering why he got so embarrassed in the bedroom. Edameonus poked his head out of Mokona's room curiously, seeing the other rush by.

Toriho watched the former angel bolt from the room wondering what had upset him before he followed to get the rest of the bedroom's furniture. Fai stared as he saw Archellevon gather all the bedding he had unpacked, curious about the blush on his face.

Yuui tilted her head.

"Archy's face is two degrees hotter again. Is Archy sick?" She asked curiously, a small pout on her face. The angel looked up and blinked, his face turning a darker shade when he realized everyone was watching him.

"U-uh…" He smiled and shook his head.

"N-nothing! N-no, I'm not sick! I-I'm fine! Really!"

"Archy's not sick Yuui." Fai smiled towards the teen, knowing someone must have said something to cause Archellevon to become so flustered.

Kurogane only raised an eyebrow, noticing that the teenager kept glancing down the hallway to the bedroom. The muscular man scoffed lightly, figuring out what was wrong almost instantly before turning his heel to go in the other direction to the mess room. Archellevon continued to gather the blankets then, once again failing at hiding his blush.

Yuui smiled as she continued to look over the human, noting the spike in temperature. Close to her, Fai watched as well, a faint smile on his lips as he wondered why exactly Archellevon kept looking behind him. As he tried to think of what was wrong Toriho came into the living room, and finding the dresser for the bedroom smiled before he picked up the piece of furniture.

Kurogane looked at his father, hearing him come in and scowled, seeing his father was a lot stronger than he usually led onto. Archellevon picked up the rest of the cloth and smiled at Toriho in a sheepish but friendly way. "H-has old age gotten t-to you? You n-never had to put so much effort into lifting objects such as that…"

"Hey, I'm still young." Toriho said as he looked over to Archellevon. "I just don't really have any need to use my actual strength here." He frowned at the idea of himself getting older.

Archellevon smiled. "That's a shame and a relief at the same time." He replied, losing his stutter from the change of topic. Kurogane ripped his attention away from them, not wanting to know his father was stronger than he acted.

"Yeah, I suppose." The older man smiled as he walked back towards the bedroom. He glanced over to his son and stared, wondering why Kurogane was scowling now. Fai chuckled to himself, thinking how surprised Kurogane would be once he beat the other man over the bet they had made weeks ago.

Yuui began to hum again as she went back to hanging up the fabric over the windows.

Archellevon frowned slightly when he remembered what he was doing, but he took a deep breath and went back to the bedroom, trying not to let his mind wander too much.

Edameonus watched him as well, frowning slightly as he wondered what was up. He followed the younger into the bedroom, causing the former angel to yelp in surprise since he didn't see him until he turned around. "Arch, what's up? You seem kind of edgy…"

"N-nothing's wrong, you surprised me Ed." The teen smiled sheepishly as he turned to see the other man behind him. His arms clutching the bedding as he blushed.

Edameonus chuckled lightly, though he let his brow curve slightly in worry. "It's not that; all day you've been acting like something big is on your mind… is… something wrong?"

Archellevon shook his head fervently. "N-no, nothing's wrong, I promise Ed." He continued to blush as he looked up at the taller man, not wanting to worry him anymore than he already had.

"You're all red though…" Edameonus continued, raising his hand to touch the other's cheek.

Archellevon unintentionally pulled away, though, avoiding the caress without meaning to. The demon felt his heart skip a beat from shock at this, but he lowered his hand with an apologetic smile. "I-if you're overworked, I can get you something to drink and you can relax with Fay-chan…"

"I still need to make the bed." He said, angry at himself for having pulled away from the other's touch and at being the cause of the expression Edameonus now wore.

"I can do that. I finished with Soel's room." The demon offered, smile widening in hopes that the other would listen. "It's been a long day… I can see why you're a little jumpy… Fay-chan and Kurogane said it's natural for a person to be like this… is that true for humans?"

"If you want to I guess..." He said, not knowing what to say to the other man. He was afraid he would say something that would hurt Edameonus on top of how he had avoided his touch earlier.

"Yes, for the most part at least, moving into a new house is a big milestone."

Edameonus didn't reach out for the blankets in fear of making the younger flinch away again. "I see… I suppose if you set those down on the bed I can…" He trailed off, trying not to let his smile slip before he went over to the doorway, opening it wider so Toriho could fit the dresser in.

"E-ed..." Archellevon frowned at seeing the other's dejected expression as he clutched the bedding to his chest. He stepped out of Toriho's way, still feeling guilty about upsetting Edameonus.

The Ginryan who just entered felt the nasty vibe almost instantly and grimaced as he let the dresser go to place it in the corner. "Seems like the house is falling right into place isn't it?" He said with a wide grin, wanting to lighten the atmosphere. Edameonus smiled back, not wanting

Archellevon to frown anymore. "Yeah, it is… almost unreal…"

He felt his face heat at the thought, before nodding in agreement. "It's exciting to think about." Archellevon smiled faintly at the thought of them finally being able to move in, though in turn it caused him to blush again.

Edameonus saw this and frowned smoothly, though he turned his head away so Archellevon wouldn't see it. "Hn…" He bit the inside of his lip and turned back with a renewed smile. "Well, I guess I should start working on this bed. I'll make up Soel's after I'm done. You go chill with Fay-chan, ok, Archy?"

"Alright." He said and offered what he held in his arms to the other man. Toriho watched the exchange curious about what had happened between the two of them.

Edameonus hesitated for a moment, only taking the bedding when he knew the other wouldn't wince away. He kept his smile on, turning to set the sheets on the bed. "I'll be in after I'm done with Soel's, why don't you go join them Souhi? You've been a big enough help."

Toriho looked at Edameonus curiously before he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "If you're sure." Archellevon hoped he hadn't hurt the other man too much with his actions as

Edameonus took the bedding from him. Both of them left Edameonus to himself as they walked into the newly furnished living to see Fai sitting on the couch.

The demon kept his smile on until they had left his field of vision, then it came crashing down.

He placed a hand on his face over his eyes, trying to figure out what he did wrong to make Archellevon so nervous.

In the other room Kurogane was messing with an outlet, the cover of it having come off. He looked up to see his dad and raised an eyebrow. "Oi, what's wrong with you?"

"Who said anything was wrong?" Toriho said as he glanced over to his son. "And why are you messing with the wiring?"

Archellevon walked past him to sit beside Fai on the couch.

"I'm not." Kurogane replied simply, tightening the screw a little more before standing. "Those people you call electricians did a shitty job and left half of these loose or falling off."

"I only see the one that was loose." He walked forward to stand beside Kurogane before he scanned the other outlets in the room.

"You're just not observant." Kurogane replied coolly, setting the screwdriver in a small toolbox Toriho had set on the counter of the mess room.

The teenager smiled fondly at them before turning his attention on Fay, feeling slightly comfortable around him and the child. "Has… he moved at all since yesterday?"

"Once, but only briefly." Fai said as he smiled at the teen. Toriho paused as he listened to the others and smirked at the mention of his grandchild, effectively forgetting Kurogane's remark.

"When was that?" Archellevon asked, trying not to think of Edameonus's expression when he had retracted his hand. Kurogane looked up as well, curious on the mention of his baby.

"Early this morning." Fai explained, not noticing that Toriho and Kurogane had stopped to listen to him.

"Perhaps he's only moves when Kurogane-san's around or touching you?" Archellevon asked with a small blush and smile, remembering what Toriho had bragged about the night before.

Kurogane blushed at the remark, turning his glance away out of embarrassment.

"I wouldn't have been able to sleep if that was the case. I've been active today, so that might have something to do with it as well." He said and smiled at the thought. Away from them Toriho smirked and turned his head to look over at Kurogane.

He looked back and scowled slightly, not liking the teasing expression his father wore. Archellevon grinned wider. "That's probably it. But is that alright? You worked so much today…"

"I don't feel anything wrong, so it shouldn't be a problem. If I rest he might decide to move again." He said, wondering when Toshihiko would make himself known again. Toriho smirked and reached over to ruffle his son's hair playfully, even if he knew it would annoy Kurogane.

The tanned hand came up and smacked the elder man's hand away, Kurogane growling. "The hell, dad?" He barked, making Archellevon flinch at the sudden loud noise.

They heard Edameonus call down the hallway. "Oi, oi, don't start in my house!"

"What?" The older man asked innocently as he smiled at Kurogane. Fai turned to look over at them and smiled as well. Kurogane growled at them both before turning sharply to go into the mess room.

Edameonus walked out of the bedroom with a frown on his face, glaring at Kurogane's back when he saw him.

"Kuro-wan's cruel~" Fai said as large tears gathered at the corners of his eyes. "Kuro-brute's mean too." Fai's crocodile tears dried as he watched Edameonus storm over to Kurogane, while Toriho paused at the scene.

"Don't start another fight you two."

Kurogane and Edameonus glared lightning at each other, only held back by the will to not damage the newly fashioned house. "As long as he starts acting his age."

Edameonus commanded, making Kurogane growl. "And as long as he stops being a pushover."

Toriho sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Honestly, you two..." Fai watched, seeing that it was unlikely they'd fight now. "Both of you need to act your age."

They both turned to glare at Toriho, but Archellevon got up and walked over to the blanket, making Edameonus turn to look at him. "A…Archy? What are…?"

Toriho rolled his eyes at how childish the other two could be sometimes over the simplest of things. Fai watched as the teen stood and walked around the couch, confused about what he was doing.

The teenager smiled and picked up the blanket. "You seemed busy… I-I was going to…" He folded the blanket so it would be easier to carry. "…t-to take over making the bed…" Kurogane took that opportunity to go back in the room to check the fixtures again.

Seeing that another fight wasn't going to break out Toriho walked over to sit next to Fai, knowing the others, especially Archellevon wouldn't want to be bothered. He grinned at the couple as he listened to the teen.

Edameonus paused before sighing lightly. "Alright, if you want to… you can finish that one and I'll make Soel's… that should be the last thing." He said with a grin, starting to walk to the hallway.

Archellevon nodded as he held the blanket in his arms. Toriho smirked as he watched them for a few more moments before turning his attention to Fai. "My ungrateful son should be waiting on you hand and foot Fai-chan after all you are having a baby in about a month." The blonde smiled sheepishly at the others words, a faint blush crossing his own cheeks because of it.

Kurogane leaned slowly into view from the other room, a clear glare plastered over his face with narrowed eyes. "If you don't want to be disowned and never see your grandchild, you'll stop saying crap like that when I'm in earshot, gramps."

"Fai-chan wouldn't let you, so don't lie." Toriho scolded from the couch as he returned his son's glare with his own.

"And what do you think I'm doing?"

Fai's eyebrow arched in question as he looked over to his lover. Toriho turned away from his son for a moment to keep himself from laughing before he faced him again. "You're looking for stuff to fix, that might not even need it."

Kurogane glared at his father again. "It does. Unless you honestly want the mirror to fall." He barked, and once again, Edameonus leaned into the room glaring.

"Stop instigating Souhi. You're not making it better."

"You're one to talk Ed." He shouted back while Fai frowned at Kurogane for ignoring him.

"You start arguments all the time." Toriho pointed out as he continued to sit on the couch. Edameonus placed his hands on his hips.

"Don't make it seem like you're not the problem. I didn't start this fight so shut up." He argued, not noticing Yuui and Mokona poking out of the bathroom to look at him.

"Edam's angry…" The android whispered to Mokona.

"Then don't escalate things and get into it." The other Ginryan retorted. Fai sighed, hoping silently that Toshihiko or any other kids he would have for that matter would be as quick to anger as the other men yelling at each other.

The transformed girl pouted and ran forward, tackling one of the Ginryan's legs. He jerked slightly and looked down, somewhat surprised. His anger melted away when he saw who it was and smiled slightly.

"Soel? What's up, sweetie?" He asked, reaching down to pick her up.

"Everyone was fighting." She pouted as she was lifted into the Ginryan's arms. Toriho turned his attention away from his friend and looked over to Kurogane instead, wondering why he'd been quiet.

Edameonus smiled apologetically, cradling her affectionately. "It's because we're all tired. Everyone worked a lot today." He looked over to the others with a slight frown. "Perhaps after we eat we should call it a day?" He asked, knowing they were all grumpy from getting up early.

"Mokona wants to help fix lunch." She said as she hugged Edameonus. Fai grinned at the scene the two made while Toriho chuckled.

"We'll have to go to Youou's house then since Tsumebe and Tomoyo-chan aren't back from the store."

"We could always wait for them here." Edameonus offered, closing one eye as Mokona nuzzled his cheek. Yuui entered the room and smiled at them, happy they were so close.

"It shouldn't take them much longer." He answered, seeing as how both women had left a couple of hours ago.

The other demon smiled and turned to his daughter. "You wanna take a nap in your new room before they get here?" He asked her, knowing she liked the freshly decorated atmosphere.

She nodded against him, her energy nearly spent from running throughout the house with Yuui earlier. Toriho smiled as he turned to watch the two of them, knowing it would be best not to mention anything about the other man looking cute with the girl in his arms.

Edameonus chuckled and smiled to the others. "I'll put her to bed then."

Toriho turned back around after Edameonus left with Mokona. "Later this week we should get started on finishing up the Christmas decorations." He said as Fai nodded in agreement.

"It's only about three weeks away." The Valerian replied as he thought over everything that still needed to be done.

"Kurogane still hasn't got skin?" Yuui asked suddenly, making the man shove his hand into his pocket and glare at her for mentioning it.

"Doesn't have skin?" Fai asked, confused about what Yuui had meant. Beside the blonde Toriho eyed his son, as he wondered the same thing.

"Nothing." Kurogane replied, not taking his eyes off his android. "I was working on my computers and it melted some of my fake skin, I fixed it, so it's fine now." He said, though he kept his hand in his pocket. Yuui tilted her head to the side, wondering why he was staring at her.

Fai frowned at the news.

Kurogane didn't say anything more about it, though he wondered why they hadn't seen his touch up job by then anyway. He had to melt the skin back into place from what had happened, and it left a slightly brown spot on the edge of his finger. "You were talking about Christmas stuff?"

He reminded his father, noting that Yuui was still staring at him curiously.

"Yeah, since it's a short time away now we should get everything up soon." Toriho said, his voice more subdued as he sat beside Fai.

"Hn. When we going?" Kurogane asked, wondering if he should've told Fay sooner or not seeing that he'd get upset either way.

"Whenever you're free, maybe on a weekend?" He suggested, still noting the blonde was still quiet beside him. "Or at least before it starts to snow anymore than it has been."

Kurogane shrugged. "School ends in a couple days I think. Doesn't matter to me." He replied, knowing he'd be forced to do it if he went quietly or not.

"Alright, when you're out of school we'll go." Toriho sighed thinking to himself everything that still needed to be done concerning the upcoming holidays.

"Tch, so troublesome…" The younger said, taking his hand out of his pocket to run it through his hair. Yuui smiled and sat down in a chair, seeing that no work needed to be done now.

"You always complain, though you still end up helping every year." Toriho grinned as he looked over to Fai. "Besides I'm sure Fai-chan would like to have the whole Christmas experience."

"You bitch every year that I have to help, it gets annoying to listen to on an annual basis." Kurogane scoffed, seeming to have calmed down after revealing the news about his hand.

Edameonus and Archellevon came down the hallway, obviously having put Mokona to bed.

"I resent that, I'm always cheerful for the holidays." He answered as he grinned, he could only imagine what those times before had been like.

Kurogane snorted. "As if."

Archellevon walked passed them to go into the kitchen, obviously going to see if everything was still in order. Edameonus leaned against the door frame from the living room, a small smile on his face. "Talking about the holidays?"

"Yeah." He smiled over to the former angel while Fai still sat quietly beside him listening.

~later~

Fai smiled as he stood beside Yuui. They had not long ago finished lunch after Tomoyo and Tsumebe returned from town and now that everything had been put away, everyone felt it was time to leave the small family for them to enjoy their new home.

Archellevon fidgeted slightly in his chair, knowing that when everyone left that he, Mokona, and Edameonus would be alone. Toriho noticed the teenager's edginess and pulled him aside once, but the white haired one only continued to deny anything was wrong. He now stood with Edameonus as the Ginryans exchanged a handshake. "Thanks for everything, Souhi."

"It's not a big deal." Toriho answered as he smirked at the other man. Tsumebe laughed behind them at her husband while Tomoyo stood between her and Fai.

Edameonus smiled and retracted his hand to place it on his hip. "Thanks anyway. It wouldn't be the first time you've given me a home, but this is certainly the nicest one yet." Kurogane listened halfheartedly, interested only in getting back home.

"Whatever, not like you haven't helped any of us." The other Ginryan said, a little embarrassed at the other's gratitude.

Edameonus smiled wider. "Like I said earlier; we're even."

Archellevon smiled at them as well. "Yes… I-I'm… I'm sure living here is going to be different, from both the worlds I've lived on, but it's certainly well received…"

Mokona giggled sleepily from his arms, still tired from her nap.

Toriho waved off anymore thanks as he smiled at both his friends. "We should all get going then, Youou's been looking more irritable than usual and I'm sure the three of you would like to spend time together in your new home." He smiled brightly at the teen while he listened to Mokona's faint laughter.

Archellevon's smile faltered and he looked to the ground, more blush covering his face.

Kurogane growled behind his father. "If you didn't take so freakin long to eat, you fat old man."

"I am not. You're just being grouchy because it's almost your bedtime brat." Toriho looked over to Kurogane as he spoke. Tsumebe smiled, ready to stop them if they started arguing too badly.

"You take on the same schedule I have and let's see you cope with it." Kurogane argued, opening the front door with Yuui clinging to his free arm.

Edameonus laughed slightly and looked at Toriho. "Visit anytime. Especially when it comes around that time. I need to talk to you about certain things."

Toriho's attention immediately turned to Edameonus as he smiled brightly. "Of course, just call whenever and I'll come visit." Fai stared between both men; curious about what it was exactly they had been hiding.

He was torn from his thoughts as Tsumebe and Tomoyo gave their farewells and began to leave after Kurogane.

"I suppose it is getting late. We'll see you tomorrow then." The blonde said as he looked to Archellevon and Mokona.

"Yes, tomorrow." Archellevon replied, giving Mokona to Edameonus. He quickly reached forward and grasped Fay's shoulder with a blush. "F-Fay-san, if it's alright… could I speak with you tomorrow?" He asked hurriedly, seeing Kurogane look up to their porch with a scowl.

"Of course." He smiled at the other teen, wondering why he would be embarrassed about talking with him. "I could come over whenever you would like."

Archellevon smiled, looking slightly relieved. "Th-thank you… early, please… perhaps after Kurogane-san leaves f-for school?" He asked, moving his attention back on Fay. Edameonus looked at them quizzically, but noted Mokona had begun to snore softly against his chest.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow morning then." The blonde said as he continued to smile down at the teen. Toriho smirked before turning and leaving, he waved one last time at both his friends as he left.

Archellevon smiled and waved at them before closing the door, knowing the elder members of their family would drive home. He turned to look at Edameonus, who was walking to the hallway with the bedrooms. "A-are you putting M-Mokona-chan to bed again?"

"Yeah, seems she was really tired after everything today." The Ginryan smiled as he held the transformed creature in his arms. Edameonus glanced over to one of the windows, seeing Fai and Toriho walking inside Kurogane's house before he returned his gaze to Archellevon.

Archellevon bit his lip and looked to the remnants of their meal. He walked forward to the table and started to gather up the items that needed to be washed, trying to busy himself.

"A-are you tired as well?" He called after Edameonus after the taller man had went into the girl's room.

"A little, I guess." Answered the other, he pulled back the comforter of Mokona's new bed and laid her down.

Archellevon frowned slightly, holding the dirty plates with a slightly tight grip. "…W…well… what d-do you w-want to d-do?" He asked, trying to keep the quiver in his voice to a minimum but to no avail.

Edameonus turned to the bedroom door, curious at why the other was stuttering. "Are you tired?"

He said, taking another look at the still sleeping Mokona before he moved to join Archellevon.

"N-no… not really…" Archellevon replied softly, not looking up at Edameonus when he entered the room.

"What would you like to do then, it's still not that late." The Ginryan watched the teen as he walked over to him and moved to help Archellevon.

"A-ano…" He stopped collecting the plates, trying to think of something to do. "Th-there's… n-not a lot left t-to do… with unpacking…"

Edameonus stood, trying to think of what to say to the other, seeing that there really wasn't much else for them to do.

Archellevon chanced a glance at Edameonus, but when he found the garnet eyes on him he couldn't look away despite the blush covering his face. "A-ah…"

"Archy?" He asked, not knowing if he should step closer to the boy or not after Archellevon had pulled away from him earlier in the day.

The former angel's lips curved in a delicate frown before he bowed his head. After a moment he leaned forward, touching his forehead against the taller man's chest. "I-I'm sorry… I-I'm s-still… s-so nervous."

"Don't worry about it." Edameonus grinned as he wrapped one arm around the shorter teen's waist, while his other hand moved to rest atop Archellevon's head, pulling the boy close to him while he tried to comfort the former angel.

Archellevon rested his cheek against the other's garments, his hands clinging to the shirt tightly though his body stiffened at the contact. "E-Ed… earlier… I-I…" He closed his eyes tightly. "I didn't mean… t-to…"

"It's fine, don't apologize." He frowned at feeling the other tense against him and wondered if holding the other had been a bad idea on his part.

The angel shook his head. "I-I've made you upset…" He looked up slowly, holding the shirt still. "I-I wouldn't wish losing the memory of the one you love on anyone, y-yet I did it to myself… y-you went through so much pain…" He slinked a hand up timidly to hold Edameonus's cheek.

"A-and even with my memory back, I-I still pull away from you…"

"It doesn't matter as long as you're here." Edameonus said as he leaned into the other's touch, taking comfort in the simple gesture as he stared down at the other in his arms.

Archellevon shook his head again, tenderly running his thumb against the demon's cheek.

"It does matter… t-to both of us…" He snaked his arms around Edameonus shoulders to hug him tightly, his face being buried in the taller man's collar bone. "I-I wish I had been stronger… in th-that alley…"

"It's not your fault." Edameonus said as he hugged the small figure to him. His own anger building at what had happened to Archellevon. "I should've followed you."

Archellevon sighed and relaxed somewhat, taking in the scent of the other. "I-I told you not to… so it's my fault it h-happened…" He bit his lip, not wanting to think about associating Edameonus loving caresses with the greedy ones he had endured.

"Still I could've done something." Edameonus sighed as he held Archellevon, taking in the other against him.

The shorter closed his eyes and smiled sadly. "You did, remember? I-I watched you a-and Kurogane-san beat those men…" He frowned again, feeling useless once more.

"I mean I could've done something sooner." The Ginryan was still upset that Archellevon had been attacked and he hadn't gotten there in time to prevent anything from happening to the other.

The younger sighed and pulled slightly away from Edameonus to look at him, his arms loosely draped around the taller man's shoulders. "I'm… relieved you came when you did… a-any later… a-and…" He trailed off, hands clumping the shirt's fabric in his hands nervously while he bowed his head.

"Don't think about it, I promise to never let anything like that happen again." He glared at the thought of what could have happened, his arm wrapped tighter around the teen as he promised to protect him.

Archellevon looked up and smiled, his body relaxing further in the strong embrace. "I know…" He moved his hand to the other man's cheek again, his fingers going through the single long lock Edameonus had. "You didn't cut this off after I died… I was slightly surprised…"

"I made a promise to you didn't I?" He said softly, a warm smile spreading across his lips at the memory and promise he had made all those years ago.

"I didn't know the promise was still good…" He smiled sadly, running his hand through the long hair. "After all, my hair's no longer the length we agreed on… It's so short now…"

"You can still grow it out." The taller man ran his fingers through the light hair, smiling at the familiar feeling. "Besides in the disguise my hair's not as long as it normally is either."

Archellevon's smile grew slightly. "Well… I-I'm sure… n-now that I'm not in court…" He blushed deeply, a timid tinge to his smile. "W-we won't need hair length a-as our solitary promise for much longer…"

The other man's eyes widened considerably as he looked down at the teen, not sure if he had heard Archellevon correctly. He blushed darkly at the thought as he smiled nervously at the former angel.

Archellevon saw the other man's expression and quickly looked down. "A-ah… s-sorry a-again… I-I… it's…" The younger babbled his face completely red now.

"Don't apologize, especially about something like that." Edameonus hugged the shorter teen as he gave him a reassuring smile.

The white haired one fell silent, eyes glancing up nervously at the taller man. He clutched the shirt still, hoping any sort of flashback wouldn't cause him to push away any time soon.

He smiled down at the other, wondering what had caused Archellevon to suggest something like that. "You didn't have a vision about things did you?" Edameonus grinned as he looked down at the pale haired teen.

"When I was still an angel, every time I fell asleep I would dream about our future…" Archellevon replied, closing his eyes as a blissful expression took hold of his face. "I dreamed every day in detail, about me forgetting, about you finding me falling from the sky, about you dealing with losing me… about our home here, about you playing with our child…"

"You saw all of that?" Edameonus blushed at the mention the former angel seeing him with Mokona. He was surprised however that his lover hadn't even hinted at anything before.

"Yes, and they played while you and I prepared some special event… unfortunately with the loss of memory the memories I've gained back are fuzzy, so I don't recall it all…" He sighed happily. "But the look on his face when you tossed him in the air only to catch him again was precious…"

"They? H-him?" The blush across his cheeks darkened at the other's words. He moved away from the other a few inches to look down at Archellevon questioningly.

The teenager looked back up just as confused, only to let his own words sink in. His face went a deep shade of red and he gaped like a fish with wide eyes. "A-ah! N-n-n-nothing! Nothing! I-it's n-not… r-r-really I-I c-c-can't… it's s-s…"

"You saw us with other kids?" Edameonus mulled over the idea, knowing he would gladly have any number of children with Archellevon, he smiled faintly at the memories of how they had tried to create a family of their own before. He sighed as he hugged the other to him again. "We can't have anymore now, at least not the normal way." His mind went back to Mokona sleeping peacefully in her room as he spoke.

"A-ah… n-normal… the normal way…" Archellevon looked to the side, biting his lip while keeping something to himself. He allowed Edameonus to hug him again, leaning into the other man's chest.

The other man continued to blush at the thoughts running through his head as he and Archellevon stood, holding each other. He wondered idly what the other was going to say, but knew it would be best not to push the matter.

The teenager tried to think of something else to say. "B-but… I-I… didn't d-dream of a lot after I gained my memories back… o-only certain days and… other things…"

"Hn. You don't have your full powers, so it makes sense you wouldn't have as many visions." He sighed, thinking that the other not seeing as much as he used to a good thing, especially when it could cause Archellevon problems. "You've not seen anything bad have you?" Edameonus asked, worried about the other.

Archellevon once again fell silent, bowing his head. After a moment he sighed shakily. "…Y…yes…"

"What were they?" He looked down at Archellevon, hoping whatever the other had seen wasn't anything too serious.

Archellevon shook his head. "I can't tell you… you know I can't…" He sighed sadly, looking up. "Just like I couldn't tell you that I knew all along we would go through what we went through already…"

"I can't know anything about it?" He sighed thinking he should have realized he couldn't have been told, especially if the visions were concerning anyone he had direct contact with in cause he interfered and changed things.

"No… not even about who it deals with…" Archellevon slipped his hand down to grasp Edameonus's chest. "But… it's something that… we can all forgive and forget in the end…"

"I'm glad then." He said, even if he was still uneasy about what Archellevon had seen.

The former angel smiled apologetically to the elder. "It's still not for some time, Ed… don't give me that look…"

"Good." He grinned at Archellevon, still hoping to himself they would be ready for whatever would happen.

The other smiled slightly wider when he saw the taller man's expression. He was about to say something more before cutting himself off with a yawn.

"Guess you're more tired than you let on earlier?" Edameonus chuckled at the sight, his smile widening as he stared at the other.

The teenager felt his eyes open slightly more, embarrassed that he had yawned so closely to Edameonus, but also a sinking feeling in his stomach grew at the thoughts of going to bed. "I-I'm not, r-really…" He replied sheepishly.

"You can go on to bed, I'll finish cleaning up." The Ginryan said as he smiled down at the other in his arms.

Archellevon pouted slightly, not letting go of Edameonus. "B-but… you've done more work than I have…"

"You're tired though and you know I don't care to clean." He said as he looked at the teen questioningly. "Besides Fai-chan will be here early tomorrow and you don't want to sleep in."

The younger sighed, admitting defeat. "F-fine… but… you'll have to let go of me first…" He said sheepishly, tightening his hold affectionately.

"True." He laughed, though he didn't remove his arms from around the other.

Archellevon raised an eyebrow, though he too didn't let go. He was reminded of their life before court, where they used to do things like this all the time, but something felt off about it now.

Smiling, Edameonus kept his arms around the teen, not wanting to let the other go as he enjoyed holding Archellevon to him.

The blue eyed boy leaned forward again, resting his head against the taller man's chest. He frowned though, knowing this peace wouldn't last as long as they all had hoped.

"…Ed…Promise…" The shorter began, his hands tightening once more on Edameonus's shirt. "Promise me you'll never leave me again…please stay with me physically and emotionally from now on… I-I don't want to go a day without seeing you…"

"I promise. Nothing will keep me away from you, as long as you want me I'll stay by your side." Edameonus said, not liking the sudden change in his lover.

Archellevon sighed in relief from the answer, closing his eyes. What he had saw in the future made him uneasy. He just wished he could fix things before they happened. "I'm happy then…"

He pulled away from Edameonus with a small smile, though his eyes looked elsewhere. "W-we should…clean up now…"

"Alright." He was still curious about the other, but decided against asking Archellevon about it as he they parted and the Ginryan moved to gather dishes.

Archellevon helped him clean up, though his hands were slightly clumsy with tiredness. He bit his lip, hoping Edameonus wouldn't notice and smiled. "I-I can clean them… y-you can… g-go ahead and s-start getting ready for bed if y-you want…"

"I can help too you know and you're more tired than I am." He pointed out as he looked over at Archellevon.

The younger looked down as he paused from scraping off the plates. "I-it's fine… I… you go ahead…"

"Are you sure?" Red eyes stared at the teen questioningly as Edameonus paused, still holding a plate.

"Y-yeah… I…" Archellevon's face went scarlet. "I-I'll join you w-when I'm done here…"

"Alright." Setting the plate down in the sink, Edameonus looked at Archellevon once more before turning and heading back to his bedroom to change.

Archellevon watched him go before bringing his hand up to his chest, squeezing his fist on his shirt as he felt his heart rate. He sighed and started to do the dishes, hoping the feeling wouldn't last long. He didn't know how much longer he could take being shy around Edameonus, of all people.


	38. Chapter 38

**Tsubasa-fan** here again. :D Good news **Mirika**'s back, but I'll still be posting chapters for the time being. This chapter was heavily edited. I took out at least five pages worth of material, so I hope everyone enjoys. A little angst springs up in this chapter as well as some crack.

If you see any mistakes, please PM me~ I'll be more than happy to re-edit. We'll be seeing mostly KuroFai from here on out and only go to more characters when it calls for them. 3

* * *

~little later~

"I-I've finished, E-Ed…" He called, seeing the demon coming down the hallway.

"Should've let me help." He said as he walked over to the pale haired teen. He watched as Archellevon finished drying his hands and smiled.

The younger smiled, though he felt uneasy with the proximity. "I-I'm not so young as to have you help me with everything, Ed…" He said softly, looking down to his shirt to undo the cuffs.

"I didn't mean it like that, we're living together...we should help each other with chores." The Ginryan explained as he watched the teen intently.

"And we will, but we don't always have to work together on each chore…" He walked passed Edameonus to head to the bedroom, a blush on his face. "There w-weren't that many anyway…"

"I guess." Edameonus grinned as the other walked past him. Turning, he began walking behind Archellevon, following the teen so they could both sleep after such a busy day.

The younger blushed deeper when he actually got into the bedroom, staring at the bed. He bit the inside of his lip and tore his attention away from the bed, going over to the pile of clothing yet to be put away to grab an outfit. Archellevon made sure Edameonus wasn't paying attention to him before starting to undress quickly, not sure how he felt about sleeping in the same bed. Sure they had slept on the couch together, but there was something different about it now.

Archellevon didn't turn around for a moment before gripping his arm shyly, looking over to Edameonus. He blushed deeply when he saw that the demon was looking at him. He smiled though, and walked timidly over to the other side of the bed.

Noting the blush, the dark haired man smiled before he climbed into the bed. Sitting up, Edameonus waited for Archellevon to join him before he turned off the light.

When he did, he looked everywhere but to Edameonus. "I-it's hard to believe… th-that we're… a-actually living together a-again… I-in our own home…"

"Yeah, it's been a long time." He said the barest of smiles across his lips as he thought back to the times they had lived together.

Archellevon bit his lip, slowly moving his vision to Edameonus. "W-we moved in t-together for the first time… in winter… back then, didn't we?" He smiled feebly, remembering the snow. "B-back on Jade…"

He blushed and continued to smile at the memory before he nodded in agreement. "Seems similar doesn't it?"

"Yes…" He sighed and leaned back against the headboard. "Almost like time's repeating itself…"

"Hopefully not...I don't think I'd enjoy reliving some things." The Ginryan said as his mind wondered. He turned his head to the side to look at Archellevon and smiled.

Archellevon met his gaze and blushed deeper. "Some things… S-some other things… I-I wouldn't mind reliving…" He admitted, having to look away from disbelief at his own words.

Edameonus leaned over to look at Archellevon closer. "You have a point." He moved his hand to the other's cheek in order to get Archellevon to look at him.

The younger instantly wanted to move away, but he remembered earlier. Instead, he allowed Edameonus to move him, trying to swallow the sudden fear in his throat. If it meant that the Ginryan wouldn't give him that hurt look, he'd resist his own dread.

Leaning over the taller man planted a chaste kiss on the teen's reddened cheek. Pulling away Edameonus smiled.

"We should probably get some sleep." He said, seeing the other had been acting odd all day and he didn't want to scare Archellevon.

The teenager felt his heart skip a beat from the gesture, his hand going up to the place where Edameonus had kissed. He watched the demon move to turn off the light, slipping down to lay against the pillows. He waited until the other was lying down as well before summoning the courage to rest his head against the Ginryan's arm.

Edameonus stared in surprise at the teen before smiling. He moved to wrap his arms around the smaller frame. He didn't question Archellevon, happy to just hold the other to him again.

Tilting his head, Edameonus pressed his lips against the top of his lover's hair. He sighed as he relaxed and felt sleep pulling at him slowly.

"Goodnight Ed…" Archellevon whispered, smiling at the gesture as his eyes closed.

"Night Archy." Replied the other man, just as softly. He shifted and held the teen close to him as he thought of the two of them finally able to be together in their own home again.

~Morning~

Archellevon closed the bedroom door behind him quietly before going to his clothes and changing. As he exited the room he heard, who he guessed was Fay, knock on the front door before it opened to reveal said blonde wrapped in a heavy looking coat.

Edameonus walked into the living room when he heard it and smiled brightly at the intruder.

"Morning Fay-chan." He frowned with raised eyebrows. "Dear gods, you look swallowed up in that jacket." He walked forward to the other and closed the door behind him, smiling widely.

"Good morning. The coat I'd brought with me doesn't fit anymore and Kuro-min threw this one at me before he left." The blonde smiled as he closed the door behind him and slipped his shoes off.

Edameonus took the coat from Fay and hung it with the others. "So it's one of his?" He asked idly, going over to the kitchen's doorway.

"Yes." The blonde said as he watched Edameonus.

The blonde waved hello at Archellevon when he noticed the teen walking into the living room.

Archellevon smiled to return the gesture, walking over to the couch. Edameonus looked between them and smiled sheepishly.

"I'll make breakfast… have you eaten, Fay-chan?" He asked while turning into the other room.

"No, I've not been awake long enough." The blonde said as he looked over to his friend before he walked over to the couch to sit with Archellevon.

"I'll make some for you too then." Edameonus said loud enough for the shorter two to hear. Archellevon glanced up at what he could see of the demon behind the wall, a slight frown on his face.

The blonde looked over to Archellevon, curious about the other's expression as he sat down beside him. "What was it you wanted to talk about Archy?" He asked while looking at the teen.

The younger man flinched slightly before looking down. He blushed a little as well. "Y…you… you know h-how y-you're comfortable… a-around Kurogane-san?" He asked softly after Edameonus had started pulling cabinets open.

"Yes, what about it?" He asked, though he was curious about what Archellevon was talking about.

The teenager didn't say anything, but looked up to where Edameonus was with a blush. He bit his lip and fidgeted with his hands. "C-can… you tell me… how to be comfortable with E-Ed?"

He asked, eyes falling to the ground again as the blush deepened.

"Comfortable?" Fay said, keeping his voice low so Edameonus couldn't overhear. "Aren't the two of you getting along?"

"W-we are…" Archellevon said halfheartedly, not looking up. "B-but… s-since… since that incident… th-things have been… it's kind of b-been awkward… a-and th-this… this morning…"

He trailed off, going redder than Fay had ever seen him.

"This morning?" The other probed, wondering what exactly had happened before he had walked over. He watched the teen, noting how flustered he had become.

Archellevon seemed to lose himself to his thoughts for a moment, one hand going up to squeeze the shirt over his chest. "Th-th-this morning… w-w-w-we…" He babbled incoherently, staring at the ground with wide eyes. He shook his head, bowing it again.

"It's alright, you can tell me. There's no need to be nervous about it." The blonde said as he smiled reassuringly at the teen.

Archellevon stayed quiet, unable to bring himself to say the words. Edameonus then walked in with two glasses in his hand.

"Sorry about interrupting; thought it'd be nice to give you two something to drink." He grinned widely, setting the glasses down. He stood up straight before his ear twitched and he looked down the hallway. "Ah, Soel's awake."

"Thank you." The blonde said as he took one of the glasses. Fay looked towards Mokona's room before looking back to Archellevon. "I hope I didn't wake her."

Edameonus started to walk to the hallway. "Nah, Archy said she'd probably stir when I checked on her earlier." He informed vanishing from sight. The former angel didn't look up to the glass, still fiddling in his embarrassment.

"Archy?" The blonde ask while he still looked over to the teen. He smiled, waiting for the other to answer before he took a drink from his glass, wondering exactly what the teen had wanted to know.

The younger closed his eyes tightly, summoning the courage to talk to Fay about it. If anyone could give him advice, it'd be Fay.

"…"

Fay's eyes widened considerably in surprise as he managed to decipher what the teen had said. The blonde covered his mouth as he coughed up his juice. Setting his glass down onto the table the blonde tried to regain his composure as he continued to cough.

Archellevon blushed deeply when he saw he had caused Fay to choke, squeaking. "A-ah! Fay-san!" He called, looking at him worriedly.

Edameonus poked his head out of the hallway with a concerned look on his face. "Fay-chan? You ok?" Archellevon turned to him and waved frantically. "H-he's f-fine E-Ed! J-j-just choked on j-j-juice!"

"I'm okay...it's nothing to worry about." Fay smiled sheepishly, his voice slightly hoarse from his coughing. He turned to look at Edameonus and smiled.

The demon raised an eyebrow. "If you're sure…" He leaned back into the other room, obviously dealing with a just waking up Mokona. Archellevon sank back into the couch, blushing deeply.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry… I-I didn't m-mean t-to make you choke…"

"No, you just surprised me is all." He still smiled at the pale haired teen, showing him he was alright now. "What exactly is it you want to know? Anything specific?"

The teenager's face went a deeper shade of red and he seemed to sink into the couch as he realized what exactly they were talking about. "A-about… a-a-about… h-how…" He stuttered, hearing Mokona squeal happily about something Edameonus did.

"Don't be so embarrassed, you can ask me whatever you like." Fay replied as he looked at Archellevon, His cheeks were tinted a pink at his own reaction earlier and hoped he'd hadn't worried the other too much because of it.

Archellevon looked away, unable to bring his eyes to Fay out of shame. "B-but… I-I d-don't know h-how t-to… to not push away…" He admitted, staring at the ground as he remembered that morning.

"It's normal to be nervous." The blonde smiled, hoping he could help both his friends. He was surprised that Archellevon would ask him however, but he was still willing to answer anything the boy asked as best he could.

"I-it's not j-just that I'm nervous… I-I know w-what it's like… t-to…" He blushed deeper, looking at anything low enough. "B-but it's d-different… n-now s-since… that incident… I-I… I push him a-away w-when I don't mean to…"

"You trust him don't you?" He asked simply as he tried to encourage the other to ask him questions. "You know that it would never be the same."

Archellevon bowed his head in guilt. "Y-yes… A-and I do trust him… I-I know… h-he'd never…" he trailed off, seeing Mokona run to the kitchen with Edameonus quickly stomping after her growling playfully. The girl squealed in mock fright and they both laughed. Archellevon smiled feebly at this. "H-he'd never hurt me…"

"Maybe it's best you dwell on it too much. You have to put it behind you if you ever want to move forward... at least that's what Kuro-rin would say." The Valerian grinned at the thought of his lover, knowing he still had his own problems with his past. "I know it's difficult, but it's the only thing that will probably help."

Archellevon looked at him hopelessly. "H-how… how do I do that?" He asked softly, still embarrassed over the entire ordeal. "I-I'm s-still… still scared of… d-doing that…" He murmured, looking down.

"It's a very big step in a relationship, you can wait until you're comfortable and it's best no to force yourself when you're not ready." He explained as he sat back against the couch and stared at Archellevon.

"B-but he…" Archellevon started, looking up to where he thought Edameonus would be. He closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head. "I-I feel… guilty… whenever h-he looks at me l-like that…"

"I doubt it's because you wanted to stop and more about him thinking he had done something to hurt you." Fay watched the boy, seeing that he was flustered about asking about something so personal.

"B-but it's n-not that at all!" Archellevon cried suddenly, looking at Fay sadly. He blinked, having surprised himself, and hurriedly looked down. "I-It's j-just me b-being unsure…"

"Then you should come to a decision. It doesn't have to be right away, but you don't want to wait too long either...it could end up hurting both of you." Smiling warmly, the blonde thought back to how he had been unsure of himself when he and Kurogane first started their relationship. "There are things you might still be unsure of, but I know you'll be able to overcome then eventually, because you love each other."

Archellevon looked up to Fay again, his face still red. He bowed his head slightly, contemplating his words. He sighed shakily and a smile slowly graced his face. Archellevon nodded and looked at Fay. "A-alright… Th-thank you… Fay-san…"

"No need to." He waved off the other's thanks as he took another sip from his glass. "Is there anything else you wanted to ask about?"

"U-um…" Archellevon fidgeted a moment before leaning over to Fay to whisper something in his ear.

Fay felt his face redden again at the other's question. "Y-yes, though not all the time." He flushed, thinking back to the first few times he and Kurogane had ever had sex.

Archellevon pulled away, looking sheepish. "Th-then w-what do you u-use instead?" He asked, seeing that Edameonus and he didn't have anything of the like.

"Sometimes nothing or just anything similar to it, like lotion." Fay said quietly, not wanting to be overheard as his own blush darkened.

Archellevon look down, nodding at the information. It was then that Edameonus leaned into vision from the kitchen. "Hey, you two wanna take a break from your chat to eat?" He said happily, though he raised an eyebrow at their facial colors.

"We'll be right there." Fay turned and smiled at the Ginryan before he focused his attention back to Archellevon. "Both of us can finish after we eat something."

The teenager nodded, reaching forward to grasp his drink. Edameonus watched them come in before going over to see if Mokona had slipped a bite to eat before they had all sat down.

Grabbing his own glass, Fay stood and followed the teen into the kitchen. He smiled when he saw Mokona awake, still in her pajamas, and smiling up at Edameonus.

The demon ruffled her hair affectionately and sat down beside her, having already handed out the plates to the appropriate sitting positions. Archellevon sat across from Edameonus, next to Mokona. The Ginryan watched him for a moment before looking at Fay with a smile. "So, was it quieter without us in your hair last night?"

"Kuro-kun's always loud, but he was too tired to grumble much and went to sleep not long after we left." The blonde answered before sitting down at the table.

The Ginryan chuckled and nodded, while Archellevon stared at Fay. He looked down, remembering what Edameonus asked him the night before with a frown.

"Baby-kun's moving~" Mokona said as she giggled from her seat. Fay smiled warmly and nodded.

"He's moving a few times a day." The lithe man explained as he looked over to the girl.

Edameonus noticed Archellevon's expression and frowned curiously, wondering why he looked so depressed over the matter. The teenager looked up suddenly with a small smile. "W-will he take Kurogane-san's l-last name?"

"We've not talked about it, but I guess so...there's no need for him to carry my name after all." The blonde removed his hand from his stomach, feeling that his son wasn't moving anymore. He returned to his breakfast while Mokona hummed from her own seat.

Archellevon glanced over to Edameonus briefly and blushed darkly when he saw the other man was watching him. "A-ah… and…" He looked down at his breakfast. "And w-what about… w-will he know about all of us? Being… what we are…"

"Both of us don't want to keep something like that a secret, but it might not be the best idea." Fay said dejectedly, thinking over the conversations he'd had over the matter before.

Edameonus looked over to Fay with a frown, seeing he was upset over the matter. "What do you mean? You don't think he'd do something stupid after knowing do you?"

Archellevon gave the demon an angry look for the bluntness of his question, but also looked at Fay with worry.

"I'm more worried about how others will react to him." Explained the blonde, thinking back to how it had been suggested to not tell Toshihiko about who Fay really was to him. "It won't be hard to cover up most things, like him using any powers or any features like mine he could be born with."

The tallest in the room frowned, not liking the situation. "It doesn't help that he's got Ginryan blood in him, it might be little, but worse comes to worst it could get ugly." Archellevon glared at Edameonus.

"You're not helping, Ed." He looked to Fay with a gentle smile then. "I-It might not turn out bad at all… h-he could look exactly like Kurogane-san…"

"Maybe, but his human's genes will only help so much." Fay smiled at Archellevon, trying not to think of what exactly he and Kurogane were going to do.

Edameonus inhaled deeply, before letting it out in a sigh.

"We can only do what we can until he's born…" He leaned back in his chair. "Couldn't you just keep him out here? Away from town?"

"He'd be lonely and I think he would like going to school and making friends." Smiling, Fay thought of his son growing up and knew keeping him hidden wouldn't make any of them happy.

Edameonus smiled somewhat at the idea. "Guess you're right about that…" He stuffed his fork in his mouth pensively, gnawing on the food.

Archellevon sighed and bent his head, knowing what would ultimately happen. "We can only pray it turns out for the better…"

"Yes, we'll just have to see when he's finally born." The thought of his child's birth always caused the blonde to smile. Fay looked over to the teen and smiled, thinking Archellevon was right.

"I-I think I've finished…" He announced, only finishing half his meal. Edameonus looked at him with a worried smile. "Feeling ok?"

The former angel nodded, holding his stomach. "I'll be right back…"

Fay looked over to the other, wondering if it had been about their conversation earlier. Mokona watched as well as she finished off her own breakfast.

Edameonus looked down at his meal, feeling somewhat guilty. "…Hope it wasn't the cooking…" He said, trying to lighten the suddenly stifling mood.

Mokona turned her attention to her other parent while Fay gave his friend a reassuring smile, not liking the teen's sudden change either.

Edameonus looked at Mokona and leaned his elbow on the table, supporting his chin with his palm. "You finish everything?" He asked with a lazy smile, trying to brush it off.

The small girl nodded and smiled. "Mokona finished her breakfast." Fay smiled at the girl as he finished his own plate before standing to deposit his dishes in the sink.

"Even your drink?" He asked her, picking his fork up one more time as he watched Fay move about. He smiled to himself when he noticed the baby bump was starting to get in the way of balancing perfectly.

"Mokona's finished with her juice too." Soel said happily. Away from them, Fay set his plates in the sink before he turned to offer Archellevon a smile.

The angel came back from the bathroom with a reassuring smile, having washed his face in hopes of trying to get rid of the sickening feeling of unable to do anything about the future. Edameonus helped Mokona out of her seat and took their plates.

"Would you like to talk some more Archy?" Fay asked as he looked over to the boy. He smiled, trying to keep himself from blushing at what they had been talking about.

The teenager flinched slightly, a light blush covering his cheeks. "A-ah…" He looked at Edameonus briefly before nodding, casting his eyes to the ground. The demon smiled knowingly and picked up Mokona. "Hey you, wanna finish organizing your room?"

"Yes!" Mokona cheered from her father figure's arms. Fay chuckled at the sight before moving back towards the living room.

Archellevon followed him, whilst Edameonus walked passed the living room set up with a smile.

"Alright, we'll be in Soel's room if you need us." He called while going into the hallway.

Mokona giggled as she was carried away. The Valerian watched amused before he sat down on this couch again, waiting for Archellevon to ask him anything else that came to mind.

The younger of the two joined him on the couch, his face slowly lighting up as he found them in the same situation as before. "…"

"Any other questions?" Fay asked as he waited for Archellevon to speak up. He blushed to at the idea of having to go into detail about such things put brushed it aside as he sat next to the teen.

The other fidgeted and kept his eyes down. "I-I… I don't know… D-do you have a-anything specific to t-tell me…?"

"I'm not sure." He paused to think over what he advice he could give the other. "But like I said before you don't have to rush things, especially if you're not fully comfortable with furthering your relationship just yet."

Archellevon chanced a glance up to Fay and blushed deeply. "B-but… you and Kurogane-san… y-you… you a-already… after only a c-couple of d-days…"

"That was my choice." He blushed at the memory before returning his attention back to the former angel. "And Kuro-san and I had spent all of our time together those first few days. I was nervous at first, but I knew I wanted to share that with him." He smiled distantly at his own words, remembering those first days together.

Archellevon stared at him before looking down. "H-how did Kurogane-san feel a-about that?"

He fidgeted, thinking about the attempt with Edameonus earlier.

"Kuro-tan didn't mind, he was the one that wanted to start a relationship in the first place and I don't think he would have protested if I had wanted to wait longer." He said, even though at the time neither of them had known that they were on borrowed time and what would've happened later.

Archellevon stared at the ground for a moment. He exhaled softly and looked at Fay again.

"S-so… h-he would've b-been ok with waiting?" He asked timidly, thinking of the face Edameonus had given him when he pulled away that morning. He felt a familiar tug on his stomach from it, his hands gripping the fabric of his shirt lightly.

"Yes, I don't doubt he would have." The blonde smiled at the thought as he tried to reassure the teenager beside him.

The shorter frowned somewhat, mulling over what was just said. Would Edameonus be ok with waiting a little longer too? He sighed to himself, a blush going over his cheeks at the thought of them sharing a bed in that way.

"Don't worry so much over it; Edameonus will wait until you're ready." The blonde said as he saw his friend's expression change.

"I-It… It's k-kind of odd… th-that I-I feel this w-way again… I-I mean… I-it's not like w-we h-have… we… I-I'm…" He babbled, trying to find the words though they didn't come.

"You've lived a different life and in this body you've not experienced a lot of things you had before. So it's not so odd." Fay said trying to calm the others nerves.

"B-but I remember…" Archellevon said softly, closing his eyes as he had a wave of memories wash over him. "I-I remember w-what w-we went through…" He placed a hand on his cheek, recalling the alleyway. "I-it wouldn't have s-seemed like… such a b-big deal…"

"It is a big deal, it's important to you isn't it?" The blonde explained as he rested back against the couch. "Though, it's nothing to be worried about. When it happens it happens."

Archellevon frowned and looked at Fay in slight worry. "Ah… I-I'm sorry! I-I'm upsetting you! S-sorry!" He smiled sheepishly, a darker shade of blush on his face. "I-I really shouldn't t-trouble you anymore…"

"You're not upsetting me, I'm glad to help." Fay admitted, offering the former angel a smile to prove his point. "Besides there's nothing to get upset over, so ask whatever comes to mind."

The younger stared at him for a moment, before his face exploded in a deep red and he shook his head, hiding his face in his hands. "A-ah, n-no, I don't w-w-want t-to ask w-whatever comes t-to mind…"

"No, it's fine; go ahead and ask." The other encouraged as he watched Archellevon blush.

The teenager didn't look at Fay, his face still bright red. "…I-if it's o-ok…" He looked to the ground, hands fidgeting greatly. "W-w-what… what h-happens i-if… if…" He covered his face before leaning closer to Fay to whisper what he couldn't say out loud.

The blonde blushed almost as darkly as the teen. "I don't have much experience on that, but its nothing bad, it could help you get used to the idea of having actual sex," He blushed a few shades darker at the thought before he continued. "But like I said if it happens it happens just as long as you don't force yourself into doing it."

Archellevon looked at Fay in embarrassment, nodding shakily. Edameonus in the other room perked up, accidentally overhearing Fay say the word 'sex'. He leaned out the door, staring at the two with narrowed eyes and raised eyebrows. "You two doing ok? You look kind of feverish…"

"Yes, we're fine." Fay turned and smiled at the other man, waving off any suspicion the other might have had.

Edameonus stared at them, wondering why they were blushing so much over their talk, before slinking back into Mokona's room. Archellevon sighed unsteadily, wondering if he'd be able to look at Edameonus in the eye after this.

The teenager was staring down at the ground again, Edameonus's appearance not really settling his nerves. He closed his eyes with another sigh.

"I-I… I c-can't think of a-anything else t-to ask…" He admitted, though it was more from embarrassment than lack of curiosity.

"If you think of anything don't hesitate to ask." Fay smiled, hoping he had at least been able to help Archellevon.

The former angel nodded fervently, not looking up. He bit his lip somewhat, trying to will away some of the embarrassment, but found it not as easy as he thought.

"Don't worry so much over it. Everything will work out." The blonde said before putting a hand over his stomach. He could feel Toshihiko acting up again.

Archellevon looked over to Fay, his eyes falling to the Valerian's stomach. He blinked before looking down to himself with softer eyes.

"Y-yes…" He mimicked Fay, a warmer blush over his cheeks as his mind drifted off.

A sharp squeal pierced the air and Fay chuckled lightly at Mokona. "Seems she enjoys her new home." The Valerian thought of his own child and how he would soon be able to see all of them.

Archellevon closed his eyes with a small smile. "Yes… she like being with Ed…" He confirmed, the shy stutter vanishing briefly from the talk of Mokona.

"It looks like she enjoys being with her mother too." Fay laughed lightly at his own words, knowing it would cause the other teen to forget whatever had been bothering him.

The younger's hand clinched on his stomach and he looked up to the blonde in slight surprise.

He blushed a little deeper, but smiled. "Y-yes… I'm glad for that too…"

"The three of you must be happy, especially now that you finally have a home to really call your own." The blonde said as he felt another small kick against his abdomen. Smiling, Fay reclined back against the couch while he felt his son move.

Archellevon frowned again, moving his hands to rest against his knees. "I'm sure they're happy…" He looked down to the ground once more. "B-but… I learned that… Ed… his job might need Mokona-chan to go back to Edonis one day…"

"Mokona will have a say in where she wants to go and I don't think she'll want to leave the two of you behind." The blonde said as he looked over to Archellevon.

The white haired one leaned back in the couch, bringing his vision to the other side of the room. "That… that's what I'm afraid of… what if Ed and I h-have to go back when he's done with his job here? W-was his stay really only temporary?"

"The three of you would still be together, only you would probably live on Ginryuu or Edonis instead of here." The blonde said, though it was sad to think that the others would possibly have to leave.

Archellevon looked to the taller and frowned deeper. "B-but I don't know what will happen to Mokona-chan! I-I… I couldn't see her w-when I dreamed of the future…" He admitted.

"That doesn't mean she won't be with you and if it does that doesn't mean things can't be changed." He said, noticing the other's expression.

"I know…" Archellevon clinched his hands, hearing another squeal from Mokona. "B… but whenever I see Ed in m-my dreams, he… looks really s-sad… a-and I can't help… even though I'm pr-" He cut himself off, freezing slightly to look over at Fay fearfully.

Fay looked at the pale haired boy for a moment, confused as to what he had been about to say. "You should know that everything isn't set in stone, you just have to hope for the best."

Archellevon relaxed, seeming to be glad Fay hadn't asked him what he was about to say. "Y-yes…" He looked down and smiled softly. "H-hopefully what I've seen w-will change… for everyone's sake…"

"Yes." The Valerian smiled at the teen, glad that he seemed to at least feel a little better about the visions he had seen.

All of a sudden, a loud thud met their ears. Archellevon nearly jumped out of his skin, snapping his head to the hallway where it had come from. Mokona was giggling on top of Edameonus's back, and the demon's face was in the carpet.

"Looks as if Mokona's stronger than Edameonus thought she was." The blonde grinned at the sight as he turned to watch. He was reminded of Kurogane wanting to rough house with their own child.

Archellevon raised an eyebrow. "What exactly were you doing?" He asked, the demon sitting up with a sheepish smile. "W-well, I didn't want to interrupt…" The white haired boy sighed, a light blush on his face. "Eavesdropping, you mean?"

"You'll teach Mokona bad habits that way." A sly grin spread across the blonde's lips as he looked over at the Ginryan. Mokona giggled at Fay while she still sat atop Edameonus.

He pouted cutely.

"I was not eavesdropping." He looked over his shoulder to the girl on his shoulders. "Was I Soel?"

"Ed-daddy was standing by the door." She said cheerfully as she smiled up at the two sitting on the couch. Fay chuckled as he stared down at Edameonus.

The man squawked and flipped over, picking the girl up to hover horizontally over him. "You're supposed to back me up, twerp!"

"He's trying to have poor Mokona lie for him." Fay frowned half heartedly, a hint of a smile on his lips as he looked over to Archellevon. "Setting such bad examples..."

Archellevon placed a hand on his cheek with an exaggerated sigh, the former worry washing away. "Seems like all my lessons will have to be retaught."

Edameonus laid his head on the carpet to playfully glare at Archellevon upside down. He stuck out his tongue. "She likes me better and you know it."

"And now trying to play favorites. I hope Mokona doesn't pick up such terrible habits." Fay grinned at the dark haired man's childishness. Mokona covered her mouth to stifle her own laughter as she listened to the adults.

Edameonus looked at the girl he held above him. "But is that a lie? Don't you like me better?" He asked with a cheesy smile.

Archellevon rolled his eyes. "All this just to try to distract the fact you were listening in on our conversation."

"Now I'm not so sure if Edameonus should babysit Toshi if he puts Mokona up to trouble." The Valerian said as he continued to watch them.

Mokona laughed and looked down at the man. "He was trying to listen to Fay and Archy-mommy."

"Ah! I wanna babysit though!" Edameonus gave him a flabbergasted look and then turned to Mokona. "Soel! I'm surprised at you!" He said, though Archellevon stood up.

"I'd believe her over you, Ed." He said with a smile, stealing the little girl from Edameonus's hands. The demon rolled over to lie on his stomach, smiling up at the white haired ones. "Is that so?"

"Mokona looks very trustworthy and as for babysitting you'll have to ask Kuro-rinta about that." Fay teased as he watched the small family together.

Edameonus pouted on the floor, looking very childish just lying there. "No fair." Archellevon giggled with Mokona in his arms, looking down at his lover. "You mean you're not the final deciding factor?" He asked Fay, turning to him.

"I am, no matter how much Kuro-chan would grumble otherwise. But now that I'm reconsidering the idea, Kuro-sama can decide." He chuckled as he looked over at Archellevon.

"Mokona wants to play with baby-kun." She smiled brightly at the idea which caused the blonde to smile in return.

Archellevon held the girl a little tighter. "Baby-kun's not here yet, Mokona-chan." He said with a grin, making Edameonus perked up. Images flashed before his eyes and all of a sudden he was rolling on the floor, giggling in a very out of character way. Archellevon looked down at him curiously. "…Ed?"

"It won't be for awhile longer until Toshi's able to play, but soon Mokona will be able to hold him and talk to him if she wants." The blonde said, though he watched Edameonus curiously, wondering what had caused the man to laugh.

"Mokona wants to hold baby-kun!" The demon seemed to calm down, but he instantly jumped up, going over to the two alabaster haired ones and hugging them tightly. Archellevon blushed in surprise while Mokona squealed. "E-Ed?"

Fay grinned as he watched, though now he was even more curious about what had caused Edameonus's sudden reaction. "Mokona will along with everyone else."

The demon planted a kiss on Mokona's forehead and then on Archellevon's cheek. "I was just thinking how cute you two looked just then, talking about Toshihiko." He finally answered, making Archellevon go red again.

A slight pink hue rose against the Valerian's cheeks as well at Edameonus's words. He own thoughts going to Kurogane and their soon to be born son.

"T-talking about th-the baby?" Archellevon asked shakily, feeling very uncomfortable and very welcome in the embrace at the same time. Edameonus continued to smile while Mokona wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Yeah… about the baby…" The tone of the Ginryan's voice caused Archellevon's heart to speed up, his face going two shades darker.

Fay turned his head away from them and smiled, glad to see the three of them happy together.

"Mokona will play with baby-kun when he's older." She said while her tiny arms were wrapped around Edameonus.

"You'll be happy to have another young person around won't you?" He asked her with a grin. Archellevon looked away with a frown, the swell of guilt once again rising in his stomach.

"Mokona will have lots of baby-kuns to play with later!" She cheered while still smiling brightly at the Ginryan. Close by, Fay blushed at her words, even as he smiled at the thought.

"You might not have a lot of tots your age, but you'll have a few." He grinned at Mokona reassuringly, feeling like he should ask the younger man why he was upset again.

"Great Uncle Toriho said there would be." She pouted, remembering Toriho's words from weeks ago. Fay shook his head at the thought of Kurogane's father saying something like that.

"Well, unfortunately your mommy can't have any children anymore, right Archy?" He asked the other with a sad smile. The teenager, however, looked down so his bangs covered his eyes from view, a dark blush making itself known. "…" Edameonus blinked, not understanding the reaction. "You… you can't have children anymore… right?"

Mokona still pouted as she hugged Edameonus, not liking the idea of not having even more playmates. From the couch, Fay looked over to see Archellevon, noticing that the teen was flustered from the question.

Edameonus loosened his grip on the younger. "Archy?"

Blue eyes were still cast away, staring at the ground. "I-I…" He blushed even more, closing his eyes. "I-I d-don't…"

Fay continued to watch, listening as the teen stumbled over his own words.

"I-I…" He tried again, but failed, pulling out of Edameonus's embrace to turn to the hallway. The Ginryan watched him, completely confused.

Blue eyes followed the former angel worried. He mulled over the idea of going to talk to Archellevon, but realized the teen would probably not want to talk to him for the time being. Fay sighed as he watched Edameonus and Mokona.

The Ginryan looked at Mokona and then to Fay, trying to make sense of it.

"C…could it be that… he can…?" He asked softly, confusing himself even more. "But I thought human males couldn't have children like that…"

"They can't carry children." Fay answered, remembering what Kurogane had told him before. As he turned the idea over in his head, Fay frowned thinking they had somehow upset Archellevon because they had brought the idea up in the first place.

Edameonus looked at Mokona before scowling, setting the girl down. "Stay with Fay-chan for a moment, ok sweetie?" He commanded, ruffling her hair before he turned to follow Archellevon.

Mokona nodded in understanding before she darted off to join Fay on the couch. Said Valerian smiled as the girl sat beside him, though he turned his attention back to Edameonus as the other left.

Said demon marched down the corridor, seeing Archellevon hugging himself on their bed.

Edameonus growled lowly and closed the door behind him, folding his arms. "You, start telling me what's going on." He said curtly, seeing the former angel flinch.

Fay sighed and turned back around, not wanting to listen in on the other two men. He smiled and looked down at Mokona, knowing he'd have to keep her from trying to go to her parents until they were down talking.

"I-I… should probably explain… I-I d-don't think I-I c-can stand w-waiting to tell y-you until it a-actually happens…" He continued to stare at the comforter, his hands slinking across its hem.

He remained silent, not wanting to disrupt the teen as Archellevon tried to explain what had been troubling him. Edameonus nodded, asking his lover to continue.

"Y-you know… the feather?" Archellevon began, blushing a little deeper as he slowly brought his eyes to Edameonus's face sheepishly.

"Yeah, what about it?" He scanned the other's face, unsure of what the other was trying to say to him.

Archellevon sat up on the bed on his knees, placing both hands on his torso where the feather was absorbed into his body. "W-well I-I've gained…back most of my m-magic… though in tiny q-quantities… I-I can use l-little bits h-here and there… a-and…"

The Ginryan looked at him questioningly, wondering why exactly Archellevon regaining any of his powers would cause the white haired teen to act so strangely around him.

"W-well… I've g-got my wings b-back… b-but they're t-temporary… and small traces of my m-magic and…" Archellevon bowed his head, his hands slipping down to hold his stomach. "I-I c-c-can s-still… c-create a-a… a life i-inside me…" He announced softly, blush covering his face.

"Y-you mean you can have a baby?" Edameonus said his voice small as he felt his chest constrict at the thought. Red eyes stared at Archellevon in disbelief, as the other's words ran through the taller man's mind.

The teenager's eyes closed tightly and he nodded almost imperceptibly. His hands tightened on his torso, clutching the fabric there.

"Archy." Edameonus smiled as he moved his fingers underneath the other's chin to move Archellevon to face him. "You were worried about telling me?"

The younger looked at the demon's eyes before he looked away, though his face was still opposite of Edameonus's. "N-not worried…" He admitted, still blushing. "I… I-I w-was… afraid to…"

"Why would you be afraid?" He asked, knowing the other couldn't have possibly thought it was a bad news to him.

"I-I…" Archellevon bit his lip as he tried to search for the words. He lifted his head from Edameonus's fingers so he could look away. "I d-don't know…I-I kn-knew I could a-and I knew it'd make y-you happy… I…"

"You don't want to?" Edameonus lowered his hand as he tried to look at his lover's expression. "I mean it is good news, but that doesn't mean we have to have more kids."

Archellevon let out an exasperated groan and took Edameonus's hands in his own. "I-I do! I-I've a-always wanted a child w-with you, Ed!" He cried, the blush on his face increasing tenfold. "I-I've w-wanted one f-for as long a-as my memories go back… it's j-just… I-I'm s-scared to…" He bowed his head in shame. "I-I'm sc-scared t-to try…"

The Ginryan stared, surprised at the outburst before his own face heated. "We don't have to try and have kids right away or anything, we'll wait for however long you want." He bowed his head looking down to their hands and smiled. "Even though both of us have wanted a child for a very long time, that doesn't mean we have to try immediately, we'll wait."

Archellevon sniffed gently, feeling guilty for actually saying he was afraid. "B-but…"

"Don't feel bad about it, you've not had your memories back for too long and we just moved into this house. There's a lot going on right now, so don't think you have to force yourself into anything." He said as he leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Archellevon's.

The younger looked at Edameonus, surprised to hear the same thing from him as what Fay said. He tightened his grip on the elder man's hands, looking at the headboard of the bed. "U-un… until I-I'm ready?" He repeated quietly.

"Yes, we can wait as long as you want, it's up to you." The taller man felt himself smile as he felt his lover's hands tighten around his own.

The other sulked but sighed, nodding his head. "I-I… I want t-to m-make a promise though…"

He said slowly, biting his lip gently in a very adorably shy manner.

Edameonus blushed at the gesture before he nodded. "What is it?" He smiled reassuringly at his lover, encouraging him to continue.

"W-when w-we…" Archellevon began, blushing deeper as he looked to Edameonus. "we e-eventually… do… I-I d-don't…" He exhaled softly, trying to calm his nerves. "Pl-please… d-don't stop… e-even if I-I pull a-away…I-I kn-know I-I will b-b-be willing b-but I m-might d-do th-that out of r-reflex…"

"If that's what you want." He said, blushing at the thought. "Though if you want me to stop, don't hesitate to tell me, I don't want to hurt you." Edameonus told the teen seriously as he looked at Archellevon.

He smiled weakly, seeming to be comforted by the tone. He reached a hand up precariously, placing it on Edameonus's cheek. "Y-you could never hurt me…"

"I would never hurt you." He replied as his eyes met Archellevon's. Leaning into the touch, the Ginryan smiled.

Archellevon's smile grew somewhat and closed his eyes. He felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders by the other man's words. The former angel opened his eyes and blushed a little more, his hands slinking up to wrap warily around Edameonus's neck. "Th-thank you…"

They returned later to find Mokona's hands against Fai's stomach, feeling the baby kick.

"He reacted normally to her, right?" The demon looked at Fay, getting slightly suspicious. "Not like he was hyper because Soel was touching your stomach right?"

"It was the same as he usually is." The blonde answered as he met the others gaze, wondering what he meant by the baby reacting to Mokona.

"That's good. I didn't want anything bad to happen to Toshihiko because of Soel's magic level." He leaned down and nuzzled the girl's head. "You're so strong for a prototype; I hope to never replace you." He said affectionately, making Archellevon giggle.

Mokona smiled brightly as she returned the affectionate gesture. Beside them the Valerian chuckled at the scene the two of them made. "I don't think Mokona will be able to hurt Toshi, so there's no need to worry."

The demon stood up straight with a wide smile. "Yeah, I know. I was a little worried that when she'd get more experienced she'd have to be examined again, but I think her level of control is just as high as the magic." He looked over to Archellevon with a smile.

The teenager walked over as well, a curious look on his face. "Mokona-chan's so powerful… why?"

"Mokona has 108 secret techniques, Mokona has to be strong." She laughed at her own words as she sat beside Fay, idly swinging her legs back and forth as she did.

"Soel's my partner in collecting evidence. The area where she was created has started to work on creatures like her so we can explore worlds similar to Earth and give more lives a second chance.

I asked the Court if I could take the third one made out on a test run." He folded his arms and smiled at Archellevon fondly. "A new decree your death caused."

"Mokona's very special then." Fay said as he smiled down at the transformed creature. He looked down, surprised to see the girl smiling and her cheeks showing a light blush.

"Yupp, she's one of a kind." Edameonus chuckled, taking a seat next to her. "Giving her the ability to live and learn like a person would has made her truly remarkable. I just wish she was my biological daughter too…" He said affectionately as Archellevon moved forward to join them.

"The other Mokona is just like Mokona too." She said as she turned to look at her parent. The Valerian grinned, thinking how alike Mokona and Yuui truly were, despite being so different from each other.

Edameonus's smile slipped, but he nodded. "Yeah…"

Archellevon looked at the demon with a curious tilt of the head. "The other Mokona?"

Edameonus sighed. "Mokona Prototype (Larg) #2. Technically Soel's twin brother since they were made at the same time."

"Mokona talks to Mokona all the time. He's funny and likes Mokona." The small girl said as she laughed at her own thoughts of her other half.

Edameonus sighed and placed a hand on his face. Archellevon looked at him curiously again and the ambassador frowned. "Soel, you never told me about this before… when you two were last together you were both still asleep after just being made…"

"Mokona talks to Mokona when she dreams. He tells Mokona about the snow and the cakes and things he sees." She frowned when she noticed the man's expression.

Edameonus paused and looked to the gem on her head. "One of your 108 secret techniques?" He asked gently, not liking the sound of their contact.

The small girl shook her head as she looked up at Edameonus. "Mokona and Mokona were made the same so we can talk to each other."

Fay grinned as he watched the girl. "It sounds like this other Mokona is very special to you."

"Too special." Edameonus scowled, but Archellevon giggled. "Perhaps, your fatherly instincts are kicking in?" He offered, making the dark haired man blush slightly. "Th-that's!"

"But Soel and this little boy Mokona seem to be made for each other." The blonde teased as a he smirked at Edameonus. Mokona laughed as the adults talked, not fully understanding what they meant.

"O-oi! They're made with each other! They're siblings, if anything." Edameonus snapped, the blush growing darker on his cheeks. Archellevon giggled more, holding his arms out for Mokona as he sat across from them.

The girl stood from the couch to quickly join her other parent. "Just because they were made by the same people doesn't make them siblings. Who knows, you might be a grandpa several years from now." Amused, the blonde watched his friend's expression as he spoke.

Edameonus's color drained from his face, sucking his lips in his mouth. Archellevon blushed at the thought, but laughed at his lover's expression. He picked Mokona up and set her in his lap.

"My little lady wouldn't run off without our approval though, right sweetie?"

"Mokona won't run away." She giggled at the pet name as she looked up at the former angel.

"I won't have any grandkids for a long time, probably even longer with the way Kuro-san would probably take that kind of news." Fay said imaging Kurogane wouldn't be thrilled with the idea.

Edameonus snorted behind his hand as he too imagined the student in the future learning he'd be a grandfather. "Maybe."

Archellevon smiled and stroked Mokona's hair.

"It's not a race though; we want our children to be happy. If they want children at a certain time, we'll have to accept it." He said with a small blush, the old Archellevon's attitude leaking out.

Fay nodded in agreement, smiling at the idea of any future children he might have or Toshihiko starting families of their own. "We'll all just have to wait and see."

~Later~

Kurogane closed the door to his car, suppressing a shiver from the cold air as he exited. He slung his backpack over his real shoulder and started up the porch, rubbing his temple. He almost fell asleep in class earlier, but he still had to do a lot of homework before the break started.

The only one in the house to greet him was Yuui, who stepped outside of the laundry room with newly folded towels in her arms. She offered Kurogane a smile when she noticed the man.

Kurogane slipped his backpack onto the solitary couch, moving his hands to unbutton his jacket.

"Oi, where's Blondie?" He asked casually, for some reason not thinking it was odd that Fay wasn't in his house for once.

"Fai left to talk to this morning." The android replied as she stood. Her attention turned to the door when she heard the front door open.

Fai ushered himself inside, closing the door quickly behind him as he did.

"Edameonus heard you drive up." The blonde said as he slipped off his shoes and walked into the living room. He smiled at Kurogane, his cheeks pink from being out in the cold, even for such a short time. The coat Kurogane had given him this morning was unbuttoned, showing that the shorter man had just thrown it on.

"And you didn't?" He asked, turning to kiss Fay in their usual greeting.

"I was talking to Archy, so I wasn't paying attention. Kuro-rin had a good day at school?" Asked Fai as he noted Kurogane didn't look angry.

"Average." He replied with a shrug, straightening in his stance. "More tired than anything." He grumbled, noticing Yuui came over to relieve Fay of his coat.

The blonde smiled and shrugged his coat off handing it to the android with a 'thank you'. "You should take nap then."

"Can't. Got homework." He said shortly, smirking slightly when he realized just how quiet it was with a nagging Edameonus around. He sank down on the sofa next to his backpack, looking around the room to all the decorations. He blinked, not understanding why it felt weird to not have that noise.

Fai smiled at his lover before sitting down next to him. "Kuro-tan will be asleep a lot sooner tonight then."

"Maybe." Kurogane replied, unzipping his backpack to extract his books from the pocket. He looked over to Fay and frowned slightly, seeing the stretched clothing. "I don't think you'll be able to wear your clothing for much longer, he's growing a lot faster now…"

"Yes, he's becoming more active too." The blonde grinned as he put a hand on his swollen stomach.

Kurogane looked away from his book to Fay, a small smile on his face. "Really? He should be with the way you act." He said while reclining in his seat.

"He doesn't get it just from me you know." He turned his head to smile at Kurogane, his hand still on his stomach.

"Maybe not." Kurogane chuckled, moving his real arm around his lover to pull him closer. "But I don't see you complaining."

"No because you will be helping me run after the baby later on." Fai said as he leaned against Kurogane a light blush dusted his cheeks as he thought over his day.

Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "What're you blushing for?" He asked, looking at his book to at least attempt his reading assignment.

"Nothing, just thinking about this morning." The blonde answered as his eyes skimmed over the book in his lover's hand.

"Specifically?" The taller asked halfheartedly, liking the solitary moment with Fay. Yuui had gone into the bedroom, starting to re-organize things to keep herself occupied.

"Archellevon was asking me for advice." He blushed at remembering some of things the teen had asked him.

Kurogane paused and looked at Fay curiously. "Him? About what?" He asked, almost skeptical that an angel would want advice on something.

"About sex." Fai didn't meet the other's gaze as he recalled the conversation from earlier.

He felt Kurogane stiffen next to him, the man making a weird grunting noise. He looked at Fay in surprise before he snorted, hiding his amusement behind his hand.

"Kuro-san shouldn't laugh. It wasn't funny." Fai looked up at Kurogane and frowned when he saw his lover's expression.

The other man continued to chuckle, imagining their reactions to talking. He finally removed his hand to laugh out loud, holding his book open.

"How can I not laugh? That angel's too embarrassed to hold hands, let alone ask about fucking." Kurogane snorted, wishing he had been there to see their faces.

"It was embarrassing; you shouldn't poke fun at Archy." Fai's frown deepened and the blonde reached to poke his lover in the ribs for laughing.

Kurogane waved his hand away, smirking smugly. "And what exactly did he ask?" He inquired, resisting the urge to bust out laughing again.

"I don't know if I should tell you now." The blonde replied, though he knew the reason was partly because it was embarrassing to say.

"Oh why not? I've already had one good laugh." Kurogane grinned, setting his book upturned on his knee while looking at Fay.

"Because you'll laugh again." The blonde retorted as he looked up at Kurogane.

"Tch. Not like you hear my laugh everyday. What if I don't find it funny in the end anyway?"

Fai looked away, not wanting to look his lover in the eye as he told him, "He asked me about what to use beforehand."

Kurogane couldn't help but smile, though he looked down at his book to focus on something other than what Fay was telling him. "Uh huh…"

Fai looked away from his lover, he didn't have to look to know Kurogane was amused, and frowned as he continued. "And about... other things to do aside from having sex."

"Other things? Like poker?" Kurogane snorted at his own lame joke, unable to help himself. This was just too good a chance to get even.

"That's not funny and you know what I mean." He turned, elbowing Kurogane none too gently.

He smirked as a thought popped into his head. "He also asked about us and I told him how sweet and cute you were and how you blushed sometimes."

Kurogane's snicker died instantly and he frowned. "Like hell you did!" He snapped, moving his hand from behind Fay to tousle the blonde locks. "I bet you were too busy blushing your ass off to crack anything stupid about me."

"I did, I told him how Kuro-san liked to cuddle too." Fai grumbled as he felt Kurogane's hand in his hair and tried to remove it.

"So you tell him lies?" Kurogane asked with an agitated grin. "That's mean, sometimes he doesn't even act like he's hit puberty yet and you lie about sex." He said playfully, removing his hand from Fay's head.

"You do, though you insist on saying that's not what it's called." Fai said as he frowned up at the taller man. "All the other things are true about you too."

"Sure they are." Kurogane said, waving Fay off. He picked up his book again, irritated along with tired now. "Did you tell him anything else extreme?" He asked halfheartedly, wanting to move on from being made fun of.

"Nothing much though I did mentioned how Kuro-san was very sweet our first time." The blonde said as he smiled up at Kurogane, thinking the other man was being cute at the moment.

Kurogane sighed angrily, looking at the blonde. "Go into detail with that one too?" He asked, wondering how far the talk went. He smiled irately, pointing his finger at Fay. "Did you tell him how I rammed into that tight, little ass of yours while you practically begged for more?"

He choked on air at that.

"N-no and you shouldn't say things like that!" Fai's blush darkened by several shades as he scolded and looked up at the taller man.

Kurogane chuckled at Fay's reaction, moving his face away from the pale hands. "Why not? S'not like you weren't on the topic." He chuckled, reaching up to grab Fay's wrist gently to pull it off his face.

"I wasn't graphic at all, and especially not like you are." He frowned, still embarrassed at Kurogane's words.

"You were already embarrassed." The half breed shrugged, pulling Fay a little closer. "Why deny it? You were thinking it the entire time. How I know where to aim my thrusts to get those delicious moans out of you."

"Are you always so dirty?" Fai asked as he continued to frown. He flushed at his lover's words, knowing Kurogane was enjoying seeing him embarrassed.

"You tell me." The other replied with a smug smirk, thinking it was cute that Fay got flustered over verbalizing their nights in bed.

Fai turned his face away from the other man as he lightly punched Kurogane's leg. "You're worse than what I had thought."

The older man chuckled and lifted his hand to Fay's cheek, pulling him back to give the shorter a kiss on the cheek. "You should've heard me when I was a little younger." He grinned, pulling away altogether to stand. "I'm making tea. Want any?"

"Yes." He continued to frown. "And I find it hard to believe you were once even more perverted."

Kurogane chuckled more, putting his hands in his pockets. "High school was full of karma sutra jokes popping out at you. I had to learn it somewhere." He replied, lazily strolling into the kitchen.

Fai watched Kurogane, slightly confused about what he had meant but he at least understood the general idea behind what his lover had said. Crossing his arms, Fai leaned back against the couch.

Yuui entered the room shortly after, humming to herself. She paused and looked at Fay, slightly confused when she saw him pouting. "Is Fay upset?"

"No, just embarrassed is all." He said, giving the android a half hearted smile to ease her concern.

"Embarrassed?" She skipped over and sat down next to Fay, flattening the fur of her skirt down with a smile. "About what?"

"Kuro-rinta thought it would be funny to tease me." The blonde said to his twin. His cheeks still red over his conversation with Kurogane.

"Maybe Kurogane is just happy to be with Fay again? He does miss out on a lot of Fay's time." She offered, thinking about her creator's schedule. "If Kurogane's not at school, he's asleep."

"Maybe, but he'll be on break soon." The Valerian smiled at the thought, liking the idea of being able to spend a full day with Kurogane again.

"How long until then?" Yuui asked, bringing a finger up to the side of her chin.

"I'm not sure. Within a week or so I think." He replied as he smiled at Yuui.

"Around that time." Kurogane added as he leaned against the kitchen doorway. "Wednesday's my last day." He clarified. Yuui hopped up off the couch and pranced over to him, hugging one of his folded arms with childish affection.

"Then Kurogane can work on the other androids?" He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe." He turned into the kitchen, hearing the kettle start to whistle. "I start school around when the kid's suppose to be born."

"That's the earliest he could be born, he'll be born at anytime next month." He explained as he looked at Yuui.

She smiled sheepishly. "Could Yuui maybe help out with Baby-chan?" She offered, not liking the look Kurogane had when he heard that Toshihiko would be a wailer. "Yuui looks like Fay; maybe Baby-chan will be comforted by that so Kurogane and Fay can sleep more."

"Of course Yuui can help with Toshi, I'm sure he'd like that." The blonde offered as he smiled at his twin.

Yuui grinned widely. "Yay! Maybe Yuui could sit with Baby-chan all night to keep Kurogane and Fay asleep." She said, folding her hands in front of her chest while smiling at the ceiling.

"He won't be awake that often throughout the night; you wouldn't have to watch him the entire time." He said to the android, he was glad for the offer none the less.

"Yuui has nothing to do in the night but stay on standby or charge." She said with a grin, programmed to help whenever she could. Kurogane came in with two glasses of tea, sipping on one as he joined the two on the couch.

"She could charge in Toshihiko's room on the harder days with him." Kurogane said nonchalantly, taking his seat.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt." He said as he looked up at Kurogane.

The other man placed his hand on the couch behind Fay's head, setting his tea down on the coffee table. He picked up his book, ignoring Yuui lounging on his other side. "If not we can always move the cradle to our room or just leave her on standby so we can always take care of him."

"It's best to keep him in the nursery, when he's able to walk he'll want to sleep with us instead of in his room." Fai said as he leaned forward to grab his own drink.

"Wouldn't he want to do that anyway?" Kurogane asked, looking at his book even though Yuui was gripping the arm that held it.

"Yes, but baby's will do it regardless if we make it a habit to let him." The blonde said as he sipped at his tea. He smiled at the thought though, imagining it would be cute to have their son wanting to cuddle with his parents.

"When he'd get older he'd grow out of it." Kurogane flipped the page, leaning forward to get a pencil out of the backpack. He then relaxed against his lover, scribbling something next to the text on the book.

"Not for a few years." The blonde grinned as he reclined against Kurogane, enjoying the relatively peaceful moment.

The student hummed in agreement, preoccupied by his schoolwork. Yuui next to him closed her eyes, effectively going on standby.

Fai smiled, taking another drink from his cup as he listened to Kurogane write and turn the pages of his book as he read.

It wasn't much longer before Kurogane placed the pencil between his lips, closing the book. He reached forward and set the book down next to his tea, grabbing another that was considerably thinner.

"…Yuui, you're killing me." He said after a moment, making the doll reposition herself against him. "Maybe I shouldn't stuff you with so much goddamn wiring."

"Looks like she's asleep." Fai said, noticing the android hadn't responded to Kurogane.

"Tch. Lazy ass." He grumbled, looking back to his book. "Pulls off being your twin just fine."

"Kuro-myu's being really mean today." Fai pouted mockingly as he set his cup on the table and turned his head to look at Kurogane.

"How so?" The other replied casually, eyes skimming over his work. "Not like I don't say stuff like that everyday." He looked at Yuui and frowned slightly, scrutinizing her silently.

"You've been making fun of me almost since you came home." The blonde said as he leaned back against the couch and folded his arms to rest atop his stomach.

"And you don't make fun of me ever?" Kurogane sighed, looking through the corner of his eye to his lover. "Can't handle your own game?"

"I do and I can." The blonde said, his eyes settling onto his stomach as he spoke to his lover.

"If that were true you wouldn't be whining right now." Kurogane said back, using the pencil to circle several key points already highlighted in the novel he had.

"I'm not." He tilted his head to the side to watch Kurogane for a moment before a slight frown spread on Fai's lips. "Kuro-min's always saying I whine and that I'm lazy."

"And you always say I'm grumpy and I'm a dog." Kurogane retorted easily, not really focusing on his argument with the blonde.

"I only point it out because it's cute." Fai replied as he sat beside the taller man, his hands lying on his stomach as they usually did.

Kurogane snorted. "Sure it is. I say what I say because it's true." He growled, stopping in his reading to move Yuui's chin away from his chest so it wouldn't be jabbing him relentlessly.

The Valerian looked up at his lover questioningly, he was about to point out how he was telling the truth about Kurogane as well, when he felt the baby move underneath his hands. "Kuro-wankoro?" He said, wanting to get the others attention

"Hn?" Kurogane grunted, not drawing his eyes away from his book.

"It seems our son wants to make himself known." The blonde said as he smiled up at Kurogane.

The half breed jolted from his studies and looked to his lover. He blinked before smirking, setting his book down on his knee. "Lively today, huh?"

"He moved early this morning too." Fai said as he felt the faint pressure against his hands.

Kurogane stared at Fay's stomach, a small grin on his lips. "Growing fast…" He said softly, tightening his grip around Fay's back.

"Yes, he doesn't have much longer until he's born." Fai said as he smiled warmly at the other man. "He'll be kicking and moving even more the closer it gets to then."

The student chuckled and moved his hand away from his book and Yuui, placing it on Fay's stomach gently. He smiled wider when he felt the baby push against him. "As to be expected…"

"He's energetic just like daddy." Fai smirked, his eyes leaving his hands to look up at Kurogane. "Means he'll be even more of a handful when he's older."

Kurogane sighed, rolling his eyes playfully. "Wonderful." He looked at Fay with a smirk. "He could get that from you too you know."

"It seems he'll get it from both of us." The blonde chuckled lightly at remembering the stories he had been told about his lover when he was a child.

"Tch." The dark haired man leaned his forehead against Fay's hair. "He might have my temper and your laziness though."

"Maybe." Fai leaned into the touch, smiling softly at the idea, as Toshihiko moved once more.

Kurogane frowned, a thought coming to mind in the opposite light. "What will we do when he shows traits of our specific heritage?"

"Have to hide it as best we can." He answered his lover while he moved one of his hands to rest atop Kurogane's.

The older man sighed ruggedly, maneuvering his hand around Fay's so they would lace their fingers on the blonde's swollenness. "And if he says something to cause suspicion?"

"People could think he just has a big imagination and when he's old enough to understand we can tell him why it's not a good idea to tell others." He smiled when he felt Kurogane's fingers twin with his own, the gesture keeping him from worrying too much over their son.

Kurogane paused, staring at the other man's stomach. "…And if our tricks wear off and he's seen for who he is in town? What if neither one of us is around when that happens?"

His smile fell at the thought, trying to think of what either of them could possibly do. "..I don't know, but it shouldn't, at least not when covering up any physical traits he might have."

Kurogane pulled away slightly to look at Fay. He stared at him for a moment before unlacing his fingers so he could bring his hand up to the blonde's face.

He moved blonde bangs aside and kissed his lover's forehead. "What if he can take off the magic that we place on him? What if he wants to look the way he does?"

"He won't be able to, I'll be using my own powers to change any features. The only way to change back would be for me to do it." The blonde explained as he sighed.

"What if he asks you to let him go without disguise?" His lover asked, trying to think of all the possibilities.

"I couldn't, something bad could happen to him." Fai answered, not liking the idea of someone possibly trying to take or hurt their son because of him.

"Like?" Kurogane asked, having some ideas of what could go wrong but at the same time he felt the need to go in depth with the topic.

"It wouldn't be normal for anyone to see a child with some of the features he could have. He might be hurt because of it." He frowned, his mind lingering on the thought.

It was a good possibility that the baby could have some of the more exotic features that was common on Ginryuu as well and the blonde knew something like that wouldn't be explained away easily by any passersby that happened to notice.

The taller man sighed and looked away to Yuui, who tilted her head in concern. He frowned a little deeper when he noticed she was worried about what they were talking over. "Anyone related to the government, anyone in general…"

"Anyone that's not family could do anything...I don't want to chance something like that." Fai replied, unwilling to let harm come to their son.

Kurogane closed his eyes with a small dip of his head, not liking the conclusion. "…on your other planet I bet he could walk around freely…" He said in a low voice.

"He could..." The corners of his lips dipped further into a frown as he watched Kurogane.

The half breed growled at this, loathing the fact that their son couldn't show everyone just what he was. Yuui jolted him from his thoughts by placing her hand on his arm, looking at him with an arched brow of worry. Kurogane shook his head to her. "It can't be helped; he'll have to live his life under a spell."

"Me, your father, and Edameonus have to hide ourselves too, but that doesn't mean we're unhappy." Fai offered his lover a smile, trying to lighten the other man's spirits at the idea of that aspect of their son's life being kept hidden away.

Kurogane scoffed lightly, slightly miffed. "You guys all did it by choice. He doesn't get one of those…" He trailed off, blinking slowly. "…H-hey… If he's only half Valerian-or-whatever and would still show traits…" He traced his finger in the air around in a circle before pointing at himself.

"If it was true for you, handling that charm would have dispersed any spell you might have had." The blonde smiled at the image of Kurogane sharing more features from his father's side.

"It would've also worked on my father's." He said sharply, narrowing his eyes at the wall across from them. "He was the one that gave me the thing. Why the hell would it work against him?"

"You said he's worked with things like that before, maybe he's immune to it? It is after all only effective on minor spells; it possibly wouldn't affect someone if they knew how to counteract it."

The blonde said, worried at what Kurogane was thinking.

He leaned back into the couch, gritting his teeth slightly. "Maybe…" He moved his hand from Yuui's and placed it on his cheek, closing his eyes with an angry huff. "Then again, history seems to be repeating a lot with my family… disguises, running, getting caught, being tortured, a happy ending with twists, more disguises, more running…"

"That's true, but Kuro-min shouldn't let it bother him...if Toriho had done something like that to you, he would have said something. He doesn't have any reason to lie to you about himself or that side of your family anymore." He reasoned as he smiled at Kurogane.

"Perhaps he's forgotten?" The other replied with a sarcastic coolness, withdrawing himself from Fay to stand. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked away. "Forget it… I'm putting off my homework to work on the computers."

"Then why don't you ask him? I think he would tell you." He watched Kurogane move away from him, and wondered if he should let the other leave to brood over his thoughts.

"Tch." Kurogane replied, curtly turning away. "The more I find out about myself the more I'm against doing certain things for Toshihiko." He said over his shoulder, gesturing for Yuui to follow him. The android looked at Fay momentarily with a small frown before getting up and following Kurogane down the hall.

Fai frowned as he was left in the living room, before he stood and gathered their cups, deciding to empty them and straighten Kurogane's books.

It wasn't a lot, but time flew by before Fay could notice, and he realized it was 20 minutes since the taller man had left to go into the different room. The sound of Yuui squealing suddenly met his ears, along with a little whistle and a tinier girl's voice.

He stood again from the couch and ventured towards the other room. Standing in front of the door, he knocked lightly, not wanting to interrupt the other man. "Kuro-san?"

Yuui opened the door with a smile, holding an extremely small tambourine in her hand. "Master User Kurogane created a Laptop Persecom Sumomo!" She announced.

Kurogane growled behind her. "Just open the goddamn door. It's not a secret if you announce it but don't show it, idiot."

"Kuro-rin makes such cute computers." He chuckled as he saw the much smaller android.

The little robot was dancing in the palm of his hand, clapping her hands for lack of the musical instrument. She was singing something incoherently, making Kurogane frown. "I made her for mom, but she's got this annoying glitch that makes her sing and dance whenever she's not assigned to do something."

"Kuro-kun's sweet to make something so cute for his mother." Fai said as he stood, watching Sumomo dance around.

"I'm not sweet. I don't want her out and about without any means of communication. I could care less about dad." He said, sticking his burnt finger in Sumomo's reach, the girl laughing and taking it with both her tiny hands to shake it.

"You were worrying about her, I would count that as being sweet Kuro-chan." The blonde walked over to stand behind Kurogane and leaned over to poke his lover's cheek with his index finger. Yuui laughed as she watched her twin and Kurogane.

Said man growled and leaned away, not having a free hand to bat him away. The lavender-pink haired girl smiled widely, tracing over the fingernail and mended bumps of Kurogane's finger in recognition. "Hello, stranger! I'm Sumomo! Summary Of Motorized Operations!"

Kurogane cocked a brow. "What is with you guys and announcing what your name means?"

"Hello, Sumomo, I'm Fai." He smiled at the tiny girl as he looked down to see her holding Kurogane's finger in her small hands. "Kuro-wankoro's growling."

Fai grinned and leaned forward to wrap his arms around the taller man's shoulders.

"And you're pointing this out because…?" Kurogane grunted, lifting his hand to show Sumomo his palm. The girl stretched her arms to reach the tips of his fingers, standing on her toes to touch the top of his joints. Yuui giggled at his, thinking it was cute, as she held the other small android.

"Just thought I would, it's cute." Fai chuckled as he watched Kurogane interacting with his creations.

"What the hell?" He asked lowly, half paying attention to the girl as she traced every inch of his hand. Sumomo's expression gradually fell, her eyes sullen and lips curved.

"Master User Kurogane is in pain?" He looked at her. "Ah? Oh… no… this hand isn't really mine… That's why you can't feel my pulse."

The blonde smiled at the small android at seeing her concern. "I think Mokona would like to play with Sumomo once Kuro-rinta has her working like Yuui."

The girl's attention moved instantly to Fay with a tilt of the head and a happy smile. "Mokona? Who's Mokona?" She asked, completely forgetting about her worry before. Kurogane smirked; glad she didn't dwell on the matter.

"Yuui's friend, she's similar to you." Fai said as he looked over at the androids. "All of you will have to play together someday."

Yuui pranced over and stole Sumomo from Kurogane, nuzzling her happily. "Sumomo will like Mokona a lot! Yuui does!" Kurogane leaned back and watched the two, studying them to see if they were doing ok.

He smiled as he leaned against Kurogane. Fai watched the two of them, wondering what it would be like for an older Toshihiko to play with them as well.

The little girl took the tambourine and started beating it in time with her song, though she seemed to dance a little slower. Kurogane's eyes dropped slightly, examining Sumomo with wariness. "Sumomo, what is your buffering speed?"

The girl stopped dancing to smile at him mechanically. "15%."

He clicked his tongue. "Better than yesterday."

"Does that mean she'll be able to move around like Yuui soon?" Fai asked as he watched the girl move about in front of them.

"Yuui's programming was altered when we went on that damned trip. Her battery isn't the one I gave her and a lot of her wiring was moved to disks. Sumomo's has less energy to spend, so she's got a smaller battery. It would adapt faster… though with the way she goes on standby, all bets are off." He ground, the girl in Yuui's hands laughing sheepishly.

"There's not a way to fix it?" He asked, his eyes still trained on the girl as she smiled and shook the tambourine in her hands.

"I'm still working on her." Kurogane grumbled, folding his arms while leaning his head back against Fay's shoulder. Yuui set the girl down in front of Subaru's monitor, the robot humming and dancing instinctively.

"She's very energetic, though I guess it shouldn't be a surprise seeing all the other computers you make." He continued to smile as the small girl danced in front of Subaru while Yuui laughed.

Kurogane glared at Fay again. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? They create their own personalities." He grumbled, ignoring Yuui as she started to dance along with Sumomo.

"Kuro-rinta's energetic too, but his computers tend to be nicer and not as grumpy or prone to yelling." He chuckled at the thought while over from them Kamui rolled his eyes while Subaru blushed.

Kurogane scoffed and looked back to the two dancing. "Whatever." He blinked and patted Fay's arms to release him. Sitting up, he caught Yuui's arm and yanked her down to his level. The girl smiled curiously as her creator lifted her chin. "Hn. Your eye color's dulled a little. That could damage your sensors."

He stood and waved briefly to Fay. "Make sure Sumomo doesn't do anything stupid."

Kurogane then exited the room to go to the laundry room, apparently where his extra tools were kept. Yuui watched after him, her hands clasping in front of her. "Fay…" She said softly, staring at the door.

"Yes Yuui?" Turning, the blonde looked at the other android questioningly, wondering what she wanted with him.

She was about to address something, but a thud and small crash was heard from the direction of the laundry room. Yuui looked over to the door.

"Yuui thinks that was Kurogane!" She said worriedly, moving toward the door quickly.

Fai was quick to follow after the girl, Sumomo clutched in his hand, wondering what Kurogane had done to himself. He rushed into the laundry after Yuui, his eyes immediately scanning for Kurogane when he stepped inside.

The dark haired man had retrieved what he had gone in there for, but he had collapsed. He was lying face down on the ground with his hand barely touching the small tool kit that had spilt its objects on the floor. Yuui squeaked and went to kneel by him, checking over him.

Blue eyes widened as they fell on Kurogane. Fai moved and knelt down beside his lover, checking to see what had caused knocked the taller man out.

Yuui reached forward and placed two fingers on his neck, waiting a moment before sighing with a smile. "Kurogane's fine. Body temperature and pulse are normal, and antibodies are at an average level. Yuui thinks Kurogane was taking too long to restore his energy."

"Yuui, help me lift him, we'll take Kuro-min to the bedroom to sleep." The blonde said after he sighed in relief that Kurogane hadn't been hurt.


End file.
